Tuesday, 5 August 2024
The Venue | 39 Melrose Blvd
Join us for a morning filled with insightful discussions, meaningful conversations and inspirational stories from our 4 trailblazing panelists.
Once the discussion / Q&A session is finished, brunch will be available with an opportunity to network not only with fellow attendees, but also with the panelists themselves.
2025 Women's Networking Event Panelists:
Jo Mitchell-Marais
Panel Facilitator: Jo is the Africa Turnaround & Restructuring leader at Deloitte Africa, a well-recognised subject matter expert in the restructuring industry and a frequent speaker at local and Africa-related conferences. Jo brings significant lender-side perspective to the service offering having led teams in a leading local South African bank, as well as a global alternative credit finance fund over a seven year period.
A UK chartered accountant by qualification and serving as the first female Chairperson of the South African Restructuring and Insolvency Practitioners Association, Jo is passionate about creating sustainable value for her clients - ensuring that what is usually a stressful and pressured situation is managed in an assured, calm manner with specialised expertise.
Jo was awarded her INSOL Fellow designation in 2021 following the successful completion of the INSOL GIPC (an international cross-border insolvency qualification) with honours. Jo is part of the founding committee for the INSOL Africa Advisory Council, sits on the INSOL Technical Research Committee, the INSOL/SARIPA Business rescue and Insolvency Course committees and is also co-chair of the INSOL / World Bank Africa Round Table from 2025. Jo is a strong advocate for women in restructuring and has recently founded the SARIPA Women’s Forum – a forum to support women in restructuring and insolvency practice areas.
Shireen Motara
Shireen Motara is an African leader, strategist, and multi-passionate entrepreneur deeply committed to women’s empowerment, economic independence, and social justice. As CEO of Tara Transform, she draws on over 20 years of experience to support women’s leadership, self-awareness, and professional growth through coaching, consulting, and strategic advisory. Shireen has worked with the UN, philanthropic institutions, corporates, and NGOs across Africa on gender equality, governance, and sustainability.
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She is also the founder of The Next Chapter, a dynamic collective of women-led brands focused on purpose, passion, and community impact. Through this platform, Shireen leads and owns:
• Sox and Jox – Fun, personalised socks, jocks, and flip flops that make gifting unique and meaningful.
• Hey Casey – Trendy, customisable tech accessories printed with your own designs or images.
• The Co-Op Coworking Space – A collaborative workspace in Langebaan designed for professionals and creatives.
• The Next Chapter Coaching & Events – A community hub for women offering coaching,
curated events, and leadership tools.
• Silly George SA – Confidence-boosting products, thoughtfully curated for South African women
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Shireen is a board advisor, mentor with the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, and co-founder of Young Women Thrive, an initiative advancing economic leadership for women across Africa.
Contact information: Shireen Motara – 071 272 8245 Masinhle Mack – 071 469 9574
| The Next Chapter
Amalia Lui
Amalia Lui is a strategic legal advisor at the forefront of African transactions, with over 15 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, investment funds, energy, and mining. She is highly regarded for her ability to navigate complex legal environments and deliver tailored, results-driven solutions to investors, corporates, and government stakeholders.
Her practice spans high-value, cross-border transactions across Tanzania (including Zanzibar) and key African markets including Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Ethopia and Nigeria. Amalia advises clients throughout the deal lifecycle—leading negotiations, transaction documents, securing regulatory approvals, and supporting post-closing execution—while maintaining a sharp focus on both legal compliance and commercial outcomes.
A trusted counsel in both the private and public sectors, Amalia plays a key role in connecting international investors with local markets. Her insight and influence have been instrumental in driving some of the region’s most strategic deals, particularly in highly regulated industries such as mining and energy.
In the mining sector, she works closely with clients and government authorities on shareholder structures, local content compliance, and regulatory frameworks, ensuring that legal strategies align with national priorities and investor goals.
Before joining Clyde & Co, Amalia built a strong foundation in cross-border dealmaking at top international law firms in London, adding a global dimension to her regional expertise.
Her work hasn’t gone unnoticed: she’s featured in The Legal 500 Private Practice Powerlist 2024 for M&A in Africa and is also listed as a Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer for 2024/2025.
Outside her legal practice, Amalia leads an NGO focused on supporting orphans and marginalized youth, and is actively expanding her work to empower young women through access to education, vocational training, and entrepreneurship.
Soria Hay
Soria qualified as a lawyer and after a few years in corporate finance formed the Bravura Group in 1999, at the age of 29. Under Soria’s guidance, Bravura has grown into one of the largest independent advisory and structuring houses in Southern Africa. Soria’s key contribution to the Bravura team lies in her deal sourcing and deal-making skills. With more than 25 years’ experience in corporate finance and deal-making, she develops strong relationships with counterparties whilst relentlessly dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. In Soria’s corporate finance career she acted as adviser to various multi-national companies and large South African corporates including T-Systems, SAP, Diebold, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Invicta, Accelerate, Alviva and HCI with an aggregate transaction value in excess of USD 5 billion.
Titi Sekhukhune
Titi Sekhukhune is a founding partner at Infinite Partners, where she works across the full private equity value chain—from identifying new opportunities to partnering with leadership teams and boards to support long-term, sustainable growth. She also helps guide the firm’s operations and investor relationships.
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Titi played a key role in the spin-out that led to the creation of Infinite Partners in 2022, bringing with her over a decade of experience in private equity. She was part of the founding team of a mid-market fund launched in 2016, and has worked on investments and exits across sectors, including Eazi Access and Plumblink. She currently serves on the boards of the holding companies of Gammatek, Twinsaver and Eazi Access.
Titi is a Chartered Accountant with a background in mergers and acquisitions.
She is most energised by the people side of investing—helping businesses and leadership teams shape what’s possible, especially in moments of growth and change. She is also deeply committed to supporting women in business and creating pathways into leadership across the industry.