Deloitte Africa has announced the appointment of its board chair Ruwayda Redfearn as its first female CEO, with effect from 1 June 2022.
In accepting the position, Ruwayda said: “I am honoured to be appointed to this role and excited to be part of yet another first in the history of Deloitte Africa. I am enthused about being in a position to be at the forefront of change in our profession, the services we provide, and the clients we serve. I look forward to working with our people and clients to address the increasingly complex challenges society faces – including social inequity, climate change, and economic inequality.”
Ruwayda started her career as a trainee at Deloitte in 1997. Following her secondment in New York, she returned to Durban as a manager and was appointed to the partnership in 2004. She was appointed to lead the audit practice of the KwaZulu-Natal Region in 2010. She also chaired the Global Young Partners’ Advisory Council, reporting to the global CEO. In 2011, she was appointed to the Deloitte Southern Africa board and remuneration committee.
In 2012, Ruwayda took up a CFO role at a global commodity trading business for three years. She returned to Deloitte in 2015 as the office managing partner for the KZN region and managed the risk advisory business for the Eastern Cape and KZN regions. She was appointed to the Deloitte Africa board in 2016 and chaired the firm’s remuneration committee, as well as serving as a member of the performance, reward, succession, and nominations committee.
Ruwayda will be taking over from Lwazi Bam, whose term ends in May 2022. “I am delighted to be handing over the reins to Ruwayda. She is passionate about the positive contribution the firm and the profession can play in the upliftment of our continent,” Lwazi said.
