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The 2026 Executive Day did not waste time getting executives comfortable. On 3 September, CHROs, CFOs and CIOs were thrown straight into conversations with people they may never otherwise have met, networking in true Executive Community style before diving into the bigger questions shaping leadership, technology and the future of work.

During an attention-grabbing panel discussion at the 2026 Executive Day, Paul Norman, group CHRO at MTN, and Celiwe Ross, group chief human capital and corporate affairs officer at Old Mutual, put the CEO role under the executive microscope, unpacking the green flags, red flags and everything in between that can make or break the C-suite dynamic.

SynergERP has joined as a Silver partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

Women’s empowerment in the workplace is often discussed in the language of representation, targets and transformation. Those measures matter. But they are not the destination; they are evidence of whether we are changing the conditions in which women enter, grow, lead and succeed. The question is no longer whether organisations can afford to invest in women. It is whether they can afford not to.

Nceba Ndzwayiba has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for his role as group HR and transformation director at Netcare.

Jasmine Pillay has joined Seriti Green as chief people officer.

GameON Mobile has joined as a Silver partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

CompCare Medical Scheme has joined as a Gold partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

You don't have to love basketball to understand what excites Nyameka Semenya, senior HR director at NBA Africa. For her it’s all about what happens when thousands of strangers rally behind one team, young people discovering a new sport, and communities finding connection by a shared love of the game.

Neptune Masombuka has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for her role as chief human capital officer at the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

Humbulani Tshivhase has started a new role as chief director for HR management and development at the Gauteng Office of the Premier.

A recent webinar, hosted in partnership with Factorial, brought together Neridha Moodley, people and culture lead at SNG Grant Thornton; Zameer Ahmed, head of HR digital transformation at Netcare; and Paolo Urzi, partnership development manager at Factorial, to unpack what responsible AI adoption looks like in practice, and how HR leaders can harness technology without losing sight of the people at the heart of the function.

Across the world, governance systems are under pressure. Institutions - public, private, and civic - are grappling with rising complexity, shifting stakeholder expectations, and the urgent need for more accountable, inclusive, and ethical leadership.

A room full of women would once have been unthinkable. Nonkululeko Gobodo, pioneering business leader, entrepreneur, author, CEO of Awakened Global and Chancellor of Walter Sisulu University, reflected on just how much that picture has changed during her keynote at the 2026 Executive Communities Women’s Dinner.

There was no shortage of sisterhood, influence or inspiration at the 2026 Executive Communities Women’s Dinner. Women from the CHRO, CFO, and CIO communities gathered under one roof for an evening where conversations flowed, laughter came easily and a healthy dose of girl power filled the NH hotel in Sandton.

Ask A Man was back by popular demand at the 2026 ExCo Women’s Dinner, giving women the chance to put much-needed leadership conversations on the table, and once again, the men had to do the answering.

For decades, store-level recruitment in South Africa has largely relied on one familiar process: a pile of CVs, a busy store manager and a decision made under pressure. But according to Heine Bellingan, co-founder of JOBJACK, that approach no longer serves either employers or job seekers.

The recruiter has AI. So does the candidate. One is using it to find the right person faster. The other is using it to become the right person on paper. That was the ongoing workplace tension explored at a recent Lumini webinar themed The AI Recruitment Reality.

What does the workplace women deserve look like? This Women’s Day, we put that question to HR leaders Elanie Kruger, CHRO at Tsebo Solutions Group; Shehnaaz Kajee, head of HR at HBZ Bank; and Sinqobile Khuluse, CPO at Sandock Austral Shipyards, who have a front-row seat to shaping the employee experience.

Jabu Mahange, group HR executive at Famous Brands, sees policies as only valuable when they help a business perform, not when they are treated as immovable rules, filed neatly in ring binders and dusted off when something goes wrong.

Melissa Gangen has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for her role as HR director at Digital Planet and HP Store.

Alicia Dean has been appointed as head of people at PKF Cape Town.

Humanly, in partnership with Insight Consulting, has joined as a Gold partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

Nerisha Charlton has been appointed people and organisation director for the international division at Royal Canin, expanding her leadership remit to support the pet nutrition company's operations across 115 markets in Latin America, Eurasia, the Middle East and Africa.

HR Path has joined as a Gold partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

Karen Hammond, group head of people at Meridian Group, learned one of life's most important lessons at an early age by realising that difficult circumstances do not have to define your future. After losing loved ones while she was still young, she could easily have allowed hardship to shape the direction of her life. Instead, those experiences gave her a deep sense of purpose and a desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

The term neurodiversity is becoming ubiquitous in a world where the diversity in peoples’ cognitive abilities is being highlighted in the mainstream. Current estimates show that as many as 15 percent to 20 percent of the global population is neurodivergent, meaning that one in five employees falls into this category.

Mmabatho Tlale has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for her role as chief human capital officer at Zeda.

For one evening only, trusted HR partners were given four minutes to stand in front of almost 100 of South Africa's top HR leaders and share an idea they believed could help solve a workplace challenge. Speak for longer than four minutes, and risk hearing the dreaded buzzer.

Lisa February has joined ATM Group as group head of HR.

Patience Mushungwa has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for her role as divisional executive for human capital at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).

SMSA Africa Logistics Group has promoted Mandy Kendall to chief people officer.

Sage has joined as a Diamond partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

Before CHROs ask the enterprise to lead humans and AI together, HR must become the demonstration project.

Like any good runner, Penny Adams knows recovery is part of the race. After a two-year out-of-office break spent clocking up 10km runs, she has returned refreshed and refocused as human capital executive at Primedia Out of Home.

Zongezile Baloyi has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for his role as executive for corporate services at the Council for Medical Schemes.

Linda Mthenjane has been appointed as African Bank’s new group chief people and culture officer.

Evalex has joined as a Gold partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

CHROs have moved past the era where saying this is the way we’ve always done things is the only rule of thumb. Today, the workplace has become a place where someone who remembers the first fax machine collaborates in real-time with an intern who uses AI to automate their morning emails.

Vicky Koekemoer, CHRO at Ignition Group, doesn't describe herself as a risk taker anymore. These days, she says motherhood has made her far more cautious and measured.

Nthabiseng Thaba has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for her role as HR director at Leroy Merlin South Africa.

After more than three years leading the people function at Pragma Global, Elke Mackridge has been appointed head of HR South Africa at Lotus Bakeries.

iOCO Digital has come on board as a Diamond partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

Kedibone Letsika has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for her role as people and culture director and company secretary at JTI.

There is a calm assurance in the way Sana-Ullah Bray speaks about people, culture and transformation at Sanlam Group. In a business navigating acquisitions, digital disruption and evolving workforce expectations, Sana-Ullah has emerged as a leader who combines strategic clarity with empathy and pragmatism.

Yolande Chirwa has been appointed CHRO at TransUnion following a one-year career break from corporate life.

The air at Signature Restaurant in Umhlanga was filled with more than the aroma of an exquisitely prepared three-course intimate dinner. Around the table sat some of eThekwini’s leading HR minds, each carrying a different story, yet all united by the same challenge: how to support employees under mounting financial pressure.

Factorial has come on board as a Gold partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

Ask 10 people in a room what “we’re growing” means to them. You will get 10 different answers. Some will hear opportunities. Others will hear security. A few will hear expansion, new roles, new markets, new teams. What none of them will hear is what the organisation may actually mean: revenue growth, margin improvement, automation investment, and maintaining output with a leaner workforce.

Sifiso Gasa once prepared himself to be a teacher, then a lawyer, before ultimately finding his calling in the space between both: working with people. Today, as CHRO at Röhlig-Grindrod Logistics South Africa, he leads the people agenda for a business of around 600 employees, but his journey to the executive table started in the unglamorous trenches of HR.

Dr Busisiwe Tshabalala has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for her role as group executive: HR at African Rainbow Minerals.

Nozuko Hlefana has joined the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA) as group executive for human capital and facilities.

Wealthbit has come on board as a Silver partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

For more than 30 years, one conviction has guided my journey: the true work of a CHRO is to design and integrate the systems, behaviours and leadership habits that create the conditions for people to thrive and unlock their full potential.

The hardest part of growing a global company is not opening new markets. It is making sure people in those markets still feel they belong to the same organisation. That is the challenge Vera Solomatina is helping to solve as SVP of people and culture at inDrive.

Joseph Rock has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for his role as chief people and performance officer at Exxaro Resources.

Italtile has appointed Marlene Badul as group HR executive, to lead the HR function.

LexisNexis has come on board as a Silver partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, taking place on 20 October.

Given the chance to sit down with their younger selves this Youth Day, what are the three things South Africa's HR leaders would say?

For many in the C-suite, ambition is oxygen. It fuels late nights, important decisions and the quiet promise to never fall short. For Ditsheoana Modise, now chief people and business enablement officer at Sun International, that drive once led to a wall that nearly cost her health.

Brenda Talazo has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for her role as vice president, head of HR and business enablement at Saab.

Wits Plus has come on board as a Silver partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

Tsebo Solutions Group has appointed Phumzile Hlatshwayo as HR director to lead the HR function.

Dr Zain Reddiar, global CHRO and corporate services officer at iSON Xperiences, says HR's fingerprints are on almost every aspect of organisational success, yet a lot goes unnoticed.

Absa’s group chief human capital officer Jeanett Modise began her career by holding lives in her hands at the bedside of patients while working as a professional nurse and midwife, where she honed a people-centred, high-accountability approach and carried the responsibility of patient wellbeing. Today she holds organisations together, and applies those same strengths to executive leadership, guiding organisations with insight and grace.

Matimba Mbungela has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for his role as CHRO at Vodacom Group.

Terence Moolman has been appointed CHRO at Lesaka Technologies.

Momentum Corporate has come on board as a Silver partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

Something is shifting in how organisations think about talent. It is no longer just about filling roles, but getting the right blend of skills needed to deliver real impact.

As someone who values nature and time outdoors, Dr Leigh Adams sees people much like evolving landscapes, purposefully unique, each shaped over time and able to thrive in the right conditions.

Chanel Smailes has been appointed human capital executive at Feltex Automotive.

Dorah Tlala-Tanor has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for her role as group chief HR and corporate affairs officer at Proconics.

Envoy Global has come on board as a Silver partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

Palesa Moloi has joined Philip Morris South Africa as director of people & culture.

To understand Lindiwe Miyambu is to understand the legacy of a nurse and a pastor. Growing up in a home with parents defined by these two vocations, the 2025 Public Sector CHRO of the Year was raised in a household and a broader community where service was a way of life.

Following International HR Day on 20 May, Graham Keatley, head of people at Vitality; Londani Nkabinde, head of HR at Danone SA; and Brenda Talazo, vice president, head of HR and business enablement at Saab, reflect on the changing role of HR and why the profession deserves greater recognition for the impact it has across every part of the business.

Reabetswe Motshegare has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for her role as HR director Sub-Saharan Africa at Scatec ASA.

YuLife has come on board as a Silver partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

A mentimeter survey at the recent CHRO Day in Johannesburg became a space for Mzansi’s top HR leaders to reflect on what is really happening inside their organisations.

Addressing a room of nearly 200 of South Africa’s leading HR executives during the opening panel of the 2026 CHRO Day, Matimba Mbungela, group CHRO at Vodacom, shared insights on the tough calls that define leadership.

HR leaders went on a ‘speed date’ at the 2026 CHRO Day in Johannesburg – not the romantic kind, but one where they were paired up for seven-minute networking conversations designed to help them connect, share ideas and talk honestly about the challenges they are facing at work.

Pragmatic Thinking has joined the 2026 HR Indaba as a Silver partner ahead of the event taking place on 20 October.

When it comes to imagining the workplace of tomorrow, Steven Teasdale doesn’t just think outside the box. He wants to rebuild the box, upgrade it and make it human-centred.

Penny Adams has started a new position as human capital executive at Primedia Out Of Home.

Duke Mgaga has been nominated for the CHRO Awards 2026 for his role as chief people officer at the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.

Triple E Training has come on board as a Silver partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

Palesa Ntoagae has been appointed chief people officer for personal and private banking Pan-Africa at Absa Group.

Devni Naidoo Ferdi may not be on the pitch at Cricket South Africa, but she is one of the most important players in the game as its head of people.

Every year on 1 May, Mzansi’s workplaces pause for Workers’ Day, yet HR leaders Khanya Magudulela, HR executive at Motus; Lerato Morathi, human capital executive at Alexforbes; and Annelie Govender, CHRO at Vector Logistics, also view the day as a chance to hold up the mirror to the workplaces being built for workers and reflect on what putting workers first truly looks like in practice.

Boniwe Dunster has been nominated for the CHRO Awards 2026 for her role as executive manager for HR at Lanseria International Airport.

Diversifi has come on board as a Silver partner for the 2026 HR Indaba, set to take place on 20 October.

Kedibone Letsika, people & culture director at JTI, points to the subtle, everyday shifts that can signal when workplace stress is starting to affect performance, from changes in energy and behaviour to dips in engagement that are easy to overlook.

The enticing smell of Pedros Chicken might hit you the moment you walk into a store, but the heart and culture of the brand is quietly grilled behind the scenes, headed up by its people chief Naeem Timol.

Nosipho Kunene has been nominated for the CHRO Awards 2026 for her role as HR director for sub-Saharan Africa and board member at Kimberly-Clark.

Tapaswee Chandele has been appointed global chief people officer at The Coca-Cola Company, marking a significant milestone in a career that has been built almost entirely within the organisation.

As momentum builds towards the 2026 HR Indaba, eDeaf has come on board as a Gold partner for this year’s event, set to take place on 20 October.

Vanessa Goonahsylin has stepped into a new role as executive head of people & culture for South Africa at NTT Data MEA.

Barney Khumalo has been nominated for the 2026 CHRO Awards for his role as chief people officer at Rainbow Chicken.

When the sun sets over his home in the Johannesburg north area, Njabulo Nyawo, the group chief people executive at Momentum Group, is likely thinking about one of two things: the intricate alignment of commercial strategy with human capital, or the kilometres he needs to clock for his next ultramarathon.

As momentum builds toward the 2026 HR Indaba, K2 Group has come on board as a Silver partner for this year’s event, set to take place on 20 October.

Tony Smith has been appointed group people and culture officer at Grindrod.

Top HR executives gathered in Cape Town for the second CHRO Summit of 2026, to trade insights on what it means to lead in the age of digital acceleration.

Dariel’s talent manager Lebo Mosola-Mnjama shares her secret to keeping technical talent engaged in the company.

Food Lover’s Market managing executive for people and sustainability Andrew Millson shares his approach for success in retail HR.

Set in an intimate and elegant setting in Westcliff, the CHRO Dinner held on 9 April in partnership with Regenesys Corporate Education brought together HR leaders to explore how they are navigating the rise of AI, and more importantly, how they are ensuring people remain at the centre of it.

As preparations ramp up for the 2026 HR Indaba, Paymenow comes on board as a Silver partner for this year’s event, set to take place on 20 October.

Solly Mathebula has taken on the role of chief people officer at Bearing Man Group (BMG), bringing with him extensive experience across HR leadership, transformation and employee relations.

When Easter arrives, it isn’t only about long weekends and chocolate hunts. Following the Easter weekend, HR leaders Laura James, people & organisation director at Mulilo and Kholo Kunene, Africa HR director at Nissan South Africa unpack how it is a season that blends reflection, renewal and connection both at home and in the workplace.

The CHRO South Africa Cape Town Summit returns to the Mother City on 14 April.

Hope Lukoto, CHRO at Openserve, shares how her first few months have been a mix of listening, learning and plotting the path forward.

Patience Mathebula-Okoruwa has been promoted to HR director at Accenture South Africa, where she will oversee the organisation’s HR agenda in South Africa.

Partnerships continue to gather momentum for the 2026 HR Indaba, with Busec Nova joining as a Gold partner for this year’s event, set to take place on 20 October.

Ayanda Mda has been appointed head of people at Rentoza, where she will lead the company’s people function.