GET TO KNOW
Mpho Makwana
ABOUT
Mpho Makwana
Executive and Non-Executive Director
Bachelor of Administration (B. Admin) UNIZULU (1990), B.Admin Hons (University of Pretoria) (1991),
Executive Development Programme (EDP) (2000), Kellogg School of Management and Post. Grad Diploma.
Retailing Management,University of Stirling (2008).
Mpho is an accomplished business leader with diverse experience acquired over 32 years overall; 26 of which have been in executive and C-Suite roles in the public and private sectors.
He is the immediate Past Non-Executive Chairman of Nedbank Group Ltd (NDBKF.PK), Nedbank Ltd (Term concluded on 02 June 2023). In addition, until Monday 30 October 2023, Mpho was Chairman of the ESKOM SOC LTD Board of Directors after a short term of 12 months.
Currently he is a Non-Executive Director of Platinum Group Metals (TSX:PTM) (NYSE:PLG) and Lead Independent Director on the Board of Invicta Holdings Limited (INVICTA).
He further serves as Chairman,
- Epitome Investments (Pty) Ltd, his family investments holdings company which holds equity interests in LPI -LionPride Investments and LRMG.
- Boardroom Alliance (Pty) Ltd and Boardroom Alliance Africa (Pty) Ltd – trading as Executive Search firm Heidrick & Struggles.
He ploughs back to society in many ways, in June 2023 he was appointed as Adjunct Professor at UNISA’s CEMS – College of Economic & Management Sciences.
PAYING IT FORWARD
Volunteer Work
He is a panellist for the Centre for Global Inclusion’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmark Report, and volunteers as a Trustee on the Board of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund as well as a Board Director of FLG Modise Pentecost Foundation.
Gosebo, Hunadi, Ngoato are praise names that reflect the egalitarian intent embedded in the African values of Motho ke moto ka batho.
HONOURING OUR PAST
TO PRESERVE OUR HERITAGE
Motho ke motho ka batho
I am because you are.
In a Lekgotla atmosphere women and men were addressed not by first name, nor by surname, but through their praise name to create a climate of egalitarianism in conversation. Praise names also role reflect heritage and identity. As Gosebo ‘a Phogole, I automatically locate myself in lineage as Gosebo son of Phogole – my father.
We have an opportunity to invest in transferring this to our children and children’s children, a task I believe if well executed will infuse African pride in our “born frees” Millenniums generation and future young generations. Our children are being dislocated spiritually, their Africanness is being eroded when we don’t teach them to speak the languages of their ancestors.
Join me as we celebrate our praise names, understand our totems and recover our heritage. Let us forge a prosperous South Africa, united in its diversity.