CEO of African Bank, Basani Maluleke is passionate about finance and studying the intricacies of customer behaviour. Her top priority, since taking the lead role at African Bank in 2018, has been to revamp the bank and work towards sustainable profitability, whilst maintaining and enhancing the relationship with new and existing customers. Basani believes that the Covid-19 pandemic has altered the financial services sector in South Africa, pushing it to learn and adapt at an increased rate. In this week’s Business Unusual podcast, Ralf Fletcher, CEO of Topco Media sits down with Basani Maluleke to discuss her journey as the first black woman CEO of a South African bank, zooming in on how she’s instilled imperative values in her work, building a strong cohort of data scientists, and planning ahead for the future of the economy. Basani shares valuable insight into the financial banking industry, emphasising the importance of great work culture, harnessing the power of a customer-centric model, and staying ahead of the curve, especially throughout this global pandemic. Basani Maluleke is Chief Executive Officer at African Bank, having been appointed to the role in 2018 following more than a decade at the bank, as a non-executive. Maluleke has a BCom LLB (University of Cape Town), MBA (Kellogg), and is an admitted attorney. She has over 10 years’ financial services working experience and has also worked for Edward Nathan Friedland, FirstRand’s RMB division as well as in various FNB divisions. More recently, she was an executive director of Transcend Capital, a corporate finance business specialising in B-BBEE ownership. Basani is also a key investor in the Click Foundation, a non-profit organisation that focuses on closing the gaps in education through technology. The organisation focuses on food supply, providing protective gear, and assisting parents and children with access to e-learning tools.

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