The National Business Initiative (NBI) has appointed Shameela Soobramoney CEO.

She was previously chief sustainability officer and group strategist at the JSE.

Soobramoney was selected as the ideal candidate to lead the NBI in expanding its work as an independent and voluntary business organisation driven by creating a thriving society and economy in South Africa through the collective action of business other stakeholders.

The NBI highlighted Soobramoney’s well-established capabilities as both a corporate strategist and sustainability expert who is passionate about the systemic and integrated importance of sustainability thinking in corporate strategy.

Prior to her time at the JSE, Soobramoney held senior positions in banking and in insurance, had chaired the Sustainability Working Group of the World Federation of Exchanges, and until her departure from the JSE was a member of the Strategy Group of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance and a member of the Sustainable Finance Working Group of the Climate Risk Forum, chaired by the National Treasury.

Soobramoney is a member of the Presidential Climate Commission Commissioners’ Climate Finance Advisory Group, the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – or Brics – Financial Sector Working Group, and a nonexecutive director of the World Wildlife Fund South Africa and the Green Building Council of South Africa.

She is the winner of the Sustainability, Enterprise and Responsibility Awards Africa corporate social responsibility/sustainability professional 2021 and the Institute of Risk Management South Africa environment, social and governance sustainability professional 2020 awards.

“[Soobramoney] is . . . ready and committed to lead the NBI in this exciting new chapter in her career. Her combination of integrated strategy and sustainability knowledge, track record of delivery on notable local and global projects, extensive business experience through her various leadership roles, as well as crucial insights and understandings of the NBI’s key work areas, make her the ideal choice for the role,” NBI chairperson Cas Coovadia said.

As a coalition of nearly 100 South African and multinational member companies, the NBI works to effect change in the key cross-cutting and multidimensional areas of economic inclusion, social transformation, environmental sustainability and institutional capacity building.

Soobramoney is also a member of the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa, has served on the Integrated Reporting Committee of South Africa Working Group, the Code for Responsible Investing South Africa committee, the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative’s member group, and the African Securities Exchanges Association sustainability group, besides others.

She is strategically positioned to build the NBI’s presence with international organisations through her business networks and is a respected speaker at local and global events and a regular contributor to media articles. The NBI believes this will add value to its local and international partners, members and stakeholders in the environmental sustainability and socioeconomic development space.

“I consider it a privilege to be entrusted by the board and the leadership team to lead the NBI in the vital work that it does leveraging the might of our members and partners to influence systemic change in helping ‘build tomorrow now’ at what is one of the most critical junctures in our country’s history. I look forward to supporting the team and working with our stakeholders to ensure that we can deliver on our mandate,” Soobramoney said.

Soobramoney is succeeding outgoing NBI CEO Joanne Yawitch, who was at the helm of the NBI for 11 years.