Absa | The Absa Group Executive Committee

Akash Singh

Akash Singh (49)

Akash Singh was appointed as the Group Chief Compliance Officer with effect from November 2019.

Prior to this role, he was the Chief Compliance Officer of Retail and Business Bank SA. Akash was the Head of Operational Risk: Africa for Barclays Africa Group with oversight across 14 countries. He has also held various Internal Audit roles within the Absa Group. Before joining Absa, Akash was with Nedcor Limited in the Finance function.

He has extensive knowledge and experience in strategic and technical management of operational risk, as well as regulatory and compliance risk management.

Qualifications: BCom (Hons); CA SA

Yasmin Masithela

Yasmin Masithela (50)

Interim Chief Executive: Corporate and Investment Banking

Yasmin was appointed as Interim Chief Executive Absa Corporate and Investment Banking on 15 October 2024 and became a member of the Executive Committee on the same date. Prior to this role, Yasmin served as Managing Executive: Transactional Banking, Absa CIB.

She joined Absa Group in 2011 as General Counsel for the Wealth, Investment Management and Insurance business, before becoming the Group Head of Compliance and a member of the Absa Group Executive Committee in 2014.

In 2018, Yasmin became the Chief Executive for Group Strategic Services – a portfolio that drove the Group’s corporate strategy including the Digital, Human Resources and Culture agenda.

Yasmin is a trained attorney with specialisation in corporate and commercial law and holds a Masters in Tax Law from University of the Witwatersrand.

Before joining Absa, Yasmin ventured into private practice as a founding partner at Phukubje Pierce Masithela Attorneys, responsible for various portfolios of the firm, including Mergers and Acquisitions, Corporate law, Structured Financing, Project Finance and Public Private Partnerships Practices.

Yasmin has served on various boards.

Qualifications: LLB, HDip (Company Law) and LLM (Tax Law)

Christine Wu

Christine Wu (45)

Chief Executive: Everyday Banking

Christine was appointed as Chief Executive: Everyday Banking with effect from 26 April 2024.

She has previously held the role of Managing Executive: Consumer Product, where her portfolio provided Absa’s business with a renewed edge and greater accountability of the customer value chain so that Absa stays on the cutting-edge of banking.

Christine joined Absa in January 2019 as an Executive member of the Absa Retail and Business Banking Executive team, looking after Customer Value Management portfolio.

Prior to joining Absa Group, she was formerly a partner at McKinsey and Company and had extensive experience serving banks locally and internationally on strategic topics.
She also worked with the McKinsey Global Institute in co-authoring an in-depth report on accelerating South Africa’s economic growth.

Christine is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).

She graduated top of her class and was placed in the top ten in her national qualifying examination.

Charles Russon

Charles Russon (56)

Interim Group Chief Executive Officer

Charles was appointed as Interim Group Chief Executive Officer on 15 October 2024 and he joined the Board on the same date.

Prior to his appointment, Charles was Chief Executive of Absa's Corporate and Investment Bank (CIB).

His earlier roles within the Group included several leadership positions such as Acting Group Executive: Absa Regional Operations; Group Chief Operating Officer; Regional Head of Finance; Chief Operating Officer of Corporate and Investment Banking; and Chief Executive: Engineering Services.

He joined the Group in 2006 and the Executive Committee in 2014.

He is a member of the Group Risk and Capital Management Committee (GRCMC), Group Credit Risk Committee (GCRC), Social, Sustainability and Ethics Committee (SSEC), and Information Technology Committee (ITC).

He completed his articles with KPMG and then joined Merrill Lynch in London as financial controller for credit products.

Charles worked for Deutsche Bank in London and Frankfurt from 1998 to 2006 as the rates Head of Product Control before he joined Absa Capital in September 2006 as Chief Financial Officer.

Qualifications: CA (SA)

Deon Raju

Deon Raju (46)

Group Financial Director

Deon was appointed as Group Financial Director on 26 April 2024 and he joined the Board on the same date.

Prior to the appointment role, he was Absa’s Group Chief Risk Officer with effect from 1 June 2021 and was a member of the Executive Committee and the Group Treasurer for the 5 years before that, primarily responsible for the liquidity risk, funding, capital, and non-traded market risks of the Group.

Deon is the chairman of the Models Committee and a member of the Group Risk and Capital Management Committee (GRCMC), Group Credit Risk Committee (GCRC) and Information Technology Committee (ITC).

Deon has been with Absa for over 20 years of his 22 years in banking.

Deon has held a variety of roles within the organisation, including within Enterprise Risk, Finance, Investment Banking, Credit Portfolio Management and Global Markets.
He is a seasoned banking professional with deep institutional knowledge of the Group, as well extensive and diversified banking experience in business, finance and risk management.

Qualifications: B Com (Hons); CA (SA); CFA.

Rajal Vaidya

Rajal Vaidya (59)

Group Chief Risk Officer

Rajal Vaidya is Group Chief Risk Officer for Absa Group and has over 30 years of international experience, spanning multiple geographies in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa in business and risk roles.

Rajal previously occupied the position of Chief Risk Officer for Absa Corporate & Investment Bank where he was accountable for alignment to the Absa Group risk appetite, policies, and risk strategy, whilst enabling balanced growth and delivery on the CIB business strategies.

From 2016 to 2019 Rajal was the Chief Risk Officer for Africa Regional Operations (ARO) responsible for Credit Risk Market Risk, Operational Risk and Treasury Risk for 11 countries covering Retail & Business Banking as well as CIB; and from 2019 to 2021 Rajal held CRO positions for both Absa CIB and ARO (RBB and CIB), as well as a stint as Acting Chief Risk Officer for Absa Group Ltd.

Prior to taking on the CRO role in March 2016, Rajal was the Head of Consumer Banking for Barclays Africa (now Absa Regional Operations) covering 12 countries, in which capacity he led the design and execution of the Consumer Bank strategy, with business responsibility for balance sheet and P&L growth, Product development, Credit, Digital Strategy and Channels, and Sales and Distribution.

Rajal started his banking career with Citigroup in India, where over a period of 17 years, he held senior positions in business as well as risk.

His last position was Senior Credit Officer Citigroup, and Chief Risk Officer Citifinancial India.

Faisal Mkhize

Faisal Mkhize (51)

Chief Executive: Relationship Banking

Faisal Mkhize is the Chief Executive of Relationship Banking and was appointed as a member of the Group Exco from 1 July 2022. He was previously Managing Executive: Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance (AVAF).

Faisal has over 25 years of banking experience and a solid track record in Retail and Business Banking. He has served in a number of senior leadership roles in the bank, including Managing Executive of Retail and Business Banking in KwaZulu-Natal, Head of Market Leadership and Change in Absa Business Bank as well as Regional Executive of Private Bank in the Northern Region. Faisal was also a Managing Director with Barclays Bank Mozambique.

Qualifications: B. Admin (Hons); Masters in Development Finance; Advanced Business Ethics Leadership.

Geoffrey Lee

Geoffrey Lee (52)

Chief Executive: Product Solutions Cluster

Geoff was appointed as Chief Executive: Product Solutions Cluster with effect from 1 July 2022. He was previously Managing Executive: Secured Lending.

Geoff has 15 years banking experience having held a number of senior leadership positions across the disciplines of Retail Banking including Managing Executive: Home Loans, Managing Executive: Absa Card and Payments, Head: Product and Pricing Centre of Excellence, CFO: Absa Mortgages; CFO Absa Card division.

Qualifications: B.Com; B. Acc; CA(SA); AMP (Insead)

Jeanett Modise

Jeanett Modise(59)

Group Chief People Officer

Jeanett was appointed as Group Chief People Officer with effect from 1 January 2023. She was previously Group Human Resources director at Sanlam Limited, a position she has held since July 2019. Prior to joining the Sanlam Group, Jeanett held senior HR roles at a number of blue-chip companies including SAP, AngloGold Ashanti, Industrial Development Corporation, Mutual & Federal and Hewlett Packard among, others. Jeanett started her career as a professional nurse and Midwife prior to pursuing opportunities in the HR profession.

Qualifications: MBL; Senior Executive Programme, Harvard; Advanced Management Programme; B. Com,(Business Management); General Nursing and Midwifery Diploma.

Johnson Idesoh

Johnson Idesoh (52)

Group Chief Information and Technology Officer

Johnson was appointed as Group Chief Information and Technology Officer with effect from 1 January 2023. He was previously the Group Chief Information Officer at Old Mutual, a position he has held since 2018. He has 25 years of experience in leading digitalisation in regulated industries. Johnson was previously employed at Aviva, a UK insurance, wealth and retirement business, during 2005 - 2014, holding various information and technology roles, including COO Shared Services Director and Group Functions IT Directors. Prior to this, he was Executive Vice President, Programme Director at biopharmaceutical business AstraZeneca (1998-2005).

Qualifications: Advanced Management Programme; MBA; B.Eng.

Prabashni Naidoo

Prabashni Naidoo (47)

Group Chief Audit Executive

Prabashni was appointed Group Chief Audit Executive effective from 4 January 2021 and is an ex officio member of the Executive Committee. Prabashni is a seasoned Audit practitioner, with extensive experience in the banking industry.

Prior to joining Absa Group, Prabashni served as the Group Chief Internal Auditor at Nedbank Group, preceding that, she spent just over 15 years at Standard Bank in various senior risk management and assurance roles. Prabashni’s responsibilities include leading the Internal Audit team’s implementation of the Absa Group Audit Programme, while providing strategic leadership and counsel to both the Exco and the Board on internal and external audit matters. She also works closely with the Group Compliance and Risk functions in dispensing of her duties as Group Chief Audit Executive.

Qualifications: B.luris; Advanced Management Programme (AMP) and certifications in Risk Management, Banking and Digital Business Transformation

Punki Modise

Punki Modise (53)

Group Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer

Punki was appointed as the Group Chief and Sustainability Officer with effect from 1 July 2022. She has previously held the roles of Interim Chief Executive: RBB and Interim Financial Director.

Punki joined Absa Group in 2008 and has held various senior management positions, including that of Chief Financial Officer: Retail and Business Banking since June 2016. Previous roles include Head: Transactional Banking, Chief of Staff: Retail Banking and Chief Financial Officer: Distribution Channels. Prior to joining Absa Group, she held positions at Standard Bank and Fedsure, having completed her articles at PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc.

Punki is a non-executive director of Absa Life Limited, Woolworths Financial Services (Pty) Limited and Ford Financial Services (Pty) Ltd.

Qualifications: B.Com; CA(SA); Masters in Financial Management

Saviour Chibiya

Saviour Chibiya (51)

Chief Executive: Absa Regional Operations

Saviour was appointed Chief Executive: Absa Regional Operations (ARO) with effect from 1 November 2021. In addition to his regional stakeholder responsibility, Saviour is responsible for RBB ARO as Chief Executive: ARO with effect from 1 July 2022.

Saviour has been with Absa since December 2010, having joined as Managing Director and CEO of Barclays Bank Zambia. More recently, he was Regional Managing Director in ARO, responsible for overseeing the Group’s businesses in Botswana, Mozambique, the Seychelles, Tanzania (Absa Bank Tanzania and National Bank of Commerce) and Uganda.

Saviour is a seasoned, senior executive with extensive banking experience that spans over 28 years, having started his career in the Corporate and Investment Bank of Citigroup, building his regional expertise as Country Representative in Ghana in 2003 and was subsequently appointed Managing Director and CEO of Citibank Zambia Ltd in 2006.

Qualifications: BA Econ, Fellow of the Zambia Institute of Banking and Financial Services (FZIBFS), IMD Senior Executive Breakthrough Program Certificate.

Sydney Mbhele

Sydney Mbhele(49)

Group Chief Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer

Sydney was appointed as Group Chief Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer with effect from 1 January 2023. He was previously the Chief Executive: Brand at Sanlam Group and a member of the Group Executive Committee. He joined Sanlam in 2019 from Liberty Group, where he was Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. He was Executive Head – Group Marketing at Nedbank Ltd from 2011 to 2017. Prior to this, he held brand and marketing roles at consumer sector companies including SAB Miller, Unilever, Cell C and DIAGEO. Sydney is currently chairman of the Marketing Association of South Africa.

Qualifications: MBA; Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Marketing Management; B. Social Science.

Absa Executive Committee