Irshaad Kathrada

Irshaad Kathrada is the Chief Executive Officer of the Localisation Support Fund, a public benefit organisation focused on developing industrial opportunities in South Africa. Previously, Irshaad served as a special advisor to the South African government minister responsible for trade and economic matters and has nearly a decade of investment banking experience with JPMorgan in New York and London. 

Irshaad also founded a South African fintech company and led the finance function of a VC-backed climate tech company in the UK. He is a visiting research fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand and holds an MSc in Sustainability and Enterprise from the University of Oxford, as well as a Bachelor of Business Science from the University of Cape Town.