Head and Director
Wits Business School
Maurice Radebe is currently Head and Director of Wits Business School. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President responsible for Sasol’s Energy Business globally. He was accountable for the successful marketing of all the Energy Business’ products as well as managing the gas-to-liquids (GTL) joint ventures in Qatar (ORYX GTL) and Nigeria (EGTL), the gas-to-power (GTP) venture in Mozambique. Maurice Radebe is the Founder and Chairman of Unleashing Leadership Potential Foundation in South Africa.
Maurice is an experienced energy industry executive, having worked in the sector for over 30 years. During his 8 years at Shell, 7 years at Exel and 16 years at Sasol, he has had Profit & Loss experience and responsibility, developed a deep understanding of the energy sector, both upstream and downstream, and been involved in significant projects.
Maurice has had extensive operational experience throughout his career, including managing the impacts of sharp drops in the oil price through restructuring, cost cutting and cash management. When he became Sasol Oil MD, he launched the Go4Gr8 project to create a quantum leap in revenues and profitability and drove the Functional Excellence programme and Phoenix programme in Sasol Oil. He also steered the Response Plan in 2009 at Sasol Oil to the sharp fall in the oil price in order to dramatically reduce the cost base.
He drove the retail, commercial and lubricant market development at Sasol Oil, was involved in Sasol’s entry into Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique and was intimately involved in the Uhambo merger planned between Engen and Sasol. He has had intensive interactions with governments and commercial organisations in South Africa and internationally in Mozambique, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, and Qatar. Maurice is the first person to serve as chairman of the South African Petrol Industry Association (“SAPIA”) twice, once during the 2010 Soccer World Cup being responsible for the collaboration of the industry during the momentous event. Through his various roles in Sasol and his role in SAPIA, Maurice has had extensive exposure to the regulatory issues facing the energy industry in South Africa, Qatar, Mozambique and Uzbekistan.
Maurice operates well at a strategic level and is known for his ability to identify strategic issues, create alignment, drive purpose and to relentlessly ensure implementation. He has attended the Sasol Limited board and has been a member of the Sasol Group Executive Committee (“GEC”) for the last 10 years. Maurice has been on the Sasol Oil board for 14 years and served as Chairman for the last ten years. He was on the Exel Petroleum board, in his capacity as a Managing Director, for almost 4 years. Maurice has a track record of creating diverse and cohesive teams, coaching and mentoring his direct reports and many others, and holding people accountable for the results he expects. He has a strong track record of commercial success, a supportive mentoring and coaching leadership style, an open-door policy, a willingness to listen and good social skills.
Maurice was appointed as an Executive in Residence at Wits Business School in January 2013. Since then, he has worked with the various Heads of School to provide real life business experience in the learning environment, with emphasis on the energy industry. To this end, he facilitated regular seminars dealing with energy related topics. He guided and supported 2 master classes spanning 3 days each in 2016 and 2017 to kick-off the development of the African Energy Leadership Centre. The culmination of this work is the Energy Leadership programmes currently on offer at the Wits Business School, being the first post-graduate diploma and Masters program in energy leadership on the African continent.
Maurice has strong views on the need for a clear common purpose in South Africa, Africa and within the global community. He now focuses his energy on the imperative role education plays in the country’s and the continent’s development. He is deeply committed to the socio-economic transformation of South Africa, Africa, and the global community, and has played a driving role in achieving it. Maurice continues to be passionate about leadership and gender equality. He continues to invest his own time and resources in providing young people with the skills required for personal and professional success.
He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree (BSc (Applied Mathematics and Physics)) from the University of the North (now known as University of Limpopo), Polokwane, South Africa in 1983 and a Higher Diploma for Educators of Adults from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, South Africa in 1988. In 1991, he attended the Management Advancement Programme at Wits Business School and in 1997 obtained a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from same business school. He also attended the General Management Programme at Harvard Business School, Boston, United States in 2007.
Maurice is a grounded individual with a strong value system and a commitment to family and society which engenders trust. He is naturally collaborative, and listens well, but does not shy away from tough decisions and holding people accountable.