Page 67 - KZN Leaders Portfolio E-BOOK 2107

Acting CEO of the KZN Growth Fund leadership style is largely influenced by my humble
beginnings, which ingrained in me the spirit of Ubuntu
UBREY SHABANE says that when he was and service. In my leadership roles, I always ensure
17 years old, he compiled his bucket list that I put together a diverse team made up of highly
of “Top 25 things to achieve before I die”. motivated individuals, with complementary skillsets.
A To this day, he still has that original hand- As a leader, I then create an appropriate culture
written list. “This list has been my roadmap and and environment that foster high-performance and
inspiration for success and 19 of these items have been teamwork. This ensures that I don’t have to micro-
achieved. Perseverance, hard work and ambitious goal- manage but rather play a role of a mentor and a coach
setting have been the cornerstones of my success.” to my team.”
After completing matric, Shabane’s family could not His career path saw him later joining Ithala
afford to send him to university and he ended up going Development Finance Corporation, The Development
to a teacher’s college, where he completed a three year Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and then the KZN
teaching diploma. His first job was as a teacher in a Growth Fund. Shabane is currently the acting CEO of
rural school in Bergville and he later worked at a youth the KZN Growth Fund.
centre in Newcastle. Over the years, Shabane has have been involved

Whilst teaching, he studied part time and completed in the originating, assessing and ultimate financing of
a BCom degree and a BTech degree. However, he new business ventures worth billions of rands that have
said, “It proved very difficult for me to change careers created thousands of jobs. He commented, “It has
after obtaining my qualifications as I already had what been very fulfilling for me to see the faces of people
prospective employers in the financial services termed whose lives have been impacted by the developmental
wrong experience.” funding that I have overseen.”
To utilise the knowledge gained from his studies, Currently, tough economic conditions, changes in
Shabane started his own small Information Technology regulations and a forever changing business landscape
business in 2000, which he operated until 2005, when is forcing an organisation like KZN Growth Fund to
it was sold. continuously evolve and adapt its offerings. Shabane
is confident that the KZN Growth Fund is poised to
Shabane’s big break came in 2005 when he was seize the opportunities created by these changes. The
awarded the prestigious Nelson Mandela Scholarship, organisation has recently established an Equity Fund
that saw him going to Leeds in the United Kingdom to alongside its traditional Debt Fund to respond to new
study for his MBA, which he completed cum laude. economic demands.
It was on his return from the United Kingdom that
he joined the Deloitte’s corporate finance division “The KZN Growth Fund team is working hard on
in Johannesburg. He said, “This was the break that fundraising for the newly established Equity Fund.
allowed me to pursue my passion, which was in This Fund will ensure that we unlock a significant
investment and financing.” number of projects that have received debt funding
from other financial institutions but are struggling to
However, he said that changing careers very raise equity funding. Furthermore, our involvement in
late in life, from a teaching background to the the execution and implementation of the dti’s Black
financial services industry, was very challenging. He Industrialist Scheme is beginning to bear fruit and can
commented, “Based on my age then, there was always be evidenced by the three projects that we have to
an assumption that I had the requisite experience and date co-funded as part of the scheme.”
therefore expected to lead teams of people that were Shabane lives in Pietermaritzburg and is the father of
younger but more experienced than myself.”
three beautiful daughters. “My favourite past times are
The demands of his management roles, soon resulted DIY work as I enjoy carpentry work, an occasional golf
in him developing the required people skills. “My game and going to the gym.”

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