Palesa Mashabane

Palesa Mashabane is an Ethics Subject Matter Expert at The Ethics Institute (TEI). She holds a Bachelor of Social Science Degree (Social Work & Psychology) from the University of Cape Town and a Postgraduate Diploma in Compliance Management (Cum Laude) from the University of Johannesburg. She has completed a Middle Management Development Programme for Women with GIBS, as well as a Certificate in Business Management from the University of South Africa. Palesa is a Certified Ethics Officer through the Stellenbosch Business School (SBS) and TEI.



Her journey with TEI commenced after her tenure of over 10 years at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), where she dedicated her primary years to promoting corporate governance practices and ethics management across the Bank’s holistic ecosystem. During this period, her fervent passion for shaping and contributing meaningfully to an ethical society was fortified. She achieved this by nurturing responsible corporate citizens at every tier of the Bank, with the understanding that their influence would extend both within and beyond the confines of the DBSA.



Prior to her role at the DBSA, she served at Africa’s largest pension fund – the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF)’s administrative office, now known as the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA). In this capacity, she cultivated her empathetic and client-centric approach while serving in the Client Relationship Management domain. Preceding this, she gained experience within the mining sector, working for prominent entities such as Aquarius Platinum and Xstrata Alloys, which has since transformed into Glencore (Lion Smelter). 

Ethics Subject Matter Expert
PGDip in Compliance Management
Ethics Officer 929