Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is the former United Nations (“UN“) Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women from August 2013 to August 2021, where she served as a global advocate for women and girls by establishing initiatives such as the HeForShe for men and boys to address gender equality. She was appointed Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg in January 2022.

From June 2005 to September 2008, she served as Deputy President of South Africa, overseeing programs and policies to reduce inequality, with a particular focus on women. Before this, she served as Minister of Minerals and Energy from June 1999 to June 2005 and Deputy Minister in the Department of Trade and Industry from 1996 to 1999. She was a Member of Parliament from 1994 to 1996 as part of South Africa’s first democratic government under the Presidency of Nelson Mandela.

Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka began her career as a teacher and gained international experience as a coordinator at the World YWCA in Geneva, where she established a global programme for young women. She is the Founder of the Umlambo Foundation, which supports leadership and education. A long-time champion of women’s rights, she is affiliated with several organizations devoted to education, women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka completed her PhD in Technology and Education at the University of Warwick, United Kingdom and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science and Education from the National University of Lesotho. She also is a Hauser Leader at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership.

And she is on the Board of Directors of Ivanhoe Mines, a tier-one assets that provides exposure to copper, platinum-group metals, nickel, zinc and other metals essential for the world’s transition to clean energy and a low-carbon economy.