Fay brings extensive strategic leadership experience to the various executive and non-executive roles and positions she has occupied over the years.
Fay was recognised as being the most influential businesswoman in the financial
services sector, in South Africa in both 2016 and 2017, and has also been recognized through various awards both nationally and internationally. As a commercial lawyer, Fay has focused primarily on cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions and Transaction Advisory services, and consequently specialised in risk, governance and strategy advisory engagements.
Fay has also been at the forefront of advice to numerous local and international entities on several transactions including some of the most prestigious published empowerment transactions in South Africa and has acted as lead transaction advisor on numerous multi-national transactions.
Through her relationship with the IoDSA (as technical advisor and subject-matter expert), she has advised and assessed boards (in the private (listed and unlisted) and public sectors) on key business and governance areas through their respective different business phases, and also acts as mentor to individual directors.
Fay is a guest lecturer at major universities and business schools (and on various other platforms) in South Africa and she has delivered papers at national and international conferences on governance, leadership in Africa and development economics. She is a skilled public speaker, panellist and sought after opinionista on matters pertaining to leadership, governance and the role of directors in a time of disruption.
Fay currently acts as special advisor to several entities and as an independent board/board committee member and independent trustee, of entities in both the public and private sectors.
BOARD EXPERIENCE
25 Years
DESIGNATIONS & QUALIFICATIONS
Chartered Director SA®
Advocate of the High Court of South Africa
Specialist Board and Transaction Advisor
Technical Facilitator and Advisor-IoDSA
Commercial Lawyer (M&A)
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
- Strategy
- Risk
- Corporate Governance
- Sustainability
- Legal
- Financial
- Organisational development
- Business process re-engineering
- Commercial advisory
- Transaction advisory (M&A)
- Professional director (private, public and NPO sector experience)
CURRENT GOVERNING BODY POSITIONS
- Chairperson of Themis Investments group of Companies, a boutique group of various corporate finance specialising in social impact (venture capital and private equity) investments across the continent
- Independent Chairperson: Sugar Association of South Africa
- Director of TERMA Commercial Advisory Services
- Independent Chairperson: ASISA Enterprise and Supplier Development Initiative
- Independent Council Member: Payments Association of South Africa
- Independent Lead NED: Altvest Capital
- Independent NED: Uplyft
PREVIOUS GOVERNING BODY AND PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS HELD
- Group CEO of ABAFAZI iAfrika Group, a private investment holding company operating across sector and industry
- Chairperson of Township Growth Fund Investment Committee
- Founding CEO of 4 Africa Exchange (4AX), South Africa’s second stock exchange with a full license to trade in both equity and debt across all asset classes
- Member of Johannesburg Mayoral Economic Development Advisory Council
- Member of Premier's Gauteng Ethics Advisory Council
- Member of the ARC at the Presidency of South Africa
- Director of Broll Property Group
- Director of Telviva Business Telecomms
- Chairperson of BeyondCovid Initiative
- Director of United Way South Africa (UWSA)
- Director of Business Innovations Group
- Director of Maasdorp and Associates
- Member of ARC for various SETAs (viz. TETA, CHIETA, CATHSSETA, MERSETA)
- Past-President of the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Head of National Gender Project (Lawyers for Human Rights)
- Member of Family Court Centre (KZN) Founding Task Team
- Director of Java@JAVA (first cyber-cafè in South Africa)
