On 15 February 2024, the beautiful Villa Arcadia in Parktown, Johannesburg, played host to a welcoming celebration. With the announcement of Class XIV, 21 new Fellows joined the ALI fraternity. ALI South Africa recently turned 20 years old, and we are proud to have graduated 13 classes through this programme. Our network of about 300 fellows is now shaping the continent in a positive light.
Class XIV Fellows hail from all spheres of professional influence – including business, the arts, government, media and civil society. They are given the opportunity to impart their acquired knowledge and discuss ideas to shape a shared, values-based vision of the country’s future. ALI SA offers this fellowship to encourage and guide leaders towards instilling values-based leadership and integrity in their leadership styles at work, communities, and families.
Executive Director of ALI SA, Lynette Chen, welcomed new Fellows with the following words: “Leaders aren’t born; they are developed over time through knowledge, experience, skills and strengths – leaders are made. You are all very successful in your own right, and this ALI Fellowship journey will help you reflect, discuss, debate, and emerge with insights on how to turn your success into significance. This is the mantra and objective of the ALI Fellowship process: From Success to Significance.”
She outlined the expectations and journey ahead for the new class and encouraged them to interact with each other and to speak to the alumni Fellows to get a sense of their experience and how ALI SA has transformed their lives.
The first guest speaker, Sindi Mabaso-Koyana, founder of The African Women Chartered Accountants and Class VIII Mahube Fellow, continued to relay her story and experience,
“I believe when each of you gets nominated, it is based on a journey you have already been walking that sparked an alignment with what ALI stands for,” Sindi said. “I have had the pleasure of crossing paths with some of you from as early as my high school days in Umlazi township, and some of you in the investment management and private equity space, trying to see how we can contribute to the building of our country through impact investing, hoping to build a good society. It is true that there are different lenses through which we can visualise a GOOD SOCIETY. It can be about equality and justice, or economic prosperity, social cohesion, or access to basic needs like health and education, or even the richness of culture and heritage.”
Sindi reminded all Fellows of the African Union’s vision for the continent – “AGENDA 2063: The Africa We Want”, and how it aligned with ALI’s vision of the GOOD SOCIETY. “When we held the inaugural Africa Impact Forum in Stellenbosch in 2018 – with ALI Fellows from across the continent – we did a deep dive into Agenda 2063. There was a stark resemblance to the GOOD SOCIETY we are working towards, with its seven pillars being:
- A prosperous Africa
- An integrated continent
- Good governance, democracy, human rights, justice and rule of law
- A peaceful and secure Africa
- Strong cultural identity, values and ethics
- People-driven development, dealing with gender equality and engaged youth
- A strong and influential global player and partner
“Today, we are left with 39 years towards achieving the goals of Agenda 2063. As ALI, our work continues to be relevant and critical. We need to deepen our efforts in developing ethical leaders, amplify our voices and continue leading change wherever we are. Thirty years after our liberation, South Africa still finds itself faced with a significant number of our people living below the poverty line, poor education quality, poor health systems, ageing and unmaintained infrastructure, energy challenges, logistics, looming water crisis and rising levels of crime.”
Sindi encouraged new Fellows to start considering ventures in their areas of influence, as it minimises implementation risk and ensures sustainability. “What sustains you is the passion, commitment, resilience, support around you and tenacity, which become critical.”
She advised that collaboration and joint projects were encouraged. “A colleague of mine, Lesego Sennelo, was an ALI fellow and the president of the African Women Chartered Accountants. She and I decided to refine the AWCA strategy and redesign programmes for Ethical Leadership.”
Sindi closed with the following remark: “Becoming an ALI Fellow always lands you at an inflection point. You start to ask yourself: How does what you do daily fit into your life’s purpose? She quoted Eckhart Tolle in response: “Change goes deeper than the content of your mind, deeper than your thoughts. In fact, at the heart of the new consciousness lies the transcendence of thought, the newfound ability to rise above thought, of realising a dimension within yourself that is infinitely more vast than thought “.
“To cohort 14, welcome to ALI, welcome to a new social consciousness, welcome to a new you!”
