Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) has appointed Georgina Smit as CEO, effective May 2026, succeeding Lisa Reynolds, who has led the organisation since 2020.

The announcement was made during the GBCSA’s yearly Green Building Convention in Cape Town, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the organisation and South Africa’s green building industry.

Under Reynolds’ leadership, GBCSA says it has solidified its position as the country’s leading authority on the green built environment which includes building certification, sustainability training and advocacy for climate-resilience within this space.

GBCSA says Smit is an award-winning sustainability leader, who obtained her undergraduate and master’s degree from Stellenbosch University.

During her ten years working with global consultancy Arup, she pursued a further master’s degree at Cambridge (UK).

Smit moves into the CEO role after more than five years within the GBCSA as head of technical and executive director, where she has led certification, training and research initiatives that drive measurable change across the property sector.

Described as a respected thought leader and regular speaker at industry events, GBCSA says Smit champions practical, locally relevant solutions that advance green building adoption.

“As I reflect on this important transition for the GBCSA, I’m filled with deep appreciation and excitement for what lies ahead. Lisa has been a remarkable leader – steady, wise and committed to greening the built environment.

“She took the reins at a challenging time and brought calm, created financial stability, and renewed confidence to the organisation,” says outgoing GBCSA chairperson André Theys.

“As Sun Tzu reminds us in The Art of War, ‘In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity’. Lisa saw opportunity where others might have seen only uncertainty, and her leadership turned challenge into stability and progress. Her legacy will continue to shape GBCSA’s path forward.”

“The board and I thank Lisa [and] warmly welcome Georgina into the role of CEO. She steps in at a time when we are ready to move from consolidation to growth, and to take the foundation that has been laid and push forward with energy, drive, execution, and ambition.

“Georgina has the passion and vision to scale our building certifications, expand our reach and ensure GBCSA’s impact on the built environment continues to grow. With Georgina’s thoughtful and strategic leadership, we have every confidence that GBCSA will not only continue to grow but will lead with purpose, impact and foresight,” says Theys.

Reynolds expressed a strong confidence in the leadership transition.

“Georgina is a person who recognises a need, and she goes out and makes things happen – and she does it phenomenally well.

“Not only did she excel in her role as head of technical, but when we needed a champion for ESG and sustainable finance, she stepped up.

“As well as being a person of action, she also has a strategic view of what we are working towards and is strongly positioned to take GBCSA to the next level. This is why she is the next Green Building Council CEO,” says Reynolds.

“I am grateful for the confidence the board has shown in me and for the opportunity to continue building on Lisa’s incredible work over the past five years,” says Smit.

“We have five years until the 2030 net-zero deadline, and GBCSA’s next chapter will focus on making accessible tools available to businesses to ensure that their business strategies can integrate with climate goals.

“We are proud of the social impact we are having - the training that we provide is integral to the just energy transition and is developing careers that will shape a climate-resilient future. On the certification side, we will work towards broadening our impact and bringing more of the unconverted on board.

“We want to grow our partnerships with government and private sector champions who recognise the value of what we do and how it contributes to a more resilient South Africa,” Smit adds.

GBCSA says the leadership transition, announced at the eighteenth yearly Green Building Convention, reaffirms its commitment to driving the transformation of South Africa’s built environment.