File photo of B20 panel discussion earlier this year. From left Moderator: Khulekani Mathe, B20 South Africa Local Business Advisory Council Co-Chair, Minister Parks Tau, Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP's Regional Bureau for Africa, Renate Hornung-Draus, Vice-President to the ILO, International Organisation of Employers and at the end John Denton, Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce.
Image: B20/Supplied
South Africa has unveiled the global leadership teams tasked with spearheading business policy recommendations for the Group of 20 (G20) nations, marking a significant step in its role as host of the Business 20 (B20) summit later this year.
The announcement, made by B20 South Africa Sherpa Cas Coovadia, introduces eight Task Forces comprising prominent business figures from across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East, aimed at delivering actionable proposals by September 2025.
The Task Forces, launched under the banner of Business Unity South Africa (Busa), will focus on critical global issues such as trade, energy, digital inclusion, and climate resilience, while amplifying African perspectives. Coovadia hailed the initiative’s progress, saying, “We are on track to deliver robust, business-led policy proposals to the G20. The depth of engagement, expertise and collaboration we have already seen is inspiring. This is where meaningful change begins.”
Notably, 50% of the Task Force chairs are women, a first in B20 history, reflecting South Africa’s push for gender balance and inclusivity.
The Trade and Investment Task Force: is chaired by Busi Mabuza of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), with Mmakgoshi Lekhethe as Deputy-Chair. Co-Chairs include Nardos Bekele-Thomas of the Africa Union Development Agency - New Partnerships for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), Professor Benedict Oramah of Afreximbank, Duncan Wanblad of Anglo American, Mary Vilakazi of FirstRand, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem of DP World, José Serrador of Embraer, Mpumi Madisa of Bidvest Group, Dr Patrik Kovacs of Business at Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Harsha Agarwal of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Dr Miao Janmin of China Merchants Group Limited, Barbara Cimmino of Confindustria, David Roth of Amazon, and H.E. Wamkele Mene of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The Employment and Education Task Force: is led by Paul Hanratty of Sanlam, supported by Deputy-Chair Shadi Chauke. Co-Chairs are Asif Valley of Microsoft, Professor Haroon Bhorat of Sygnia Ltd, Saïd Alj of Sanam Holding, Dr K.P. Krishnan of Shriram Capital Private Limited, Mary-Alice Vuicic of Thomson Reuters, Nicola Galombik of Yellowwoods Holdings, Renate Hornung-Draus of the International Organization of Employers, and Leila Fourie of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
The Energy Mix and Just Transition Task Force: is headed by Daniel Mminele of Nedbank, with Shamini Harrington of the Minerals Council South Africa as Deputy-Chair. Co-Chairs include Simon Baloyi of Sasol, Leslie Maasdorp of British International Investment, Dan Marokane of Eskom Holdings, Dipak Patel of the South African Presidential Climate Commission, Roger Martella of GE Vernova, Peter Njenga of Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), Paolo Scaroni of Enel, and Catherine Koffman of the Green Climate Fund.
The Digital Transformation Task Force: Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa of Naspers is the chair, with Bassim Haidar of BH Holdings Group as Deputy-Chair. Co-Chairs comprise Charles Murito of Google, Lauren Dreyer of Space X, Lord Karan Bilimoria of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Shameel Joosub of Vodacom, Sir Mohamed Mansour of Mansour Group, Smriti Irani of The Alliance for Global Good - Gender Equity and Equality (AGG-GEE), Kate Purchase of Microsoft, Ling Hai of Mastercard, Segun Ogunsanya of Airtel Africa Charitable Foundation, and Shalini Khemka of E2Exchange.
The Finance and Infrastructure Task Force: is led by Sim Tshabalala of Standard Bank Group, with Lungisa Fuzile as Deputy-Chair. Co-Chairs include Daniel Pinto of JPMorgan Chase, Anne Richards of Fidelity International, Samaila Zubairu of Africa Finance Corporation, Luciana Ribeiro of eB Climate & eBCapital, John W.H. Denton of the ICC, Strive Masiyiwa of Econet Global, Benjamin Hung of Standard Chartered, Thierry Déau of Meridiam, Andrew Torre of VISA, and Gianluca Riccio of Business at OECD (BIAC) & Lloyd’s Banking Group.
The Integrity and Compliance Task Force: Ruwayda Redfearn of Deloitte Africa is the chair, supported by Deputy-Chair Ashleigh Theophanides. Co-Chairs are Maria Archimbal of Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales (YPF, SA), Nicola Allocca of the OECD Business Group, Caroline Lee of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), Dr Futhi Mtoba (Non-Executive Director), Mary Obasi of Bank of America, Farzana Mohomed of NEOM, Yılmaz Argüden of ARGE Consulting, Reynaldo Goto of BRF Brazil, Keki Mistry of Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), and Uche Ike of United Bank for Africa.
The Sustainable Food Systems and Agriculture Task Force: is led by Debra Mallowah of Bayer, with Mildred Pita as Deputy-Chair. Co-Chairs include Alice Ruhweza of AGRA, Emily Rees of Crop Life International, Nicole Roos of Nestlé, Seelan Gobalsamy of Omnia Group, and Yasmin Masithela of ABSA Group.
The Industrial Transformation and Innovation Task Force: is chaired by Andrew Kirby of Toyota, with Nigel Ward as Deputy-Chair. Co-Chairs are Delphine Traoré of Sanlam Allianz, Nádia Júnia Almeida de Souza of Khenē Brazil, Shinta Kamdani of Sintesa Group, Dany Qian Jin of JinkoSolar, Stephen Saad of Aspen Pharmaceuticals, and Yemi Ahouanmenou of Benin Textile.
With the B20 Summit set for November 2025, these Task Forces will now engage in expert consultations and stakeholder dialogues to refine their recommendations. Coovadia underscored their potential impact, saying, “Under their stewardship, these task forces will transform insights into actionable policy recommendations that reflect both global imperatives and Africa’s priorities.” Additional Co-Chairs are expected to join as the process unfolds.
BUSINESS REPORT