South Africa

Hwalani Mabaso, Provincial General Manager ABSA, South Africa

Hwalani.Mabaso@wbaforum.org
Hwalani believes in the power of collaboration and co-creation for the greater good through impact entrepreneurship, innovation and designs this opportunity through all her work. She is a General Manager of Absa Insurance and Financial Advisors (AIFA), a division of the ABSA Group Relationship Bank. AIFA works in collaboration with business clients, Financial Sector Conduct Authority, public sector, business owners, insurance companies, and broader clients of the bank to mitigate loss, financial stability and promote trade and commercial activities that results in economic growth and development.
Hwalani is also a Board Member of Women in Tech® an international organization with a double mission: to close the gender gap and to help women embrace technology. The organization focuses on 4 primary areas that are a call for action: Education, Entrepreneurialism, Social Inclusion, and Science & Innovation. The aim is to educate, equip and empower women and girls with the necessary skills and confidence to succeed in STEM career fields.
Hwalani also co-founded Shift inspiring sustainable design, an Eco Design programme that focused on developing the youth in South Africa in partnership with organisations such as Universities, SABS, Proudly South African, South African Governments Departments and countries such as Sweden and Denmark. She is a recognized speaker with regular media features and has 17 years of experience working in the financial industry, Marketing and Communication fields as well as Social Entrepreneurship. She has served in various positions from Development Manager, Area Manager and Regional Manager at some of the largest corporates in South Africa including The CSIR, Old Mutual South Africa and Nedbank.
She became a finalist in the Standard Bank under 40 young achievers Business Category and in 2019 was selected onto the list of the Mail & Guardian Women Changing South Africa. Hwalani is an advocate for the future of business and integrates personal finance, innovation and design thinking, sustainability and entrepreneurship.  She has a Master’s Degree with specialisation in Business management and is   currently pursuing Doctoral Studies at the University of Pretoria with a focus on Turnaround Strategy, Business Rescue and Entrepreneurship.