Resilience in an Age of Polycrisis

Who spoke

Thirteen practitioners took the stage across the two days, in the order the room met them.

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  David Thorp

  Executive Director, The BCI

  Charting the Path Forward for BCM Professionals

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  David has over 30 years of experience as a senior leader in professional bodies. His professional background encompasses marketing and learning and development. He originally determined on a career in Law but decided Marketing would offer far more scope to his creative ambitions. By chance he became Marketing Director of a Training Business and realised his true passion was for developing people in the workplace.

  From this point it was a logical step to entering the world of the professional body, where the daily focus is on developing personal and organisational capacity. He started with the Chartered Institute of Marketing where he filled various roles including Director of Thought Leadership, Director of Training and Director of Research and Professional Development. He was also at this time General Manager of the Sales Leadership Alliance. His next role was as Managing Director of The Security Institute and from there he moved to the BCI, where he has been Executive Director since 2016.

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  Shilavi Furumele AMBCI

  Business Continuity Manager, Rand Water

  The Convergence of Climate, Cyber and AI Risks

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  Ms Shilavi Furumele is the Business Continuity Manager at Rand Water and a resilience and a risk management professional with over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. Her expertise encompasses Business Continuity Management (BCM), Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), Disaster Risk Management, Ethics Management, and Anti-Corruption Governance. Throughout her career, she has played an important role in strengthening organisational resilience, enhancing governance frameworks, and supporting strategic risk management initiatives across diverse operational environments. Ms Furumele has extensive experience in developing and implementing resilience strategies, business continuity programmes, crisis preparedness frameworks, and enterprise-wide risk management practices aimed at ensuring organisational sustainability and operational continuity in an increasingly complex risk landscape. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics, a Postgraduate Diploma in Risk Management, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Disaster Management. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Disaster Management, further deepening her expertise in resilience, disaster risk reduction and management, and organisational preparedness.

  Ms Furumele is passionate about advancing organisational resilience and fostering adaptive approaches to managing emerging risks in an era characterised by increasing uncertainty, complexity, and interconnected disruptions.

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  Edith Chepkwony

  Quality Assurance Specialist, CPF Financial Services

  Measuring what Matters Beyond Business Continuity Compliance

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  Edith Chepkwony is a Monitoring & Evaluation, Quality Assurance, Business Continuity, Risk Management, and Organizational Performance professional with over ten years of experience supporting organizational resilience, governance, and continuous improvement.

  She has led the implementation of Business Continuity Management (ISO 22301), Enterprise Risk Management (ISO 31000), and Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001) within the financial services sector. Edith holds a Master's degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, a certified BCMS Lead implementor and is currently pursuing a PhD in Development Studies, specializing in Disaster Management and Sustainable Development. She is passionate about integrating MEL principles with business continuity to drive evidence-based, resilient organizations.

  Edith is also an experienced trainer and facilitator, delivering courses across Business Continuity, Project Management, Training of Trainers, Strategic Leadership, and Organizational Development.

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  Nomfundo Mkhize-Ngwenya MBCI

  When the Strait Holds its Breath

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  Nomfundo Mkhize-Ngwenya, MBCI is a passionate resilience enthusiast and certified Business Continuity professional with more than 12 years of experience spanning the public and private sectors. As an advocate for collaborative resilience, she is committed to advancing the resilience profession through thought leadership, innovation, and continuous improvement. She brings practical insights from leading and implementing BCM programmes within complex organisations, with a particular focus on integrating people, processes, technology, and governance systems to strengthen organisational resilience and continuity capabilities.

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  Nashikta Angadh AMBCI

  Partner & Head of Technology Risk Southern Africa, KPMG Services (Pty) Ltd

  Leading Through Uncertainty

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  Nashikta Angadh is the Managing Partner for Technology Risk in Southern Africa and has been with KPMG for over 20 years. Throughout her career, she has worked across technology risk, business continuity, resilience and cybersecurity, supporting organisations in strengthening their ability to manage risk and adapt to change.

  Nashikta served as President of the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) Southern Africa Chapter for five years and has been fortunate to receive industry recognition, including the BCI Africa Industry Personality of the Year (2016) and BCI Africa Continuity & Resilience Consultant of the Year (2019) awards.

  She has contributed to the development of the resilience profession through conference presentations, thought leadership initiatives, and participation in the global team that helped update the 2018 and Version 7 editions of the BCI Good Practice Guidelines. As an ISO 27001 Lead Implementer, she also has a keen interest in cybersecurity and information protection.

  In 2019, Nashikta was recognised by Standard Bank as one of the Top Performing Women in KwaZulu-Natal. She is passionate about developing people, particularly supporting women in leadership and science-related fields. Guided by a strong values-based and spiritual foundation, she strives to lead with authenticity, empathy and purpose, while helping teams and organisations achieve their potential.

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  Sabelo Nsiba

  Senior Manager, Business Continuity Management and Resilience, eThekwini Municipality

  Future-Fit Resilience and Operational Resilience

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  Sabelo Nsiba is the Senior Manager: Business Continuity Management and Resilience at eThekwini Municipality, where he leads work to strengthen institutional resilience, crisis preparedness and continuity of critical services.

  With over 13 years' experience across multiple sectors, Sabelo's work focuses on advancing Business Continuity Management from static continuity planning toward adaptive, evidence-driven resilience capability that supports decision-making during disruption. His work sits at the intersection of Business Continuity Management, IT disaster recovery, crisis governance and organisational resilience, with a strong focus on converting disruption lessons into practical intelligence that improves preparedness, sharpens leadership decisions and strengthens response capability.

  Sabelo is the 2025 BCI Global Continuity & Resilience Professional of the Year and a previous BCI Africa Public Sector Award recipient. He holds a BCom Honours in Information Systems and Technology, with professional credentials including CISA, CBCI, ISO 22301 BCMS Implementation and Cyber Security.

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  Vuyo Nkambule

  Preparing Organisations for the next decade of risks

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  Vuyolwethu Nkambule is specialist in risk management and business continuity; An award winner in 2024 as the IRMSA Risk Specialist of the Year. Provides a lead role in the monitoring of potential risks in relation to Business Continuity Management (BCM), and Operational Resilience. Her experience in both risk and resilience management combined with her experience as a corporate trainer makes her an asset in the risk management industry.

  With 16 years' experience in the Financial Services industry including the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Deloitte and Standard Bank. This experience includes risk management (half the experience), financial management, business analysis, Risk management systems implementation and training background.

  Previous roles include Head: Business Resilience Management, Enterprise Risk Manager, Account Manager, Software Trainer specializing in Enterprise Risk Management (governance, risk and compliance systems), at various companies, including IDI Technologies (BarnOwl) and IsoMetrix.

  Her qualifications include a B.Com Accounting degree; a general certificate in Taxation as well as various professional certificates including business continuity and a leadership programme with GIBS.

  She is an authentic leader and believes in collaborative growth.

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  Thibeli Malebo MBCI

  Head of Business Resilience, The Standard Bank

  Beyond Resilience

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  Thibeli Malebo has dedicated 21 years to Standard Bank, building a distinguished career in risk management. He currently serves as the group head of business resilience and leads Non-Financial Risk (NFR) for Group Real Estate Services (GRES).

  In 2022, Thibeli and the Business Resilience Team were awarded the Business Continuity Institute Africa Award for Continuity & Resilience Team. The recognition followed their guidance to the business on safeguarding staff and the bank's assets during the unrest in July 2021, which impacted two provinces in South Africa.

  Thibeli continues to actively participate in the IIF (Institute of International Finance) Operational Resilience workgroup to positively shape the regulatory requirements on Operational Resilience.

  Outside of work, Thibeli is a devoted family man. He enjoys hiking, cooking, and is an enthusiastic, though struggling, golfer—demonstrating his ongoing commitment to resilience in both his professional and personal life.

  Thibeli's mantra is life is short, live it to the fullest within appropriate guiding rules.

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  Derik de Jager

  IT Continuity Management & Operational Resilience Leader, BMW Group

  AI Disruption: The Three Pillars of AI Adoption in BCM

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  Derik de Jager is an IT Continuity Management and Operational Resilience leader at BMW Group with more than 25 years of international experience across the automotive, mining, and brewing sectors. With a background that spans Mechanical Engineering, Information Technology, enterprise integration, governance, and resilience management, he has developed a unique ability to align technology capabilities with business resilience objectives.

  At BMW Group, he leads initiatives focused on disaster recovery, service continuity, and operational resilience, helping ensure critical business services remain available and recoverable in an increasingly complex digital landscape. His combination of technical depth, strategic leadership, and global experience positions him as a trusted advocate for building resilient organizations capable of navigating disruption and sustaining long-term success.

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  Dr Cliff Ferguson PhD, ThD, FBCI

  Managing Director, The Academy of Resilience and Continuity

  The Fragility Thesis and Why SADC is the Sharp Edge of It

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  Dr Cliff Ferguson, PhD, ThD, FBCI, is Managing Director of the Academy of Resilience and Continuity and a Fellow Researcher and lecturer at the University of the Free State and guest lecturer Stenden University. He is a recognised specialist in business continuity, organisational resilience, disaster risk management, governance and strategic planning. A PECB-certified ISO 22301 Senior Lead Implementer, Lead Auditor and professional trainer, he has led major resilience initiatives across government, public-sector institutions and the wider SADC and West African region. Dr Ferguson previously served as Director of Strategy, Policy, MIS and Business Continuity at the Government Pensions Administration Agency and as Chair of the SADC BCI Chapter. He is an award-winning practitioner, researcher, author and experienced international speaker committed to advancing practical, sustainable organisational resilience.

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  Charles Chishiri

  Emergency & Disaster Risk Manager, Tongaat Hulett

  Adapting Business Continuity Plans to a Changing Climate

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  Charles is a well-rounded, versatile Generalist – Disaster Risk and Emergency Manager. He has a unique profile, having led various portfolios that include Amenities Management, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Sustainability, Livestock and Wildlife, Occupational Health, Safety, and Security fields.

  He has a background in Agriculture (Animal Science), solidly buttressed by Postgraduate and Advanced University Degrees in Disaster and Development, as well as risk management. He has a passion for Disaster Risk Assessments across various Industries and businesses with a particular interest in Natural Disaster Risk Management and Resilience.

  Charles is a certified Lead Auditor for the ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 Management Systems and has successfully led Audits and certifications for both systems. He co-authored a Chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Disaster Recovery and Response and contributed to the development of the forthcoming Risk Management Body of Knowledge (RMBOK), which is due for publication. He has presented at Regional Conferences, including the Disaster Management Institute of Southern Africa (DMISA) and the Disaster Preparedness Conference. He was also the Lead presenter at the recently held National Social Security Authority (NSSA) Safety and Health at Work (SHAW) Conference in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

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  Francis-Jean Hoets

  CEO, DMS NPC

  From Compliance to Resilience

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  Francis-Jean Hoets is the CEO of DMS NPC, a South African organisation specialising in disaster risk management (DRM), capacity development, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and community resilience. With over 15 years of experience, she bridges academic research, community practice, and organizational leadership to create practical tools for building resilience in both public and private sectors.

  Francis-Jean holds an MPhil and BSc Honours in Disaster Risk Science from the University of Cape Town, complemented by a BSc in Environmental and Geographical Science and Ocean and Atmosphere Science. Her research focuses on the relationship between people and their environments, shaping her human-centered approach to DRM. Since joining DMS NPC in 2011, she has advanced through various roles, becoming CEO in 2019.

  Under her leadership, the organization has conducted disaster risk assessments and developed community-based early warning systems for various levels of government across South Africa. She is currently integrating Community Risk Management NPC into DMS NPC under three pillars: Community Risk Management, M&E, and Capacity Development.

  Francis-Jean is a corporate member of the Disaster Management Institute of Southern Africa (DMISA) and serves on several national committees that influence the profession. She also participates in international networks focused on disaster reduction. Currently, she is adapting the DRM M&E framework for private sector applications, which will be featured in her session at the BCI Southern Africa Conference 2026.

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  Christopher Palm

  Principal Consultant, Strategy, Risk and Resilience, Applied Risk Management Solutions

  Resilience in an Age of Polycrisis

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  Christopher is a seasoned executive and independent consultant specialising in the integration of strategy, enterprise risk management and organisational resilience to enable faster, higher-quality and more sustainable decision-making. Over 30 years' experience, including 18 years at executive level, advising Boards, ExCo and C-suite leaders across financial services, utilities, mining, telecommunications and public-sector institutions.

  Recognised thought leader in risk appetite, strategic risk assessment, integrated risk management operating models, and risk intelligence, with deep practical experience translating global best practice into implementable, value-adding solutions. Former Chief Risk Officer and Chief Risk Advisor of IRMSA and founder of the IRMSA Centre of Excellence, with a strong track record in building risk-mature leadership and governance capability.