SERAS Africa CSR/Sustainability Professional of the Year, 2021
ESG Sustainability Professional of the year, 2020 (IRMSA)
Shameela is the CEO of the National Business Initiative (NBI), an independent coalition of the local and multinational businesses focusing on taking action to achieve social and environmental sustainability underpinned by good governance. She joined the NBI in 2023. Passionate about the systemic importance of sustainability thinking in corporate strategy, as the executive director, her responsibility spans the full spectrum of oversight of the executive, strategic, financial and governance functions.
She was previously the Chief Sustainability Officer of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (the JSE) – the largest stock exchange on the continent where she advised the board and executive team on the integration of sustainability/ESG factors into the group strategy across both the internal and external aspects of the business, as well ran the operationalisation of the sustainability strategy. As a sustainability specialist she has, inter alia, been a key contributor to the JSE’s work into climate change, the potential for a local market to trade in carbon credits and environment-related products, the development of the Green, Social and Sustainability bond frameworks, impact investing, the JSE’s sustainability, innovation and CSI strategies as well as the annual sustainability investor briefing/showcase sessions. She project-led the JSE’s Sustainability and Climate Change Disclosure Guidance which won the 2022 award for Thought Leadership in Sustainable Investing: Africa from the global publication Environmental Finance.
She has served as chair of the World Federation of Exchange’s (global) Sustainability Working Group, a member of the Strategy Group of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance (GISD), and chair of the Sustainable Finance Working Group of the National Treasury of South Africa.
She has served on industry advisory panels related to sustainability, responsible investing and climate change internationally.
She is a non-executive director of the WWF (South Africa), and of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).
She is the winner of the SERAS Africa CSR/Sustainability Professional 2021 and the IRMSA ESG Sustainability Professional 2020 awards. Her previous experience includes senior roles in the banking and insurance industries, and she was the JSE’s senior manager of strategy prior to assuming responsibility for the Sustainability portfolio. She is a popular speaker at local and global events and a regular contributor to media articles.
Shameela completed a Master’s degree in Sustainability Leadership (MSt) at the University of Cambridge and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Pretoria, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). She is a recipient of the Chevening and Mansion House scholarships and is a member of the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa (IoDSA). She holds the ESG Global Competent Boards designation (GCB.D).