Meet Oletilwe Ramashala

Oletilwe Ramashala is the Head of Business Development & Strategic Partnerships at Sanlam Corporate and former Executive Head of Business Development at Old Mutual Corporate.

Her responsibilities entail leading a team in acquiring opportunities across the Sanlam Umbrella Fund, Employee Benefits, Group Risk, Investments and Strategic Partnerships across Sanlam Corporate.

Ms.Ramashala has honed skills that demonstrate experience of influencing senior executives and trustees within prospective organizations by leading them through a structured sales process. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the University of Johannesburg, a Postgraduate Diploma in Management specialising in Corporate Governance from Monash University and an Employee Benefits program certificate from the University of Free State.

Ms. Ramashala’s vision doesn’t only extend to her portfolio as Head of Business Development & Strategic Partnerships. She is also an advocate and ally for women in the corporate sector, encouraging them to champion one another because, she believes, women can go further and faster together.

Her work in women’s empowerment extends beyond the boardroom to an online talk show called Secrets to Success in which successful women share their career achievements. This platform also enables her to host Mentorship to Leadership sessions, which covers mentorship and coaching but also involves steering people in the right direction. Secrets to Success also earned Ramashala’s internal recognition at Old Mutual when she was appointed South African Chairperson of the Old Mutual Women’s Network (OWN) in August 2022.

Oletilwe is a social entrepreneur at heart and within her personal capacity; she previously sat on the Board of the Old Mutual Provincial Management Board as the Chairperson of the CSI Investment Committee. In addition, she has been appointed as the ‘Play Your Part’ Brand Ambassador for Brand South Africa. Furthermore, she runs Owning It2, a company which is committed to providing mentorship and career development, to disadvantaged students that can provide aid in the form of bursaries, scholarships, and student loans for university studies.