chief executive business executive
Mahanyele was born in Dobsonville, Soweto, South Africa. Her father, who died in 2012, grew up in a family of "10 or 11 siblings" and had to pay for his own schooling. Of her mother"s early death at 42, Mahanyele has said that it was a lesson to her not to take time for granted and that she does not understand when she sees people wasting time.
She graduated with a Bachelor"s degree in Economics in 1993. In 1996 she earned an Master of Business Administration from De Montfort University.
Mississippi Mahanyele was included in the Wall Street Journal"s list of "Top 50 women in the world to watch in 2008", was recognized by Africa Investors as a "Leading African Woman in Business" in 2012, and was chosen as ForbesWoman Africa Business Woman of the Year in 2014. Mahanyele"s mother died when Phuti was aged 17. Phuti Mahanyele left Johannesburg, South Africa at age 17 to attend Douglass College (later merged into Rutgers University) in the United States.
In 2008, Mahanyele completed Harvard University"s Kennedy School of Government executive education program "Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century".
Mahanyele joined Fieldstone Private Capital Group in New York City, an international investment banking firm specialising in infrastructure development. She eventually became vice president at Fieldstone in New York, and later transferred to the firm’s South African office.
Of her return to South Africa from a successful career in the United States, which some have seen as unusual, she said "where else in the world would it make sense for a black woman to be?" She joined Shanduka Energy in 2004 as managing director and later became chief executive officer of Shanduka Group which was founded and is chaired by South African politician Cyril Ramaphosa. In 2012, Mahanyele spoke to the Women"s Leadership Conference, arguing that a greater role for women in business was necessary not only to rectify a social injustice but, more importantly, because there was "an economic and business imperative" to use the talents of women to solve the problems that the world faces.
Mahanyele was selected as a Global Young Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2007.
She is involved in the World Economic Forum"s "Dignity Day" initiatives, and has been chairperson for Global Dignity for South Africa. At the United States.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington District of Columbia in 2014, Mahanyele was the only African woman on a panel for “Expanding Opportunities: The New Era Foreign Business In Africa”, moderated by former United States. President Bill Clinton. Mahanyele is a patron of NEET (National Education Empowerment Trust).
ForbesWoman Africa Business Woman of the Year Award, 2014 "Distinguished Achievement" award by the Douglass Society, 2013 Leading Africa Woman in Business. Africa Investors, 2012. Rutgers Vision of Excellence Award. Rutgers University, 2011. Most Influential Woman in Government and Business – Financial Services. 2009. Mahanyele was included in the Wall Street Journal"s list of the "Top 50 women in the world to watch in 2008". World Economic Forum, Global Young Leader, 2007.
