Being content with who you are is the best mindset for any woman in a male-dominated industry, and Mphokolo Makara is a fiercely optimistic woman who has stayed true to herself, while cementing her place in the investment banking industry.

When it comes to health and wellness, she believes in a holistic approach that involves making sure that her mind is as strong as her body. She is an avid reader who believes in keeping her mind sharp, and she stays in shape while managing stress by running regularly. 

While some are discouraged by other people’s perceptions of them, Mphokolo silences her critics by using her attention to detail and strategic thinking to deliver consistently strong results.

In her role, she provides strategic oversight and interventions to originate, structure and execute transactions across the East Africa region, primarily in the markets in which Standard Bank has a presence, namely, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Her career highlights include her involvement in the 147MW Roggevelt Wind Farm power project under South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP), which saw her team achieve the lowest bid tariff in the history of the South African REIPPP at the time, and being awarded the Association of Black Securities and Investment Professionals (ABSIP) Project Financier of the Year in 2016.