Top South African CEO going back to school

Satrix CEO Fikile Mbhokota has announced her resignation from the top job, with no replacement announced yet.

On Friday, 12 December, Satrix announced that Mbhokota, who has been at the helm since July 2022, would resign as CEO at the end of January 2026 to pursue her PhD studies.

Established in January 2000, Satrix is the leading provider of index-tracking investment products and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in South Africa.

The company was started at a time when passive investing was still uncharted territory in South Africa, and was responsible for listing the country’s first ETF – the Satrix Top 40 ETF.

This ETF was listed with a R2.6 billion initial public offering and remains one of the most popular assets among local investors.

Previously, Satrix’s ownership structure was a joint venture between Sanlam and Deutsche Bank, but in 2012, Sanlam acquired full ownership.

This played a pivotal role in enabling Satrix to expand its product suite, and today, the company has around R260 billion in assets under management.

Mbhokota was appointed as Satrix’s CEO in mid-2022, having previously worked as an investment manager and acting head of investments at the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF).

Mbhokota started her career as an asset consultant at Acsis before she moved on to become a senior investment consultant at Riscura.

In 2010, the same year she obtained an MCom degree from the University of Pretoria, Mbhokota took on the role of fund specialist at Momentum Asset Management, where she worked for three years.

She moved on from Momentum to become a senior institutional asset consultant at Absa before joining the GEPF, where she worked for six years.

In 2022, with nearly two decades of experience under her belt, she joined Satrix as the company’s CEO.

“We are beyond thrilled to welcome a leader of Fikile’s calibre to Satrix,” Sanlam Investments then-CFO Reece Briesies said when Mbhokota was appointed.

“As a business committed to democratising investment in South Africa, we know the breadth of her experience will help us deliver on our mission both to institutional and retail clients.”

In announcing Mbhokota’s resignation, Satrix expressed its appreciation for her service and commitment over the past three years and wished her well in her future endeavours.

“The board will advise of the appointment of a replacement in due course,” the company said.