With a diverse career spanning various managerial and leadership roles in the medical and healthcare industry, including positions at Johnson & Johnson, Fresenius Medical Care, and now Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, Leanne Cook has demonstrated expertise in business management, strategic leadership, sales, and marketing, contributing to the growth and success of each organization. Her extensive experience and skill set position her as a valuable asset in driving sustainable growth and leading high-performing teams within the healthcare sector.

Akhona Qengqe is the General Manager (GM) at KFC Africa. In 2023 she was appointed as the first female and African to occupy this position in KFC Africa’s history of 52 years on the continent. In her capacity as GM she is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction and overall operations of the organisation; and with the full leadership team, they collectively drive profitability and relevance for the business.

In her prior role as Chief People and Transformation Officer at KFC, Akhona was responsible for developing and executing KFC's global people strategy in support of the overall business' strategic direction. Before that, she was the Director of Transformation for more than two years and was instrumental in crafting a diversity and inclusion agenda for the business through initiatives such as #IamMoreThanWhatYouSee.
Akhona’s passion for gender diversity and female inclusion led her to introduce KFC Africa’s first female leadership development program called Women on the Move (WOM) in 2020. At present she is the Executive Sponsor for both WOM, as well as KFC Global’s female community of belonging called SHINE.

Having been in the franchise industry for 17 years, Akhona has an impeccable understanding of what it takes to empower the most important aspect of any business – its people. She is proud to actively lead a culture that propels results and inspires employees and franchisees to see where they fit into the bigger picture of Yum!
A firm belief of Akhona’s is that the business’s values should be something that employees can live by – a culture that fuels the business.

Some of the other notable senior positions Akhona has occupied during her career includes Board Chair of the Franchise Association of South Africa and a number of roles within petroleum. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics, Politics and Philosophy from the University of Cape Town, a Marketing Certificate from the University of South Africa, a Critical Diversity Literacy Program from Wits University and is also an Oxford University Alumni.

Pearl was appointed the Head of Currency Management Department at the South African Reserve Bank effective 1 March 2021. She is responsible for the management and operations of the entire Currency function which includes both banknotes and coin. Her responsibilities span from research, development of both banknotes and coin, issuance, distribution, and destruction. She therefore works very close with the South African Bank Note Company and the South African Mint and is a Board Member of both subsidiaries. Pearl is also responsible for the 3 Cash Centres of the SARB which are responsible for distribution and processing of banknotes. Pearl is leading the SARB in the Central Bank Digital Currency feasibility study.

Pearl joined the Bank in 2018 as the Divisional Head responsible for Research, Policy, and Strategy within the Currency Management Department, where she was responsible for conducting research on emerging developments in the currency landscape, developing innovative strategies and formulating innovative and futuristic policies.
Prior to her appointment at the South African Reserve Bank, she held various senior roles at both governments departments and private companies.

Pearl holds a degree in economics from the University of Witwatersrand and an MBA FROM Milpark Business School.

Thuli Manyoha is currently the Executive Head of the Mobility cluster in Santam Specialist Solutions and was previously the Chief Operating Officer. She is a Chartered Accountant with more than 10 years of specialist knowledge in Financial Services and executive experience. Her fields of expertise, developed in previous roles as a Financial Director at OM Insure, Finance Executive at MMI Holdings (MMI), and senior manager at Deloitte, include insurance, commercial banking, retail banking, and investment management, having provided external audit services to clients such as FirstRand Limited and Nedbank. She leveraged the skills and knowledge gained as a senior manager at Deloitte to quickly pivot her career into corporate roles, and in her current position, she drives strategy, financial performance, and operational excellence. She is goal-oriented with a proven record of accomplishment.

Sam is a trained economist specialising in understanding the complexities of the South African economy. Prior to joining the EICN, Sam spent time in both the public and private sector, first as an economist within the Economic Policy division of the National Treasury, and then as a consulting economist at Econometrix, and Deloitte. During his time in private sector, Sam specialised in analysing events and government policies to dilute these into constructing business strategies. Sam also spent time in Switzerland as an economist for airline industry body IATA. Sam holds a masters degree in economics from Stellenbosch University, and has studied further at the Insitute for Social Studies in The Hague, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Levy Economics Insitute of Bard College in New York State.