Pumla Vilakazi
Pumla Vilakazi is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Sasopsbiz Pty Ltd, a company that offers business incubation services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs). Well renowned for her expertise in strategy, business modelling and policy development, she has also been involved in developing entrepreneurial networks and ecosystems. She is passionate about assisting dynamic start-ups in structuring their ideas into commercial reality. She is a policy specialist, a coach, a trainer, a social entrepreneur, and a development specialist.
Pumla is a driven businesswoman who is intentional about supporting other women entrepreneurs. She is a pioneer of the Phakamisa Girls Economic Empowerment Programme, a programme designed to empower girls and young women to be economically independent. She is very proud of what the Hand Up Girls Squads (Hugs) in this programme have achieved. She recently ventured into the furniture manufacturing SMME support space by establishing Sasops Furnlab, which seeks to migrate informal furniture manufacturers from the periphery of the economy to the mainstream. She is also an executive director of Yithi Women’s Investment Group, with a growing asset base in agriculture. She is a farming enthusiast with years’ experience in the agricultural sector.
Armed with a master’s degree in policy development, Pumla has worked in academia, and in various senior government positions. She is an active member of the Institute of Directors Southern Africa, and she serves on the boards of Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone, Sasopsbiz Foundation and Kana Uvhulunga Mvelele (Women in Conservation) NPO. Her participation on these boards has imparted her with corporate governance exposure and experience. She is determined to grow cooperatively and globally as a Black social entrepreneur, by uplifting others.