Sim Tshabalala, Group CEO, Standard Bank named InstinctBusiness “CEO OF THE WEEK”

InstinctBusiness “CEO of the Week” is a weekly accreditation of Top performing Chief Executive Officers within the African region, following their achievements, outstanding service, industry experience, outstanding leadership, amongst other criteria.

This week, Mr. Sim Tshabalala has emerged as InstinctBusiness Magazine’s “CEO OF THE WEEK” for the Month August 21st-27th, 2022 rankings.

Simphiwe Tshabalala, is the GCEO of Standard Bank, Africa’s largest bank by assets and the 421th largest publicly traded company in the world, according to Forbes.com Global 2000, 2017 list.

Simphiwe Tshabalala’s Educational Background

Simphiwe Tshabalala is joint Chief Executive of the Standard Bank Group and Chief Executive of Standard Bank South Africa.  Tshabalala was born in Hlabisa, a poor area in rural KwaZulu Natal.  He grew up in Soweto and obtained his matric from the Sacred Heart College in Johannesburg.

Tshabalala went on to attend Rhodes University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988, and a Bachelor of Laws in 1990.

He served his articles at Bowman Gilfillan, and went on to do a Master of Laws at Notre Dame in the US, which he was awarded summa cum laude, in 1993.

He was admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa in 1994. He joined Real Africa Durolink Investment Bank in 1994 and worked in its structured finance division until 2000. In that time he continued his studies on a part-time basis, and completed the Higher Diploma in taxation law from Wits University in 1996.

Mr. Tshabalala holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees (Rhodes), LLM (University of Notre Dame, USA), Higher Diploma in Tax Law (Wits), Advanced Management Program (Harvard).

Simphiwe Tshabalala Career Highlights

Tshabalala joined the Project Finance Division of Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank as head of structured finance in 2000, and worked himself up through the ranks, becoming a Director in 2000 and Managing Director of Stanbic Africa in 2001. In 2006 he was appointed Chief Executive of Personal and Business Banking, South Africa. In the same year, he completed Harvard University’s Advanced Management Programme.

In March 2008, he was appointed as Chief Executive of Standard Bank South Africa.  He was appointed as one of three Deputy Chief Executives of the Standard Bank Group in April 2009.

In June 2012, he took on the additional responsibility for Corporate and Investment Banking’s client franchise in South Africa.

In March 2013, he was appointed joint Chief Executive of the Standard Bank Group, extending his responsibilities to the banking businesses on the African continent outside South Africa and to the bank’s Wealth business, including Liberty Holdings.

Tshabalala sits on the Boards of the Liberty Group, Standard Bank’s subsidiary in Nigeria, Stanbic IBTC, the Banking Association of South Africa, on the Board and Council of Business Leadership South Africa.

In May 2016, he was elected to the board of the International Monetary Conference.

Tshabalala, a banker with over 22 years’ experience in the financial services industry.

Simphiwe Tshabalala’s Recognitions

In 2006, the Old Rhodian award, a coveted institutional honour bestowed on Rhodian achievers, was conferred on Mr Tshabalala for outstanding performance in the finance sector.

Mr. Tshabalala was recently appointed as an Honorary Professor at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB).

Simphiwe Tshabalala quotes

• As with any business, you have to keep thinking all the time about what your clients need, and about how you can help them. So you have to listen very carefully and you have to be empathetic.
• Financial services businesses depend on earning and keeping people’s trust. It is fatal not to keep your word – and that means you also have to be careful and realistic about what you promise.
• Don’t try to be too clever or too tactical.
• Decide on your social purpose, ethical values and your commercial goals. Make them public and stick to them.