Isaac O Shongwe

Isaac Shonwge founded and manages Letsema Consulting Company, a strategic management consulting firm. He is also founder and Chairman of Letsema Investments, a black-empowerment investment company engaged in a range of ventures, predominantly in the Logistics and Information Technology sectors. Isaac is an Executive Director of Barloworld Limited, his portfolios include Strategy, Human Capital, Innovation, Solutions Development, sustainability and Stakeholder Management. In addition, he is a member of several boards including the Wits Business School, Endeavor, an NGO focusing on entrepreneurship development in South Africa, The Aspen Institute as well as the Ragon Institute both in the US. Before starting Letsema in 1995, Isaac worked for various companies owned by Barloworld Limited from 1988 to 1993. In 1993 he joined Monitor Consulting Company, a business strategy outfit headquartered in Boston, USA. As a strategy consultant, Isaac has worked on various strategy formulation projects, both for Blue-chip private sector clients and various public sector clients. In addition to his business interest, Isaac is heavily involved in social and community upliftment projects. He has created Letsema Foundation through which he funds most of his social interests. The Foundation focuses on leadership development, entrepreneurship and education. In 1988, Isaac was named 21st Century Trust Fellow, in recognition of his potential as a future leader in his country, and in 1996 was named “Global Leader of Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum. In 2002 he was named Henry Crown Fellow by the Aspen Institute. This programme “seeks to develop the next generation of community-spirited leaders”. Isaac is the Chairman and founder of the Africa Leadership Foundation in South Africa. In 1987 Isaac graduated with honours from Wesleyan University (USA). In 1989 he received a degree in marketing from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. In 1991 he also obtained an M.Phil in Management Studies from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Isaac is married to Khumo and they have six children.