UJ’s 2020 Mail & Guardian top 200 Young South Africans
MR PHILANI POTWANA Chief Executive Officer, FNB
Potwana is FNB’s youngest chief executive and looks after the bank’s feeder base of customers earning up to R120 000 a year. He believes that growing up in rural Eastern Cape puts him in the best position to understand the needs of the bank’s customers. “We therefore have an incredible opportunity to educate and help them with their finances. This is not just a job for me,” he says. He is interested in development, imparting financial management principles to consumers, and mentors learners in Alexandra, Johannesburg. Master of Commerce, 2020 great sense of purpose. I am very fortunate that my profession affords me this. As we are all aware, the current pandemic has had a devastating impact on many lives and livelihoods. “Part of my job is to help the organisation that I work for and our clients navigate through this difficult period.” “I am fortunate to also be part of a group of renowned thought leaders who are thinking about what’s next for the country as we emerge from this crisis and working towards solutions that will change the course of the country for the better.” BCom Economics & Econometrics. BCom Hons Econometrics, Economics, 2010
cards. The cashless withdrawal system led to FNB being named the most innovative bank in the world in 2012. Having led the team that came up with the innovation, Potwana says he learned one of his most important lessons: “acknowledging the team of people around me and that we are stronger together”. He started his career at FNB straight after completing his bachelor’s degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and was chosen for the bank’s graduate programme. At the age of 20 he was appointed as a trainee s ystems analyst. new considerations, particularly in light of COVID-19. She says, “I have been humbled by the opportunities that have been afforded to me, some which I did not anticipate would come so early in my career. With that said one of the principals I’ve tried to live by is trying my best to be in a position to receive the opportunities. One of my favourite quotes from Oprah Winfrey that speaks to this point is: ‘Luck is preparation meeting opportunity. If you hadn’t been prepared when the opportunity came along, you wouldn’t have been lucky’.” Her rise from student to macroeconomist to chief economist can be attributed to hard work, long hours, and a potent mix of ambition and motivation. She says, “Being of service and the ability to help gives me a
Philani Potwana is the person to thank for giving people the ability to withdraw money from their bank accounts without using their bank
MS AMELLO MATIKINCA Chief Economist, FNB
When Mamello Matikinca became the chief economist at First National Bank at the age of 29, she became one of the youngest chief economists in South Africa’s history. Now, three years later, and recently appointed as a member of the president’s economic advisory council, her role has taken on some
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