Samke S. Mhlongo

About Samke S. Mhlongo

Samke Mhlongo is a strategist, author and global moderator specialising in conversations on capital, markets and economic growth, with a particular interest in the forces shaping Africa's place in the global economy. She is the Founder and Principal Strategist of The Next Chapter Global (TNCG), a strategic advisory firm helping high-impact founders and executives raise their visibility, build market authority and expand into new geographies. That work gives her a close view of how people, ideas and businesses travel across markets, and what it takes to stay relevant beyond home ground. It is the lens she brings to every stage: understanding not only what is being discussed, but why it matters, who it matters to and what the room is there to achieve. Her perspective was built inside the systems that shape capital and commerce: audit at Mazars, a seven-year tenure at Investec spanning London and Johannesburg, and board service at Mintek. That experience gives her the fluency to engage senior bankers, investors, policymakers, business leaders and founders, ask the questions that matter, and keep conversations sharp, balanced and purposeful. Samke has led programmes and moderated conversations across 12 countries. She has served as Programme Director for the Africa Fintech Summit for four years across five countries and for the SAVCA Venture Capital Conference. In New York, she has moderated UNGA-side convenings including the Bullish Africa Investment Summit, Africa House and the Ministerial Roundtable on Women in STEM and AI. Her repeat clients include Standard Bank, Absa, FNB and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation. She is a member of the inaugural cohort of Semafor World Economy Principals, a MIPAD Class of 2018 honouree and a Brand South Africa Ambassador. Her national bestselling novel, *Ringfence*, was published in 2020. Her conviction is that capital follows clarity. On stage, her role is to create it: drawing out what leaders really think, interrogating the assumptions behind their positions, and making sure every conversation moves the room forward.

Key message

Capital follows clarity. A well-run conversation lets a room reach a position it could not reach alone. A moderator who has sat on the boards, in the banks and on the investment side knows which question moves a senior panel from prepared remarks to real views. Samke prepares for every session so that the audience leaves with something to decide, not only something to remember.

Speaking topics and expertise

• Capital and investment: how capital moves into African markets and what investors look for.
• Fintech and digital finance: payments
• regulation and the infrastructure shaping Africa's digital economy.
• Markets and expansion: how businesses and ideas cross borders and build relevance in new geographies.
• Policy and economic growth: where government
• finance and industry meet to unlock growth.
• Leadership and influence: how leaders build trust
• visibility and authority with the institutions that matter.

Achievements

Member of the inaugural cohort of Semafor World Economy Principals Programme Director, Africa Fintech Summit, for four years across five countries Programme Director, SAVCA Venture Capital Conference Moderator at UNGA-side convenings in New York, including the Bullish Africa Investment Summit, Africa House and the Ministerial Roundtable on Women in STEM and AI Youngest board member of Mintek, appointed by the Minister of Minerals and Energy, serving on its Audit and Risk Committee Recognised among the MIPAD Top 100 Most Influential People of African Descent (2018) Brand South Africa Ambassador Author of Ringfence, a national bestselling novel (2020) Featured on CNBC Africa, Arise News, eNCA, SABC, The Guardian, News24 and 702

Education

Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Wits Business School (2016) Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning - University of the Free State (2020) Postgraduate Diploma in Management - Wits Business School (2012) Bachelor of Accounting Sciences - University of Cape Town (2007)

Talks and speeches

Conference MC and Programme Director: single-day to multi-day, multi-country programmes, from opening to close, including speaker briefing, run-of-show discipline and sponsor-sensitive handling. Panel Moderator: senior panels on capital, fintech, markets and policy, with a preparation brief for each panellist. Fireside Chair: one-to-one conversations with CEOs, ministers and investors. Roundtable Chair: ministerial, investor and policy roundtables, including UNGA-side convenings. Opening framing remarks (10 to 20 minutes) available where the organiser wants a short keynote at the start of the programme.

Delivery style

Samke's style is incisive, warm and commercially fluent. She prepares deeply, knowing the speakers, the subject and what the room needs to walk away with, so she can move beyond scripted questions. She keeps senior panels balanced and on time, draws out candid views without confrontation, and makes complex financial and policy discussions accessible to the whole audience.

Why audiences listen

Capital, markets and growth decide which businesses scale, which economies attract investment and which voices shape policy. For Africa, these conversations are no longer regional: they determine the continent's place in global trade, technology and finance. Samke brings the context and the questions that help audiences understand not just what is changing, but what it means for their decisions, their organisations and their markets.

What the talks address

Conversations She Leads Capital and investment: how capital moves into African markets, what investors look for, and what founders and institutions need to attract it Fintech and digital finance: payments, regulation and the infrastructure shaping Africa's digital economy Markets and expansion: how businesses and ideas cross borders and build relevance in new geographies Policy and economic growth: where government, finance and industry meet to unlock growth Leadership and influence: how leaders build trust, visibility and authority with the institutions that matter

What participants will learn

A clearer view of how capital, policy and markets are shaping Africa's role in the global economy Practical insight from senior leaders, drawn out through sharp, well-prepared questioning An understanding of what investors, institutions and partners look for, and how to position for them Context on fintech, regulation and digital finance that turns complex developments into usable knowledge Perspectives that challenge assumptions and sharpen their own strategic decisions

What audiences take home

A programme that runs to time and stays on purpose. Senior speakers who say more than their prepared remarks. A room that leaves with a clear view of the decisions in front of it.

Benefits for individuals

Panellists are briefed and drawn out with sharp, well-prepared questions. Delegates hear candid views from senior leaders on capital, markets and policy.

Benefits for organisations

Organisers receive a programme that is balanced, on time and credible with bankers, investors, policymakers and founders. Sponsors and principals are handled with commercial fluency.