Our conference theme – Ethical Leadership Beyond Profit | Organisations as Catalysts for Ethical Societies – suggests that organisational leaders may have an increasing responsibility (and opportunity) to play a positive formative role in society. Throughout history, our greatest leaders have been those who made an indelible positive impact on the world, often contributing to the creation of more just societies.
In an era marked by increasing insecurity and global uncertainty, the future direction of our societies is progressively unclear. Global political tensions, climate change, artificial intelligence, and corruption add to this uncertainty, with governments unable to solve these issues alone.
At this ethics conference, we will invite leaders to reflect on their personal journeys and consider the contributions they, and others, can make at leadership level. We will explore how organisational leaders can take on this growing responsibility, driven not only by benevolence but by the necessity of ensuring the sustainability of both our organisations and our society.
The conference consists of two parts: an Ethical Leadership Symposium followed by a Practical Ethics Workshop. The event is presented in a hybrid format, offering the option to attend either in person or virtually.
Prof. Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem
Prof. Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem is a philosopher of science and technology, an AI ethics policy advisor, and a machine ethics researcher. She is currently Head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pretoria and leads the AI ethics group at the South African Centre for AI Research (CAIR).
Prof. Emma serves as Chairperson of the UNESCO World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) and joined the WEF’s Global Future Council on Autonomous Systems in 2025.
Since 2023, she has been a member of the Global Academic Network at the Centre for AI and Digital Policy, Washington DC, and works on AI governance projects with the African Union Development Agency and the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. She was a member of the UN Secretary-General’s AI Advisory Body from 2023 to 2024.
Emma also serves on several international AI ethics advisory boards, spanning academia (e.g., the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Programme Human Sciences), intergovernmental bodies (e.g., expert advisory board for the Global Commission on Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain), and the private sector (e.g., SAP SE). She is an associate editor for the Journal of Science and Engineering Ethics.
Ms Anna Myers
Anna Myers is Executive Director of the Whistleblowing International Network (WIN), an international civil society network with 38 organisations in 25 countries.
Originally from Canada, and a qualified UK lawyer, Anna was Deputy Director of Public Concern at Work (now called Protect) in London and worked for the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) in Strasbourg. She drafted both the UNODC Resource Guide on Good Practices in the Protection of Reporting Persons (2014) and most recently, the IFAC-CPA Canada international guide Understanding Whistleblower Protection (2023). Anna has worked with organisations, policy makers, legislators, professional associations, academics and a host of others around the world interested in understanding the value of whistleblowing and how to think about and implement arrangements to protect those who speak up. Under her leadership, WIN helped secure an EU Directive to protect whistleblowers and set up the EU Whistleblowing Monitor to track progress in transposition and quality of implementation.
Dr Liezl Groenewald
Dr. Liezl Groenewald is the Chief Executive Officer of The Ethics Institute (TEI), a former President of the Business Ethics Network of Africa (BEN-Africa), and a co-founding Director of The Whistleblower House. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Ethics from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Doctorate in Applied Ethics from Stellenbosch University.
An accomplished facilitator, Dr. Groenewald delivers ethics training for both TEI and the Institute of Directors in South Africa (IoDSA). Since 2016, she has also served as an annual guest lecturer for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the Management Center Innsbruck (MCI), a leading business school in Austria.
Widely recognised as a thought leader in her field, she is a regular speaker at international conferences and a respected media commentator on ethics and whistleblowing. Her published work includes several key resources, such as the Whistleblowing Non-Retaliation Toolkit, the Whistleblowing First Responder Guide, and the Whistleblowing Management Handbook.
Dr. Groenewald contributes to ethical leadership and governance through her service on a range of boards and committees, including the Council of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and the King Committee. She chairs several ethics committees, such as the Disciplinary Committee of the Institute of Internal Audit of South Africa (IIASA), the IoDSA’s Social and Ethics Committee Forum and CPUT’s Governance and Ethics Committee. Internationally, she represents South Africa on ISO global technical working groups focused on ethical governance of organisations, whistleblowing management and the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on governance maturity.
In her personal capacity, Dr. Groenewald continues to pursue her deep interest in military ethics. She is a frequent speaker at international conferences in the field and serves on the Inaugural Committee of the International Society for Military Ethics in Africa (Afro-ISME).
Prof. Deon Rossouw
Prof Deon Rossouw previously served as the CEO of The Ethics Institute (based in Pretoria) and currently holds the position of governance associate. He is an Extraordinary Professor in Philosophy at the University of Stellenbosch, and Chairperson of the International Banknote Ethics Initiative.
Deon studied at Stellenbosch University where he also was chairman of the student representative council. His academic career started at Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg where he became Professor and Head of the Philosophy Department and served on the Executive Committee of the University. In 2004, he moved to the University of Pretoria where he was Head of the Philosophy Department and Director of the Centre for Business and Professional Ethics. During 2008 to 2009, he spent a year as Program Executive for Business Ethics at the Globethics.net Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland.
Deon is an internationally recognized expert in Business Ethics and the Ethics of Corporate Governance, and published several books as well as academic articles in leading international journals.
He was the Founding President of the Business Ethics Network of Africa (BEN-Africa) and served as President of the International Society of Business, Economics and Ethics (ISBEE).
Deon is a member of the King Committee for Corporate Governance in South Africa. He also chairs the Social and Ethics Committee Forum of the IoDSA.
He has been recognized as a Chartered Director by the Institute of Directors of South Africa, and serve in executive and non-executive positions on a number of governing bodies.
Dr Paul Vorster
Dr Paul Vorster is an accomplished Industrial Organisational Psychologist who has dedicated his career to training and development programmes and research that promote ethical decision-making and conduct in the workplace.
He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial-Organisational Psychology from the University of Johannesburg with his primary topic involving the psychometric measurement of personality. Additionally, he obtained an Ethics Officer Certification from the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) and The Ethics Institute. He has also consulted with the United Nations funded International Anti-Corruption Academy and is also a member of the International Test Commission which evaluates psychometric validity of survey measurement techniques (psychometrics).
With over 11 years of experience in training and development, and psychometric measurement, Dr Vorster has expertise in a range of content areas. He has facilitated programmes in leadership profiling, ethics and business ethics, ethical culture and climate, ethical decision-making, behavioural ethics (combating social forces that may undermine ethical decision-making), ethics ambassador training, resolving ethical dilemmas and challenges, and professional ethics. He has also made a substantial impact in the measurement of ethical culture and climate and is one of the custodians of the Ethics Ambassador Programme. Dr Vorster has written the Ethical Culture Handbook as well as the Ethics Ambassadors’ Handbook both of which try to help organisations to improve and understand their ethical culture. In addition, he has also been the custodian of the South African Business Ethics Survey as well as the Social and Ethics Committee Trends Survey both of which illuminate the state of the governance of ethics, ethics management, and ethical culture in organisations across South Africa. Dr Vorster’s efforts have had a significant impact, and he is credited with the development of the Ethics@theMovies concept, which has been implemented in South Africa since 2013. He is also credited with assisting organisations to engage in behavioural ethics programmes helping them to improve their ethical culture maturity.
Dr Vorster is a respected thought leader and has been invited to speak at various events. He has shared his insights at conferences, workshops, and webinars. He has also been a guest on several TV and radio shows, where he has discussed the importance of promoting ethical decision-making in the workplace.
Mrs Fatima Rawat
Fatima Rawat holds the position of Senior Ethics Subject Matter Expert at The Ethics Institute, where she is an integral part of the Public Sector Team.
With over two decades of experience, Fatima is an admitted attorney who has dedicated her career to supporting and advising the public sector. Her expertise spans Corporate Governance, Ethics Management, Legal Affairs, and Human Resources.
In addition to her consulting role, Fatima is actively involved in training and facilitating discussions on organisational ethics. She plays a crucial role in various educational programmes, including The Ethics Institute’s Ethics Officer Certification Programme, the University of Johannesburg’s Corporate Governance Programme, and the IODSA’s Governance of Ethics and Social & Ethics Committee Programmes.
Fatima is a member of professional committees such as the IODSA’s Social and Ethics Committee Forum and SAICA’s Ethics Committee. Her contributions extend beyond consultancy and training as she has co-authored significant publications like the Ethics Ambassador Handbook and the Local Government Ethics Committee Handbook.
Ms Busisiwe Mavuso
Busisiwe Mavuso is a Certified Chartered Accountant, qualified with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA – UK) and holds two Master’s Degrees, a Master’s Degree of Philosophy in Applied Business Leadership and Management (UCAM – Spanish University), and another Master’s Degree in Business Leadership (UNISA), a Postgraduate Qualification in Management (GIBS) and a B. Compt in Accounting (UNISA). Busi is currently completing her PhD.
Busi is the Chief Executive Officer at Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) and Non-Executive Director of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA) and Resultant Finance (a PIC investee company). She serves on the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC) and Council of Social Justice Champions (COSOC).
Busi is a member of the IoDSA, ACCA and YPO.
She was awarded the ‘2020 Influencer of Influencers Award’ by the Africa Brand Summit in October 2020 and was named second runner up for ‘Businessperson of the Year’ by Daily Maverick in 2021. In 2022, the Women in Economic Development Leadership Forum awarded Busi a Certificate of Acknowledgement to recognise the years of dedication to the field of business leadership and economic development in South Africa. In 2024, Busi received the runner up ‘Business Leader of the Year’ Award, from the Future Leader Forum.
Sharing and recognising excellence
The Ethics Institute (TEI) is proud to announce the 8th Ethics Initiative of the Year Award.
This award celebrates outstanding ethics interventions and offers practitioners a platform to share their successes and learn from one another.
We invite you to tell us about the ethics initiatives, big or small, that you have implemented to strengthen the ethical culture of your organisation.
By participating, you contribute to a community of ethics professionals who exchange insights and broaden their understanding of how to embed ethics across organisations.
Sponsorship Opportunities
TEI’s 13th Annual Ethics Conference will take place on 28 May 2026 in a hybrid format, allowing participation both in person and online. Centred on the theme “Navigating Ethics in a Disrupted World”, the conference will explore ethical restoration and the future of organisational integrity in an era of uncertainty and change. With an engaging programme including a keynote, debate, and panel discussion, participants will tackle key questions on leadership, AI, and whistleblowing.
Sponsors will have the opportunity to showcase their brand and innovations, connect with delegates and industry leaders, access key decision-makers, and increase market visibility. Sponsor support has been vital to the success of this unique event and remains key to advancing meaningful dialogue on ethics and integrity.
2025 Conference Gallery
Explore some of the most memorable moments from our 2025 conference.
With thanks to our Sponsors
