Chairperson of the board of directors

Chairperson of the board of directors

19/03/2019

The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa Chairperson: Dr Leshni Shah

Elected at our 2018 annual general meeting, Dr Shah takes over from Dr Krisela Steyn as chairperson of the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA board of directors.

Dr Leshni Shah is one of the founding partners of Aziyo Capital, a private equity fund management business established to focus on impact investing. The success of medium to small enterprises is the answer to employment creation and economic growth. Through Aziyo Capital, Dr Shah and her partners would like very much to be part of an initiative that fosters this growth and contributes in a meaningful way to job creation, women empowerment, youth employment and transformation in South Africa.

Growing up in South Africa pre-1994, Dr Shah was introduced to the business world (and even understanding the JSE) at the very mature age of 35. She holds a MBChB from Nelson Mandela School of Medicine and an MBA from the UCT Graduate School of Business. She spent 5 years in medical practice and as a Hospital Manager, this was followed by 7 years in financial services as a Portfolio Manager and analyst and the last 14 years as Operations Director for a medium size business based in Cape Town. 

At this stage in her career, Dr Shah feels the needs to work in an area that allows her to utilize her 27 years of working experience to make a difference in a meaningful way.  

Dr Shah is married to Ravi Naidoo, founder of the Design Indaba. Together they have 2 sons, aged 22 and 16. Dr Shah loves reading, exercise, yoga and believes in walking as a form of meditation.

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