Who We Are
Leaders in governance and compliance
Good governance is fundamental to good decision-making and business performance. Through the work of our members and our influence with government and regulators, the CGISA helps shape the governance agenda and promote the behaviour needed for organisational performance.
A candidate who has completed the CGISA international qualifying board exam, gained the necessary work experience, and exhibited the desired character traits, will qualify to apply to be admitted as a member of CGISA.
Once admitted as a member of CGISA, they’ll become a company secretary or governance professional.
Our vision
Our vision is to be the leader in the practice of governance in Southern Africa.
Our Mission
Our mission is to become the shining beacon in governance.
We will be the best explainers, the best advocates, the best educators, and the most active organisation in the promotion of good governance in Southern Africa.
Our Values
Stand up
Challenging. Proud to take a position. Never afraid to do so.
Listen well
Totally aware. Understanding what’s going on in the world. Always mindful of change.
Move forward
Forever looking at the path ahead. Remembering where we’ve been.
Stay balanced
A source of ethical conscience. Never shaken. Standing firm.
Be totally up to date
In tune with the global trends in governance.
Inspire
Leading the way so others will follow.
Meet our team
Teamwork is at the heart of our institute. Find out more about how CGISA works, and who’s behind the country’s leader in corporate governance.
Organogram
The CGISA is a complex institution with many moving parts.
Our unique organogram is here to help you understand how our Exco, Board, and team fit in.
Exco & Board
The CGISA is guided by a team of respected experts,
from dedicated Executive Committee members to stalwart directors.
CGISA staff
Our staff are loyal, hard-working, and committed to the CGISA cause.
Here’s what you need to know about our brilliant team.
“Alone we can do so little.
Together we can do so much.”– Helen Keller
What We Do
Support your career development
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) helps ensure that our members can remain at the forefront of the governance and accounting talent pool.
There is currently a shortage of qualified and experienced company secretaries and governance professionals. And, due to the Companies Act (71/2008) and King IV, demand is only increasing.
This means company secretaries and governance professionals can command competitive remuneration packages.
Our service offering
Technical Support Package
Technical Support Package
Our technical support package will provide you with the ongoing developments you need to know about. Take advantage of monthly technical newsletters, weekly information mailers, and a quarterly governance journal boardroom. You will also have access to our technical manager for situation and company-specific queries.
In-house training
In-house training
Tell us about your governance training needs and let us develop the in-house training with the right expert for you.
Board Evaluations
Board Evaluations
Want to evaluate the effectiveness of your board? Need to identify how to strengthen board effectiveness?
Boardroom Hire
Boardroom Hire
Located centrally, our offices in Killarney are an ideal location to host your training and meetings. Our offices are easily accessed from the Riviera Road offramp of the M1. Our boardroom can be set up in a boardroom, u-shape, cinema, or schoolroom style to meet your requirements. Boardroom hire includes projector and screen and access to our Wi-Fi.
Integrated Reports and Financial Statements
AGMs
The Institute’s AGM was held on 12 June 2024 at 17:30, in a hybrid format at the Institute’s offices and virtually using the Zoom platform.
Resolutions
Resolution 1: Moore Johannesburg Inc, represented by Tinotenda Chiripanyanga, was appointed as the external auditor for the following year. The resolution was passed with a 90% majority.
Resolution 2: Six members were elected/ re-elected to the CGISA board:
- Prudence Molebatsi, ACG, Post-grad Diploma in Compliance, was elected with a 93% majority. Prudence has served as a member of the CGISA membership committee for five years. She works at Absa as the Senior Company Secretary.
- Helena Stoop, FCG, PhD, LLM, LLB, was elected with a 95% majority. Helena is the Chair of the CGISA education and examinations committee. She is a senior lecturer in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Cape Town. She is a member and the Acting Director of the UCT Corporate Law and Governance Institute.
- Simon Akala, FCG, MBA, was re-elected with a 93% majority. Simon serves as the chair of the CGISA professional practice group (PPG) committee. Simon is director at Miteyo Investment Consulting and Projects.
- Sonia Giuricich, FCG (Acc), was re-elected with a 97% majority. Sonia is the CGISA past president and has been the Chair of the Finance and Risk Committee for the past four years and a PPG member for the past 22 years. Sonia has managed a professional Financial Accounting, Taxation and Company Secretarial Practice for small and medium sized enterprises including a few Trusts and some larger Companies.
- Fiona Maskell, FCG, BSc (Hons), BSc, was re-elected with a 92% majority. Fiona serves on the CGISA social and ethics committee. Since 2007, Fiona has served as company secretary of Munich Reinsurance Company of Africa, a wholly owned subsidiary of the German global reinsurance group, Munich Re.
- Lindelwa Mngomezulu, FCG, LLM, LLB, was re-elected with a 95% majority. Lindelwa serves on the CGISA technical committee. Lindelwa is the company secretary of MTN Group Fintech.
Resolution 3: Authority to sign all documents required for implementation of the resolutions passed at the meeting was approved. The resolution was passed with a 98% support.
Honorary officers
The honorary officers for 2024/2025 are:
- President: Sandile Mbhamali
- Senior Vice President: Deolinda da Silva
- Vice President: Helena Stoop
- Past President: Sonia Giuricich
The President’s address
The CEO’s address
Stephen Sadie presented an update on the Institute’s activities during 2023 with reference to the five pillars of the strategic plan. The Institute was faced both calm and stormy waters which it successfully navigated to safely reach port at the end of the year.
Minutes
The Institute’s AGM was held on 7 June 2023 at 17:30, in a hybrid format at the Institute’s offices and virtually using the Lumi platform.
Resolutions:
Resolution 1: Moores Johannesburg Inc, represented by Tinotenda Chiripanyanga, was appointed as the external auditor for the following year. The resolution was passed with an 98.51% majority.
Resolution 2: Two members were elected to the CGISA board for a three-year term of office:
- Leigh Roos FCG, Company Secretarial Representative and Deputy Information Officer at Bid Corporation Ltd. Leigh also gained experience from her years with Bidvest, Netcare and the JSE. Leigh has a deep understanding of corporate governance principles and regulation, and the ability to ensure compliance with legal requirements and best practice.
- Janis Rosenberg (née Jordaan) FCG, LLM, LLB, Assistant Company Secretary at Exxaro Resources Limited, having previously worked as a legal researcher in local government at the Community Law Centre and served an internship in Legal Services at the National Council of Provinces. Janis has been a law lecturer, and devoted time and effort to a variety of non-governmental organisations, with a commitment to contributing to nation building efforts.
Resolution 3: Authority to sign all documents required for implementation of the resolutions passed at the meeting was approved. The resolution was passed with a 100% support.
Honorary officers
The honorary officers for 2023/2024 are:
- President: Sandile Mbhamali
- Senior Vice President: Sharon Clarke
- Vice President: Deolinda da Silva
- Past President: Sonia Giuricich
The President’s address
The president welcomed members to the first hybrid annual general meeting, being held in-person at the Institute’s offices and virtually on the Lumi platform.
The international Council of The Chartered Governance Institute was successfully held in Cape Town in October 2022, providing the Institute with an opportunity to showcase the true value of CGISA in Southern Africa and its contribution to shaping business behaviour. The international Council was followed by the first local Premier Corporate Governance Conference since COVID-19 in Johannesburg, with relevant and thought-provoking presentations to 200 local and international members and delegates.
Despite the challenging economic circumstances, the Institute reported a surplus of R2.5m, made possible by the ongoing support of its Board, members, and CEO and his team.
The CEO’s address
Stephen Sadie presented an update on the Institute’s activities during 2022 with reference to the four pillars of the strategic plan. The Institute faced various challenges, but safely reached its desired destination. The CEO discussed how governance failures at Eskom had contributed to the current crisis.
Minutes
The Institute’s AGM was held on 8 June 2022 at 17:30, conducted virtually using the Lumi platform.
Resolutions:
Resolution 1: To re-appoint Mazars, represented by Miles Fisher, as the external auditor of the company for the following year. The resolution was passed with an 86.08% majority.
Resolution 2: Two members were elected to the CGISA board:
- Cathie Lewis FCG, M. Studies in Sustainability Leadership, LLM, LLB, B Proc, BA. Cathy is founder of Earth Energy (Pty) Ltd, an ESG, climate change and water governance consultancy. Cathie serves on the Institute’s technical committee, has written articles on and presented webinars on climate change for the Institute. She was elected with 91.30% majority.
- Adrienne Mattiuzzo FCG, B Com, H Dip in Labour Law, Certificate in Advanced Company Law I and II. Adrienne is the assistant company secretary at Capital Propfund (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Fortress REIT Limited. She has also been an examiner for the Institute since 2016. She was elected with a 57.97% majority.
Resolution 3: To authorise signature of all documents required for implementation of the resolutions approved at the meeting. The resolution was passed with a 100% support of the meeting.
Honorary Officers
The honorary officers for 2022/23 are:
- Sonia Giuricich – President
- Sandile Mbhamali – Senior Vice President
- Sharon Clarke – Vice President
- Lynelle Bagwandeen – Past President
The president’s address
The president welcomed members to the Institute’s AGM, being held virtually for the third time. She thanked Lumi for their outstanding service and for hosting this virtual meeting, allowing maximum participation by members across Southern Africa.
She noted that ESG was emerging as a significant issue to companies, and members were encouraged to familiarise themselves with the changes, knowing that the Institute would assist through publications, ongoing training sessions and webinars presented by industry experts.
She added that significant developments on the ESG front included the publication of prototype standards by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), covering the general requirements for sustainability disclosures and climate-specific risks and opportunities, with a global baseline of sustainability standards anticipated by the end of 2022, and IFRS standard settings to follow. The JSE has published its Sustainability Disclosure Guidance, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (USA) has announced the first fine for an alleged ESG disclosure failure.
She thanked the CEO, Stephen Sadie and his team, who have navigated challenging times successfully, with the support of the board.
The CEO’s address
Stephen Sadie presented an update on the Institute’s activities of 2021. He used the analogy of a house being hit by a storm in 2020 which caused considerable damage to the roof tiles and windows. Through the course of his presentation, he showed how the roof was repaired and the renovations undertaken on the house to make a major recovery in 2021. He indicated that the house had strong foundations which were built over the past 110 years. The year ended with a R4.2 million surplus indicating a major recovery from 2021.
Sadie used the integrated reporting framework of the 5 capitals as the structure of the presentation. Under each capital, he illustrated the major gains and challenges of 2021.
Minutes
The Institute’s AGM was held on 9 June 2021. This was the Institute’s second virtual AGM, which was conducted by Lumi.
Resolutions:
Resolution 1: To re-appoint Mazars, represented by Miles Fisher, as the external auditor of the company. The resolution was passed with a 97.56% majority.
Resolution 2: Four members were elected to the CGISA board:
- Deolinda da Silva, FCG, Head of Travel at Comair Ltd and member of CGISA’s Finance and Risk Committee. She was elected with a 97.3% majority.
- Fiona Maskell, FCG, BSc (Hons), BSc, Company secretary for Munich Reinsurance Company of Africa and member of CGISA’s Social and Ethics Committee. She was elected with a 91.89% majority.
- Lindelwa Mngomezulu, FCG, LLM, LLB, Company secretary for Air Traffic and Navigation Services SOC Ltd and member of CGISA’s Technical Committee. She was elected with a 92.68% majority.
- Simon Akala, FCG, MBA, Director at Miteyo Investment Consulting and Projects and member of CGISA’s Professional Practice Group Committee. He was elected with a 91.89% majority.
Resolution 3: To allow any director of the Company, the CEO or the Company Secretary to sign all such documents and do all such things as may be necessary for or incidental to the implementation of the ordinary resolutions to be proposed and approved at this annual general meeting. The resolution was passed with a 100% majority.
Honorary Officer
The honorary officers for 2021/22 are:
- Lynelle Bagwandeen as President
- Sonia Guiricich as Senior Vice President
- Sandile Mbhamali as Vice President
- Karen Robinson as Past President
The president’s address
Welcome to all members and members of the board. This is our second AGM held by way of an electronic platform due to Covid. We recognise the loss of friends and family due to the pandemic, which has presented a challenging year for everyone – on a global basis. CGISA has not been immune to the impact of Covid and I would like to give thanks to Stephen Sadie, Jenny Maybery, Sandy Van Niekerk, Sabrina Paxton and all the wonderful staff who have dedicated – and continue to dedicate – considerable effort to ensuring that CGISA rises above these challenges.
This was also the year that our much beloved Baldwin Masethla retired after more than 50 years of service and we wish him the very best going forward. We also thank our long standing board members Sikkie Kajee, Robert Likhang, Chris Wilson and Karyn Southgate, who will be retiring after this meeting, having served on the board for the past nine years. We welcome our new members, staff and board members to our family and look forward to a prosperous year ahead.
The CEO’s address
Minutes
The Institute’s AGM was held on 10 June 2020. This was the Institute’s first virtual AGM, which was conducted by Lumi.
Resolutions
Resolution 1: To re-appoint Mazars, represented by Miles Fisher, as the external auditor of the company. The resolution was passed with a 98.46% majority.
Resolution 2: Three individuals were elected to the CGISA board:
- Michelle Rissik-Nunes, Freelance Trainer and CGISA Examiner
- Ophelia Akosah-Bempah, Company Secreary and Governance Professional, Kanaf Secretarial and Governance Services (Pty) Ltd
- Sharon Clarke, Executive Director: Administration, University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
Resolution 3: To allow any director of the Company, the CEO or the Company Secretary to sign all such documents and do all such things as may be necessary for or incidental to the implementation of the ordinary resolutions to be proposed and approved at this annual general meeting. The resolution was passed with a 98.55% majority.
Honorary Officers
The honorary officers for 2020/21 are:
- Sonia Guiricich was elected as Vice President
- Lynelle Bagwandeen as Senior Vice President
- Karen Robinson as President
- Robert Likgang as Past President
President’s Address
CEO’s Address
Minutes
