Ali will succeed Kuben Pillay, who takes on an independent director role at the company.
Lesaka Technologies has appointed fintech investor and entrepreneur Ali Mazanderani as executive chairperson, effective 1 February 2024.
He said, “During my three years on the board of Lesaka, I have seen the leadership team and the more than 2,400 employees across the group build a great foundation.”
“The company is well positioned to deliver exceptional value to its stakeholders and benefit the communities it serves. I look forward to deepening my involvement with Lesaka and working with the entire team to realise our vision,” he added.
Ali is also the co-founder and chairperson of SaltPay, and serves on various company boards. He was previously a partner at Actis, has worked for OC&C Strategy Consultants as well as First National Bank.
He completed a Bcom (with honours) in economics at the University of Pretoria, an MSc in economic for development from the University of Oxford, and an MSc in economic history from the London School of Economics. He also holds an Insead global MBA and a master’s degree in business law from the University of St.Gallen.
Ali, who has been an independent non-executive director at Lesaka since 2020, takes over from Kuben Pillay, who takes on an independent director role on 1 February 2024. At the same time, Chris Meyer Lesaka's group CEO who has been the company's chief executive for nearly three years, will end his tenure in February 2024.
