11 June 2025 - Ten senior corporate affairs and sustainability professionals from South Africa and Kenya gathered in Cambridge for the inaugural Corporate Affairs Leadership Programme (CALP), hosted by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).
The programme marked a significant milestone in building a new generation of African leadership equipped to navigate complexity, disruption, and the urgent demands of sustainable transformation.
“We need a different kind of leadership in this world of accelerating change, uncertainty and disruption - a leadership that is engaged, adaptive and focused,” said Sibusiso Nkomo, CALP Programme Director. “I can already see this happening.”
CALP is the first leg of a three-part executive development journey co-designed by CISL Africa and the Wits School of Governance, with future sessions scheduled for Johannesburg in July. Over two intensive days, delegates engaged in a dynamic, dialogue-rich experience that blended academic insight, peer learning, and strategic foresight.
Sessions explored the evolving role of corporate affairs in shaping systems change, with a focus on stakeholder capitalism, narrative leadership, climate risk, and policy influence. A standout moment for many was the opportunity to hold an 8,000-year-old block of Antarctic ice - a powerful, tangible reminder of the climate crisis and the scale of the challenge ahead.
“The Corporate Affairs Leadership Programme was exactly what I needed,” said Tshidi Ramogase, a freelance consultant. “It stretched my mind in new ways and inspired confidence that a new leadership will rise — one that truly believes in sustainability and its importance in business.”
“It has been a regenerative and restorative experience for me,” shared freelance consultant Portia Bangazerako. “You think you understand the space, but then your mind gets expanded around new ways of doing things.”
“After three full, intense days, I can say it didn’t disappoint,” said Thato Mapule-Mntambo, General Manager: Corporate Affairs Mercedes-Benz South Africa Ltd. “I’ve learned so much about the key issues facing corporations and what’s needed to tackle them.”
The programme concluded with a celebratory dinner at Queens’ College, Cambridge, where CALP delegates met Professor Gerry Gilmore of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge. It was an exceptional masterclass in bridging science and everyday life, demonstrating that complexity can be made accessible through passion and humour.
CALP participants also took part in CISL’s Chief Sustainability Officers (CSO) Forum and the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Corporate Leaders Group (CLG), where they joined global peers in exploring themes such as competitive sustainability, redefining value, and cross-sector innovation.
“The CSO Forum has been very informative for me,” said Thabani Mlilo, Managing Director of Moahi Sustainable Solutions. “It’s been great interacting with like-minded people and delving into cross-sectional issues that give impetus to my work in sustainability.”
“This one thing is clear,” added Nthabiseng Chapeshamano, Senior Reputation Manager, Discovery Limited. “Having heard all this, we can’t say we didn’t know. The gains in sustainability will be achieved when the issues, especially climate change, are humanised. It’s a long-term play. We must courageously plant the seeds of a harvest that will outlive us.”
Key themes explored at CALP included:
- Forces shaping the world: climate science, geopolitics, and economic trends
- AI and its opportunities for Africa and its impact on development
- Regulatory shifts and implications for business strategy
- Leadership, governance, and public diplomacy for systemic change
- Social innovation and entrepreneurship, and competitive sustainability.
As the CALP cohort returns to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Nairobi, they carry with them not only insights and strategies but a shared commitment to shaping, rather than being shaped by, the future.