Living Life To The Fullest

Dr Judy Dlamini is a woman from humble beginnings. She is also multi-skilled and a self-made, successful businesswoman who is an inspiration to others.

- Glenda Williams

Dr Judy Dlamini is a qualified medical doctor, accomplished businesswoman with an MBA and PhD in business leadership, and author. Taking charge of her own destiny and refusing to be held back by limitations has been her driving force. For her, it is crucial to live her purpose.

Dlamini’s childhood dream was to become a doctor, an achievement she accomplished while married and raising her firstborn child, earning her degree through the then University of Natal. In her 40s she completed her MBA and, equipped with this, headed out to tackle the business world.

That included working in investment finance at a large global bank, holding various board positions at blue chip companies, including that of chairperson of major pharmaceutical group Aspen Pharmacare.

Today Dlamini owns and operates luxury retail stores Luminance and is chairperson of Mbekani Group, the business she founded more than 20 years ago. That fledgling business – offering executive medicals to business people – has since grown into a diverse and successful entity with operations and investments in property, retail, facilities management, health management and medical devices. Mbekani Group now directly employs 120 people, the bulk of them women.

The family’s education business, Sifiso Learning Group is led by her high-school sweetheart and husband Sizwe Nxasana, former CEO of FirstRand. It includes the online education business Sifiso Edutech, Sifiso Properties and Sifiso Publishers.

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