Executive Management Of The EPPF

Mr Shafeeq Abrahams

Chief Executive Officer

BCompt Honours Degree in Accounting, Chartered
Accountant (SA), Masters in Business Leadership

Mr. Shafeeq Abrahams joined the EPPF on 1 September 2018 as the Chief Financial Officer until he was appointed as the Chief Executive and Principal Officer effective 1 April 2021. He began his career at Deloitte & Touché Chartered Accountants and later joined Eskom, where he held various leadership roles in Finance. Prior to joining the EPPF, he was the CFO of the National Home Builders Registration Council.

As the Chief Executive and Principal Officer, Mr. Abrahams serves on all the committees of the Board of Trustees within the EPPF.

Ms Thandie Mashego

Chief Financial Officer

BCom Honours Degree in Accounting (University of Natal),
Chartered Accountant (SA), Masters in Business Leadership
(UNISA), Leadership Development Programme (The Da Vinci
Institute)

Ms Thandie Mashego joined the EPPF on 1 February 2022 as CFO and has a wealth of experience in Finance and Investment management. She previously served as CFO of WDB Investment Holdings, CFO of Vantage Capital Group and has held various senior roles at the Industrial Development Corporation. She has also served as a non-executive director on the boards of several entities throughout her career.

Thandie serves on various committees of the Fund including the Executive committee, Procurement committee and Risk Management Committee, and is a permanent attendee of several sub-committees of the Board.

Ms Sonja Saunderson

Chief Investment Officer

BSc (Cum Laude) in Mathematics and Computer Science (North-West University)

BCom (Cum Laude)

BCom (Hons) (Cum Laude) in Economics and Statistics (North-West University)

MCom (Cum Laude) in Statistics and Economics (North-West University)

Ms Sonja Saunderson joined the EPPF on 1 November 2022. She has more than 20 years’ experience in investment management, including shaping investment philosophy and processes. She joined the EPPF from Momentum Metropolitan Holdings, where she served as the Group’s Chief Investment Officer.

Throughout her career, Ms Saunderson played various roles as a lecturer in Mathematics and Statistics, a Quantitative Analyst, Head of Research and Product Development as well as Chief Investment Officer.

Mr Joey Sankar.

Executive: Pensions Administration

B.Com. Management (UNISA), Masters in Information
Technology (University of Pretoria), Information Technology
Infrastructure Library (IT IL) qualification, Prince 2 Practitioner
qualification Certified Pensions Specialist (Global Academy)

Mr. Joey Sankar joined the EPPF on 1 July 2014 as a Project Manager and was appointed as the Manager of Retirement Fund Operations on 1 September 2015. Prior to joining EPPF, Mr. Sankar held managerial positions in various organisations, including Alexander Forbes Financial Services, NBC Holdings, and Deloitte Consulting.

Mr. Sankar serves on various committees within the EPPF, including the Benefits Committee, Legal and Technical Committee, Executive Committee, Procurement Committee, Medical Panel and the IT Steering Committee.

Ms Shyless Shai

Executive: Human Capital

BA Psychology (University of the Western Cape), BA Hons.
Psychology (University of the Western Cape), Registered
Psychometrist (Health Professions Council of South Africa),
Master of Commerce in Business Management (University of
Johannesburg)

Ms Shyless Shai joined EPPF on 1 April 2017. She began her HR career at the Foschini Retail Group in Cape Town. Prior to joining EPPF, she held various HR roles at different financial institutions, such as Standard Bank, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the South African Reserve Bank.

Ms. Shai heads the Human Capital Department at EPPF and also serves on the Human Resources and Remuneration Committee and the Executive Committee of EPPF.

Mr Ayanda Gaqa

Executive: Governance And Assurance

B.Tech. (Internal Auditing), Post Graduate Diploma in Financial
Planning (University of Free State), Certified Financial
Planner®, Certified Compliance Professional (Compliance
Institute of SA), Certified Fraud Examiner

Mr. Ayanda Gaqa joined the EPPF on 1 July 2007. He has held various leadership positions in various organisations including Futuregrowth Asset Management and Sanlam Investment Management.

He serves on various committees within the EPPF including the Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee, Audit and Risk Committee, Strategic Investment Committee, Risk Management Committee and the Procurement Committee.

Ms Yolisa Skwintshi

Executive: Information Technology

Honours in Computer Science, Executive leadership
programme (Gordon Institute of Business Science – GIBS),
Advanced Management Development Programme (University
of Pretoria – UP)

Ms Skwintshi joined the EPPF on 6 January 2020. Yolisa joins the EPPF from ABSA Group, where she was the Head of Technology for the Insurance Cluster. She is a highly experienced Technology leader with more than 17 years of experience in the IT industry.

Among her achievements, Yolisa was recognised as one of South Africa’s fifty most inspiring women in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics sector for 2018 by the Consulate of the Netherlands in collaboration with Cocreate International.