Winda is a Financial Planner with over 30 years of experience in corporate and private practice. She is involved in several business organizations, attributable to her passion to assist in the empowerment of businesswomen and make a positive difference in the lives of young South Africans. Winda serves on the management team of the Tygerberg Chamber of Commerce, is a founding member of the CT branch of the SA Council for Businesswomen and served as national chairperson. She’s been involved with the SBI since 1997.

A partner at To-The-Point Growth Specialists & THINKspiration, Bernard serves as non-executive director on the boards of Impala, Zimplats, Eqstra, & African Rainbow Minerals Limited. He was previously the CEO & Chairman of Village Main Reef Limited & CEO of Harmony Gold Mining Company Ltd. He is currently chairman of the Joburg Indaba & Managing partner of MMC.

Sipho most recently served as the CEO of Exxaro Resources Limited. He is founder & CEO of Eyesizwe. He is past-president of the Chamber of Mines. He currently serves on the boards of Sanlam, Exxaro Resources, Anooraq Resources, Eyesizwe Holdings.

SBI’s former CEO, Ernest serves as chairman of Groot Constantia, as co-chair with Anant Singh of Smile 90.4FM and sits on the boards of the Du Toit Group and Isipani Construction. Ernest has chaired the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls and the Franschhoek Valley Transformation Charter.

Hettienne serves her local community on the board of Nala Hospital, the local Tourism Forum as well as the Maize Capital Business Chamber. Hettienne joined the SBI as Free State AHI chairperson since 2000, was elected in 2014 as chairperson of the AHI Provincial Board, joining the AHI Board at the same time to help manage the provincial structure. She is committed to the Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture for Business Organizations, honoring Madiba’s dream for business to speak with one voice. “It is when small business takes hands with big business that we can grow the economy, she says.”

Octavia is a CA(SA), and serves on various boards and audit committees (previously): Great Basin Gold, Village Main Reef (and currently): Petra Diamonds, Extract Group and Avior Capital. She has also served the public sector, including National Treasury, Co-Operatives Banks Development Agency, GTAC, SALGA, and IDT. Her passion for entrepreneurship has seen her building her own businesses in sectors ranging from auditing to mining, among them: Tsidkenu Chartered Accountants, Mukundi Mining Resources, LaBoBo Beauty Salon & Spa, Vibe Group, Jireh Transport & Aviation.

Founder and Director of the GreenSmile Group, Ashwin is a former South African rugby player of the year. He played for the Springboks during the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups and won numerous awards as a professional rugby player. Ashwin has been an analyst on SuperSport for eight years. He is currently completing his Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation at the Wits Business School. His passion for entrepreneurship and small business is lived out through the various businesses he has established since his retirement from professional rugby. “Being able to contribute by adding a voice of advocacy – particularly to young people – on behalf of the SBI, is something I see as a duty and a privilege.”

Siki is an award-winning financial journalist. She has worked for various broadcasters in South Africa as a reporter, producer, anchor and editor and continues to host the nightly business show ‘Moneyline’ on eNCA. Her well-rounded grasp of business and politics has seen her anchor other TV current affairs programmes, most notably, the acclaimed program, The Big Debate. She holds an Honours Degree in Journalism from Rhodes University and is studying for a Master’s degree in financial journalism. She has been featured in the M&G SA Book of Women, and the M&G Young South Africans publications.

With a background in legislative and policy work in the US (eight years on Capitol Hill in the offices of a congressman and a governor) and in South Africa (researcher and speech-writer in Parliament). Jennifer also owned and operated two small businesses: she ran Washington DC’s oldest general bookshop and was Managing Director for over a decade of a media and investor relations firm with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg. In the last few years, she has been responsible for developing strategies and managing work-streams for a policy think tank and for both Business Leadership South Africa and the SBI.

Chris is the founder and Chief Executive of SBP (Small Business Project), a not for profit company working in sub-Saharan Africa and other emerging economies since 1998. She has over 26 years experience in private sector and enterprise development combining research, regulatory reform, project design, program management, impact measurement and policy advocacy. She has provided consulting services and monitoring and evaluation to amongst others, the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, GtZ/GiZ, USAID, Danida, DFID, ILO, Norad, African Development Bank, OECD and many other leading bilateral and multilateral organisations to promote private sector growth and small enterprise development. Chris has also provided specialist advice to many large corporations and multinationals operating in Africa in designing and establishing multi-purpose enterprise development and supply chain development programs. She has also served as an adviser to government ministers on addressing constraints to enterprise development and the investment climate..

From his early years Ivan has participated in many community and political organisations. In the years prior to the new dispensation, he served in various roles for the ANC and the SACP in Swaziland and Zambia. After the unbanning of the liberation movements, he participated in CODESA, the Transitional Executive Council and the amalgamation of South Africa’s intelligence and security services. Ivan is currently an independent consultant after spending 16 successful years at SARS. During this period he held a number of positions that included, but were not limited to, Deputy Commissioner and Acting Commissioner. Ivan was a key player in the team that implemented the turnaround strategy that saw SARS become a world-class organisation.”

Joe has held leadership and executive management roles in business, public and civil society organisations and served on a number of boards. He has just completed a Masters degree in development finance and is working toward a PhD. He has managed financial analysis, commercial negotiations, strategy development & execution, corporate & regulation affairs, stakeholder relations and sustainability in a range of industries that include motor manufacturing, food and clothing retail, financial services, tourism, non-government organisations, the public sector and the National Nuclear Regulator.