Professional background and experience:

Sarita is an admitted attorney who holds various qualifications including but not limited to a B.Proc, LLB, MBA (GIBS), Diploma in Advanced Banking and Certificate in Compliance Management. She has attended the Banking Board Leadership Programme at GIBS and is an IoDSA Certified Director since 2013 as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Directors. She is also an executive coach having completed the Coaching Programme via Newfield Network and an accredited Conflict Dynamics Accredited Mediator for South Africa as well as an accredited UK Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution commercial mediator. She holds designations in ESG and Climate from Competent Boards (Canada) as is a panelist examiner for the ESG certification.

She has a strong passion and interest in corporate governance and enhancing individual director and Board performance. Her MBA dissertation was on the training of non-executive directors of banks. Having practised as an attorney, she has also held various executive positions in the fields of company secretariat for large JSE Listed companies and compliance especially within the financial services sector since 1999. She has extensive experience and exposure in dealing with Boards of Directors.

Currently, Sarita is an independent corporate governance consultant. She is also an independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of UsPlus Limited and The Integrated Exchange.  She serves as a director on Reunert Limited and Nictus Limited. She also is a member of Remuneration Committees, Audit Committees and Social and Ethics Committees.

She was previously a member of the Certification Committee of the IoDSA Board and the Litigation Committee of the Financial Services Board from 2013 until the committee was disbanded as part of the establishment of the Financial Services Conduct Authority in May 2018.

She has previously lectured and been an examiner of the Corporate Governance and Company Secretaryship modules of the CIS examination. Sarita is currently on the core facilitator faculty of the Institute of Directors Southern Africa (IoDSA) as a governance specialist since 2013. She has served as a mentor on the Board and Company Secretary Mentoring Circles at the IoDSA and performs board appraisals as well as governance advisory and training services for the IoDSA on a regular basis.

She has been on the judging panel for the IFC/IoDSA Corporate Governance Case Study competition since 2016 and in 2018 was a judge for 30% Club Gender Mainstreaming Awards for Women in Community Award. She is a regular speaker and panellist on the GIBS Women in Leadership programme.

Mediation experience and style:

Sarita, by nature, is a compassionate and fair person with good verbal and written communication skills. Having worked with a number of different personalities and being an executive and non-executive coach she finds it easy to ascertain the actual issues. She is a person of integrity. Her main experience as a mediator lies in dealing with executive and non-executive directors at a Board level especially conflicts on Boards.

Facilitation experience and style:

She has an open, calm and inclusive facilitation style supported by her years of experience in the field.

Coaching experience and style:

Sarita is a qualified and experienced ontological and emotions centred coach.

Chairing enquiries and investigations experience:

In her previous role as an executive Sarita chaired disciplinary enquiries.  She is on the IoDSA disciplinary panel.

Comments from clients:

"She has a good sense of humour and can think on her feet. Her values and ethics are above reproach."

"She is deeply caring and fair and as a mediator, this quality combined with her ability to be strategic in her thinking and to deliver at a high standard, sets her apart. Her people skills are well developed and she is sincere and honest in her dealings with others."