Lister Saungweme

Senior Policy Advisor, Transformation, Skills Development & Education at The Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA)

Speaker

With a career spanning over 14 years, Lister Saungweme is a recognized figure in the world of B-BBEE advisory, corporate sustainability, Governance & fronting assessments, Empowerment financing and crafting sustainable transformation strategies within the South African context. Currently serving as the Senior Policy Advisor-at industry level, for the Association of Savings and Investments of South Africa (ASISA), Lister specialises in a spectrum of sustainability and financial inclusion issues such as Transformation & B-BBEE, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, ESD & Sustainable Supply Chains, as well as on Social Sustainability Reporting and Disclosure, predominantly serving Life insurers and Fund managers.

Lister has integrated sustainable transformation at ASISA, advising the ASISA Foundation on governance and compliance related issues and the ASISA ESD fund(s) on Empowerment related deals whilst advocating for impact investing. Her commitment to sustainability's social and governance dimensions is evident, leading pivotal industry discussions on financial inclusion, employment equity, gender pay gap and retirement fund(s)’ transformation reforms. She has acted as a policy negotiator, represented business and the industry in notable forums such as the European Pension Fund Investment Forum, Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), NEDLAC, and the Financial Sector Transformation Council (FSTC), contributing to the amendment and development of B-BBEE sector codes, as well as promoting the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Lister's unique strength lies in blending academic research with practical industry applications, as evidenced by her qualitative Master's thesis from the University of Stellenbosch on Mandatory Reporting and Disclosure for JSE Listed Companies. She co-authored the 2018 National Trends & Transformation Report and spearheaded ASISA's 2018-2020 Industry report. With a vision rooted in ESG, transformation, impact investing, inclusion, governance, and sustainability reporting and disclosure, Lister's commitment to an inclusive financial landscape remains unmatched.