In a world rapidly evolving through collaboration, connectivity, and regenerative economies, Tshikululu remains at the frontier of social impact innovation.

2024 was a challenging and transformative year for Tshikululu in many ways. We invested significant energy in internal initiatives to evaluate ourselves and the role we play in the social impact landscape in South Africa. We focused on enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in how we deliver our services. In doing so, we have strengthened our ability to operate and created a strong and stable foundation for growth.

Partnerships are fundamental to our work. Our ability to deliver sustainable impact relies on the relationships we build with our clients and other partners. These partnerships are not limited only to funding relationships but include the many ways partnerships can drive impact – through pooling resources, sharing knowledge, and working together to design and implement programmes. In 2024, we continued to grow and diversify our client base, working with over 25 national and international clients across our fund management and advisory services. The challenges facing South Africa, including poverty, inequality, and unemployment, are complex and multi-faceted. By maximising the power of social investment, we and our partners are working together to create sustainable social impact.

One of the most significant changes for Tshikululu as we move into 2025 has been saying farewell to Tracey Henry, who led Tshikululu as CEO for 16 years. Tracey’s visionary approach in both the corporate and development sectors fostered partnerships and built innovative solutions that continue to drive lasting and meaningful impact. The Board of Directors recognises the pivotal role she played in driving Tshikululu’s progress and development. Her unwavering focus throughout the years was on leveraging partnerships between government, business, and civil society that result in socio-economic transformation. This focus is one that will continue to propel the company to even greater success as the organisation embarks on its next chapter, with expanded partnerships, a stronger strategic focus, and increased impact. We also said goodbye to some other key members of our senior management team: Alistair Wagner, our CFO, and Dipalesa Mpye, Head of Social Impact.


In 2025, we are, therefore, embarking on an exciting new chapter – one that propels us further into the future we envision together. We have also recently announced the appointment of Ms Leanne Emery-Hunter as the new CEO of Tshikululu. With a stellar track record in impact-driven strategy and a visionary approach to client relations, we are confident that Leanne will steer Tshikululu into a new era of transformative social investment. We have an acting CFO and have appointed Richard Pfaff as the new Head of Social Impact. We are incredibly optimistic about what lies ahead and confident that Leanne will lead Tshikululu into a future that is not just resilient, but revolutionary, as we advance towards ‘Scaling for Exponential Impact’.


I would like to thank our Board and Committee members, Team Tshikululu, our clients, and our partners for their stellar contributions and the trust they place in us. We will continue to work together to empower, develop, enrich, and support thriving communities. Here’s to scaling impact beyond limits.