Ms. Phindile Shabalala Chief Risk Officer, Joburg Market (South Africa)

Ms. Phindile Shabalala is Chief Risk Officer of Joburg Market, South Africa's largest fresh‑produce wholesale market. She is a seasoned senior executive with over 30 years of experience spanning Enterprise Risk Management, Compliance, Finance, Insurance, Internal Audit, Combined Assurance, Strategy and Planning, and Governance across public‑sector and municipal environments.

At Joburg Market, Ms. Shabalala leads a broad portfolio covering enterprise risk, business continuity, risk financing, compliance and ethics. She has been instrumental in advancing the Market's Smart Market strategic agenda, driving the integration and automation of assurance processes to build a more digitally enabled, responsive and resilient organisation. Her work strengthens operational continuity, food‑security risk management, infrastructure resilience and long‑term financial sustainability — all at the core of the fresh‑produce value chain.

Ms. Shabalala applies internationally recognised risk frameworks (COSO, ISO 31000) to help organisations mature their risk‑management practices and make decisions that support sustainable organisational performance. She holds an MBA and has led multidisciplinary teams of up to 34 professionals, reinforcing governance and resilience in complex organisations. Her leadership philosophy — collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement — supports innovation and long‑term sustainability within wholesale‑market operations.