Head: Social, Health & Education
Development Bank of Southern Africa
Palesa Ryan is the Head of Origination and Coverage for the Social, Health and Education sectors at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and is responsible for a team which funds projects in affordable housing, education and healthcare infrastructure. Celebrating 20 years working experience in the financial services industry in 2023, Palesa has exposure spanning across South Africa’s big four banks as well as the key DFIs including the Industrial Development Corporation and the Land Bank of South Africa. Her work experience includes Credit, Workout and Restructuring, Turnaround, Coverage (Relationship Management and deal origination) and Private Equity. Her sectoral experience is vast and includes funding clients in infrastructure, property, primary and secondary agriculture, financial services (banking, hedge funds, insurance companies, asset managers, microlenders), healthcare, retail, mining, education, student accommodation and housing. In her numerous roles, Palesa has covered clients across SADC, East and West Africa.
Prior to joining DBSA, Palesa managed the Workout and Restructuring Business Unit at Land Bank, which led the turnaround of the bank’s non-performing loan book in the agricultural sector. During her tenure, she also
sat on numerous committees as either a voting or an alternate member on the Credit as well as the Pricing and Asset and Liability Management Committees (“ALCO”) for the Land Bank. She also served as the Vice President and Head of Non-Bank Financial Institutions (“NBFI”) for ABSA Group Limited. In this role, she managed a Coverage Team servicing clients across Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Botswana, Mauritius, Mozambique and Seychelles.
Palesa holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Management Accounting and Finance from the University of Witwatersrand, as well as a Diploma (cum laude) in Insolvency Law & Practice from the University of Johannesburg. In October 2020, she qualified as a PPP Professional under the APMG International CP3P Certification Programme – attaining first position for both the Foundation and Execution Levels.
Outside of work and academia, Palesa has contributed insightful business and development news from around the continent to the Continent and South Africa’s business media including CNBC Africa, Power FM and Radio 702. Palesa served as the Co-Chair of the Human Settlements Technical Working Group under the Presidency as part of the Inaugural Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium from 2019 – 2022 and currently serves as an active member of the Social Infrastructure Technical Working Group. Palesa is recognized as an astute public speaker and Master of Ceremonies, having hosted key international events such as the African Presidential Leadership Conference.
Bonds, Loans & ESG Capital Markets Africa 2023
Bonds, Loans & Sukuk Africa 2022
Bonds, Loans & Sukuk Africa 2020 - Virtual Conference
