Profile: Phuti Mahanyele

Businesswoman extraordinaire and CEO of billion-dollar blue-chip company the Shanduka Group, Phuti Mahanyele provides inspiration at the DESTINY Forum in July.

Mahanyele has come into her own in a male-dominated industry. She graduated from De Montfort University in England with an MBA and holds a BA in economics from Rutgers University, USA. After completing a Harvard leadership course, she joined investment firm Fieldstone in New York at a junior level, but left as one of its Vice-Presidents. She then returned to SA to join the then Development Bank.

With such an impressive profile, Mahanyele was head-hunted by business mogul Cyril Ramaphosa to become the MD of the Shanduka Group in 2004. The organisation owns the controlling stake in McDonalds SA and is also in partnership with Coca-Cola. After serving as the group’s MD for a number of years, Mahanyele was appointed its CEO.

When she’s not in the office, she works as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader on initiatives such as Dignity Day (celebrated in October) and also mentors young people. Her passion for the investment industry has made her one of the most respected figures in the corporate world.

Mahanyele will be one of the speakers at the DESTINY Forum on 23 July 2012, alongside other impressive names such as New York Times best-selling author Dr Iyanla Vanzant, world-renowned motivational speaker Marcus Buckingham, branding guru Thebe Ikalafeng and Secretariat to the National Commission at the Presidency Kuben Naidoo.

The forum will take place at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre. For further information, click here.