Sibongile Zungu CA(SA), 33

Finalist: Impact Champion | SAICA Top-35-Under-35 Awards 2025

Sibongile Zungu is a Chartered Accountant whose leadership is transforming finance into a forward-looking, purpose-driven function. At 33, she serves as Head of Finance, Business Solutioning Central at Standard Bank Group, where she leads the financial reporting and analysis across multiple solutions, including Business Lending, Transactional Solutions, Card/Merchant Solutions, and Vehicle Asset Finance.

Her approach is guided by a simple but powerful question: “What do you do? How can I do it better?”. Sibongile’s post-articles career spans over a decade across financial services and FMCG industries, marked by a consistent drive to improve how finance and internal audit supports business growth, risk management, and value creation. Her leadership over the years, has unlocked millions in cost savings, embedded controls-centric cultures across 3 continents, step changed audit ratings positively, enhanced forecasting accuracy, improved reporting, streamlined processes, played a fundamental role in consistently achieving cost growth below inflation, and consistently transformed both internal audit and finance functions into strategic partners.

Beyond numbers, Sibongile is deeply committed to people development. She founded a Career Navigator and Learning & Development initiative at Standard Bank, aimed at empowering and equipping primarily Black talent. Through multiple years, the initiative has connected over 75 employees through regular engagements, mentorship, and senior leadership sponsorship. Its impact is tangible: 80%+ engagement and progressions into middle and senior management (internally and externally), directly contributing to a more inclusive leadership landscape.

Her passion for financial literacy is equally strong. Over the past few years, Sibongile has personally educated more than 400 individuals, including 300+ university graduates and over 100 school learners from Alexandra township, in practical money management and financial mastery. This work earned her the Standard Bank CSI Impact Award for Individual Excellence finalist nomination, recognising her dedication to empowering others beyond the workplace.

She has also mentored students within the Thuthuka Bursary Fund, helping more than 10 students from the University of Johannesburg and University of Pretoria qualify as Chartered Accountants, to date. Her mentees describe her support as life-changing — a turning point in their journey to becoming professionals.

Sibongile’s accolades include being named a Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans 2025 winner in Financial Services, a TransUnion Rising Star Awards 2022 finalist, and a Golden Key Honourary Society member. Her career reflects technical excellence, strategic leadership, and a deep commitment to empowerment.

Her vision for finance is clear: a function that drives profitability while remaining grounded in purpose. Sibongile Zungu leads with curiosity, compassion, and conviction — proving that finance can be a catalyst for transformation, and that leadership is about lifting others as you rise.