About this Webinar
A Good Governance Academy event in collaboration with UNISA
Women continue to make significant strides in higher education, but meaningful and sustainable empowerment requires more than participation. It requires governance that is accountable, transparent, inclusive and focused on lasting impact.
Under the theme From Participation to Power, this webinar brings together leaders from higher education, FASSET and institutional transformation to explore how good governance can strengthen women empowerment programmes and help translate opportunity into meaningful leadership, equity and institutional change.
The discussion will consider how empowerment initiatives are designed, governed and evaluated, while sharing practical perspectives on ethical leadership, stakeholder collaboration and measuring long-term impact.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Understand the role of good governance in designing and sustaining women empowerment programmes in higher education.
- Identify practices that promote accountability, transparency, inclusivity and ethical leadership.
- Learn from the experiences of higher education leaders, programme practitioners and funding partners.
- Explore practical approaches to measuring impact, sustainability and long-term value in advancing gender equity and institutional transformation.
Who Should Attend?
This webinar will be particularly relevant for:
- University and higher education leaders
- Academics and researchers
- Governance and transformation professionals
- Programme managers and practitioners
- Policymakers and funding partners
- Students, emerging professionals and aspiring leaders interested in gender equity and leadership development
Prof Lethiwe Nzama-Sithole
Host & Moderator | Director, School of Accountancy, UNISA
Prof Lethiwe Nzama-Sithole is Director of the School of Accountancy at the University of South Africa and has more than 20 years of professional experience in accounting and internal auditing, alongside over a decade in academia.
A Certified Internal Auditor with a PhD in Auditing, her work spans governance, leadership development, postgraduate research and professional education. She also serves on the Board of the Institute of Internal Auditors South Africa and is committed to developing women, young professionals and future leaders.
Ms Ayanda Mafuleka, CA(SA)
Panellist | CEO, FASSET
Ayanda Mafuleka is a Chartered Accountant and Chief Executive Officer of the Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (FASSET), a position she has held since 2019.
With more than 20 years of experience in finance, governance and institutional leadership, she has held senior positions across numerous national entities. Her leadership at FASSET has focused on organisational performance, education and skills development, digital capability and expanding opportunities for young South Africans.
Dr Marianne Engelbrecht
Panellist | Programme Manager, UNISA Researcher Development Academy
Dr Marianne Engelbrecht is Programme Manager of the Researcher Development Academy at UNISA and has more than 20 years of experience in the higher education sector.
She holds a PhD in corporate governance and futures studies and has extensive experience in academic management, research administration, quality assurance and capacity development. Her work also includes academic leadership, ethics and the development of governance practices, policies and frameworks within higher education.
Prof Babalwa Ceki
Panellist | Associate Professor, UNISA
Prof Babalwa Ceki is an Associate Professor at the University of South Africa and a Chartered Accountant with professional experience in external auditing before entering academia.
She completed her PhD at the University of Johannesburg and currently supervises Master’s and Doctoral students in Financial Accounting. Her research interests include women in leadership, digital transformation, sustainability reporting and public-sector governance.
Dr Sedzani Musundwa, CA(SA)
Panellist | Associate Professor, UNISA
Dr Sedzani Musundwa is an Associate Professor in the Department of Financial Accounting at UNISA and a Chartered Accountant.
Her research examines how higher education and the accounting profession can become more inclusive, equitable and socially responsive through governance, leadership and institutional transformation. She has also held significant leadership roles across higher education and the accounting profession, including managing SAICA’s Thuthuka Bursary Fund.
Dr Nompumelelo Mkhize
Panellist | Director: Transformation, University of Johannesburg
Dr Nompumelelo Mkhize is a transformation executive, strategist and leadership expert who currently leads the Transformation portfolio at the University of Johannesburg.
Her work focuses on equity, inclusion, organisational culture, governance and people-centred institutional change. She has led transformation initiatives across higher education, corporate and public-sector environments and is passionate about ethical leadership, social justice and developing inclusive, high-performing organisations.
Join The Conversation
Join the Good Governance Academy and UNISA on Thursday, 17 September at 17:00 SAST for a practical conversation about how governance can help move women empowerment initiatives from participation toward sustainable leadership, equity and institutional impact.
EVENT TIMES
DATE:
17 September 2026
TIME:
08:00 Los Angeles
11:00 New York
12:00 Rio de Janeiro
16:00 London
17:00 Cape Town
18:00 Riyadh
20:30 New Delhi
23:00 Beijing
00:00 Tokyo
01:00 Melbourne
03:00 Auckland
SAVE THE DATE
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