Full Name: Tshidi Mndzebele

Position and Company Name: CEO of AvenirHoldings

Main Activity of the Company: Engineering, procurement and construction management services

Date and Place of Birth: August 16, 1981, Kimberley

Schools and Tertiary Education: National Diploma and BTech in Industrial Engineering, University of Johannesburg; Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration and MBA, Gordon Institute of Business Science; currently pursuing a PhD in Management at the Wits Business School

First Job: Industrial engineering trainee at IBM South Africa in 2003

Career History Prior to Current Position: I started off as an industrial engineering trainee at IBM South Africa, before moving to DaimlerChrysler South Africa as an industrial engineer. I later held productivity and consulting roles at Standard Bank and The IQ Business Group. I transitioned into the mining sector with Sasol Mining as demand manager, followed by nearly five years as category manager at Anglo American and Anglo Platinum. Immediately prior to my current position, I served as project sourcing manager at Gibela Rail Consortium

Size of First Pay Packet: R5 500 a month

First Job with Present Group: I founded the company with my husband in 2014, and I have served as CEO ever since

Value of Assets under Your Control: R6-million

Number of People under Your Leadership: 13

Management Style: Transformational, strategic-entrepreneurial and developmental leadership

Personal Best Achievement: Finalist in the 2024 Standard Bank Top Women (Top Entrepreneur category); winner of the 2025 Woman of Stature Awards (Engineering and Mining); winner of the 2025 Big 5 Impact Awards (Leading Woman of the Year category); recognition as a Woman Leader by the SAIBPP Top 100 (2025); and being named Women in the Built Environment Ambassador for Africa

Professional Best Achievement: Serving as chairperson of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) in Gauteng, honorary treasurer of the Master Builders Association (North), and national secretary of the Black Business Council in the Built Environment (women’s chapter). I am also a former second president of the Southern African Institute of Industrial Engineering. Through AvenirHoldings, I have led award-winning performances, including winning the 2024 CESA AON Engineering Excellence Awards (SME Company of the Year) and the 2025 CIDB ERWIC Awards (Mentoring Entity of the Year), as well as finalist recognition at the 2024 Standard Bank Top Women (Women-Owned SMME category) and at the 2025 CESA AON Awards.

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My parents – they instilled in me the principles that guide every decision I make: discipline, resilience, faith, and an unshakable devotion to excellence

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: My husband

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Former US First Lady Michelle Obama

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: The late Dr Thandi Ndlovu, a medical doctor and business leader 

Philosophy of Life: I believe growth is continuous; I learn relentlessly, and remain relevant, credible, and impactful

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Establishing AvenirHoldings, which transformed me from a participant in the infrastructure ecosystem to an architect of it

Biggest Ever Disappointment: The slow pace of substantive transformation and professionalisation in the infrastructure and built-environment sectors

Hope for the Future: An Africa where infrastructure is not a constraint but a catalyst, where engineering excellence is matched by ethical governance, where women do not fight for seats at the table, because they are building the table, and where knowledge, integrity, and collaboration shape systems that outlive us and uplift generations

Favourite Reading: Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg

Favourite TV Programme: Crime and investigation (when I have time)

Favourite Food/Drink: Fried California Sushi and Strawberry Daiquiri

Favourite Music: Christian hymns and instrumental music

Favourite Sport: Golf and hiking

Hobbies: Spending time with family, reading, yoga, meditation, golf and hiking

Car: Mercedes-Benz

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Mediocrity masked as busy-ness, short-term thinking in sectors that demand long-term vision, tokenistic transformation, poor governance, ethical compromise, and resistance to learning and growth

Favourite Other South African Company: Knight Piesold

Married: To Andile Mndzebele, since October 13, 2009

Children: Nonjabulo Mndzebele, 24; Rethabile Mndzebele, 14; Gaone Mndzebele, 6