Zen Dlamini is a corporate and investment banking (CIB) executive for head infrastructure and public sector at Standard Bank Group South Africa.
She is responsible for strategy working with large corporations, multinationals and the government across segments including security operations centres, regulators and policymakers, and strives to promote partnerships between the public and private sectors to drive sustainable economic growth. Her work entails managing the bank’s relationships with its clients by understanding their objectives and needs: she pulls in the right people, capabilities and services from the bank to ensure that they create value for their clients.
Zen’s career has blossomed in the financial services sector. She has led teams in different product houses across industries including mining and metals, and construction and cement, where her key mandate was to provide solutions for cash management, working capital, and electronic and physical capabilities. She is skilled in transactional banking, markets, restructuring, risk and client coverage, with the ability to deliver on struggling entities.
Zen tries to create a working environment where everyone feels valued, appreciated and empowered. She would like to be remembered as a leader who inspired, guided and influenced others to grow.
The name of the organisation at which you work
Standard Bank Group (South Africa)
Your educational background, listing your qualifications and institutions, if any:
- BA, Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit
- MBA, University of Wales
Your greatest achievement
Creating a successful thought leadership platform with the Gulf Cooperation Council for collaboration and investment in South Africa and the broader continent,and delivering on a first loan syndication of $255 million for one of the SA DFIs in 2023.