// WHO WE ARE
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The Team
At the heart of the KZN Growth Fund is our brand essence, the sentiment that drives and motivates everything we do and this centers on the concept of financing growth in the province.
Tshidi Ikaneng
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Xolani Nhlapo
Chief Investment Officer
– Xolani Nhlapo is an experienced investment executive with over 24 years of experience in the financial sector and more than 16 years in executive leadership roles. He brings deep expertise across private equity, asset management, development finance institutions, venture capital, and structured commodity finance.
A CFA charter holder, Xolani holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Statistics and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting. He is also a registered FAIS representative and holds certifications in FAIS RE1 & RE5 and SAFEX Equity and Commodity Derivatives.
In his current role at the KZN Growth Fund Agency, Xolani serves as the Chief Investment Officer, overseeing both debt and equity portfolios. He leads a team of eight investment professionals and serves on the Credit and Investment Committees.
Xolani has held several leadership and board positions, including Managing Director at West Street Capital, Managing Director of Cash Equities at BNP Paribas Cadiz, and directorships at Consilium Capital, KGF Capital (a KZNGFA subsidiary), and Busamed Healthcare. He has also served as a member of the GEPF Advisory Board, providing strategic oversight on unlisted investments.
Xolani is known for his strong track record in deal structuring, due diligence, fi nancial modeling, valuations, and turnaround strategies. His experience spans both the private and public sectors, where he continues to deliver value through innovation, governance, and impact investing.
Lana Meyer
Chief Financial Officer
Lana Meyer is a seasoned financial executive with over 20 years of experience spanning both public and private sectors. She is a Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)) and holds an MBA, bringing a wealth of expertise in financial management, strategic planning, and operational efficiency.
Throughout her career, Lana has demonstrated a commitment to driving organisational growth and sustainability. Her professional journey includes signifi cant roles in Sales & Marketing, Customer Service, and Supply Chain Management, showcasing her versatility beyond traditional fi nance functions. As a consulting Financial Director, she specialised in change management, growth strategies, stakeholder engagement, profitability analysis, and performance enhancement.
Lana’s leadership is characterised by a proactive approach to identifying financial and operational efficiencies, ensuring business sustainability and growth. She upholds the highest standards of corporate governance and compliance, guiding executive teams with integrity and a strong risk management focus.
In her current role as Chief Financial Officer at KZN Growth Fund Agency, Lana continues to leverage her extensive experience to foster economic development and support businesses in KwaZulu-Natal.
Acting Chief Risk Officer
Vacant
Thulisile Nxumalo
Company Secretary
– MBA: Monash University (SA), B Proc. (equivalent to LLB): the University of Johannesburg (UJ), Post Grad Diploma in Compliance Law: UJ, Post Grad Diploma in Corporate Law: UJ, Certificate in Corporate Governance: UJ.
Ms Nxumalo is a highly-skilled, innovative, and qualified legal professional and a professional Chartered Secretary.
She possesses sound knowledge of the South African Legislative Framework; Corporate Law, and Commercial Law as well as primary corporate governance prescript regulating both private and public sectors, i.e. the Public Finance Management Act and Treasury Regulations; Companies Act, King IV Code as well as the related regulatory framework.
She has about 20 years of experience in various roles, being the Legal Officer, and corporate governance professional specializing in providing general legal advisory services, contract drafting, litigation management, legal compliance, and Company Secretariat services to various companies/entities in both private and public sectors. In the past 10 years, she has amassed experience as the Company Secretariat in both private and public sectors, overseeing the Company Secretariat Division, and being responsible for corporate governance of various companies including a Group Company comprising about 05 subsidiary companies, 04 of which were internationally incorporated.