Conference Highlights
2025 Cornerstone Conference
Cape Town, South Africa
November 2025
Our 2025 Cornerstone Conference, Ubuntu: I Am Because We Are, convened over 500 global women leaders from 30 countries in Cape Town, South Africa. Over two and a half days, attendees experienced the best of Cape Town- from its natural beauty to the hospitality of its remarkable and generous community of women leaders.
Wednesday: November 5, 2025
Thursday: November 6, 2025
The conference officially opened with remarks from IWF Global Board Chair Kimberly Cooper Jaqua, Conference Co-chairs Irene Charnley and Nolitha Fakude, and H.E. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa who set the tone for a day of cutting-edge content from international experts.
Our first plenary featured Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General, UN Conference on Trade and Development, Ambassador Dr. Monica Juma, National Security Advisor, Republic of Kenya, and Dr. Sithembile Mbete, Executive Director, Public Affairs Research Institute in a robust conversation moderated by journalist Redi Thabi on the current and future geopolitical context.
IWF’s own innovators, instigators and disruptors were on display in our ever-popular Ideas Remaking the World. Dr. Carika Weldon of IWF Bermuda, Connie Stacey of IWF Canada, and Farhana Hasan of IWF Georgia. All three shared ideas that have the potential to create positive change and remake the world.
The day’s plenaries concluded with the Susan Hammer Memorial Lecture featuring Former IWF Global President and member, IWF Bahamas, Allyson Maynard Gibson K.C. leading a fireside chat with IWF South Africa member Advocate Mojanku Gumbi, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Addressing Racism in the Workplace. The conversation focused on justice, reconciliation, and leadership – reminding us of the power of dialogue to build a fairer world.
Friday: November 7, 2025
Day 2 opened with great energy as the Thanda Choir brought members to their feet. The first plenary of the day explored pathways to excellence in leadership through IWF Global’s Leadership Fellows Program, IWF South Africa’s FASSET Program, and IWF South Africa member and Hall of Fame Honoree Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe’s work with innovation through the Milken- Motsepe Green Energy Prize, athletes, and the Miss South Africa pageant.
The next plenary Our Daily Bread: The Challenge of Food Insecurity, moderated by Dominique Anglade, Executive Director and Professor of Practice, HEC Executive Education, featured Bongiwe Njobe, Board Chairperson, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA); Barbara Clemens, Representative and Country Director, World Food Programme, Zimbabwe; and Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, Africa Managing Director, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT was an insightful discussion of a very timely topic.
We then turned to the uncertainty in the global economy. Funeka Montjane, CEO of Personal and Private Banking at Standard Bank (IWF South Africa), led a thoughtful dialogue with Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS; Trudi Makhaya, Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group; and Joshua Setipa, Former Minister of Trade and Industry of Lesotho.
Our luncheon plenary, Creativity: Feeding the Soul, with Nkhensani Nkosi, Creative Director and Founder, Stoned Cherrie as moderator along with Thandiswa Mazwai, Influential Post-Apartheid South African Singer; Publisher, Editor, and Author Dr. Margaret Busby, CBE; and Ms. Letta Mbulu, Internationally Acclaimed and Legendary Pan-African Global Musician was a moving conversation about the power of creativity to channel emotions and catalyze change.
That evening, the IWF South Africa Leading Light Gala Dinner and Celebration, honored Mrs. Zanele Mbeki, Founder of the Women’s Development Bank and Patron of IWF South Africa; Mrs. Sophie Williams-De Bruyn, anti-apartheid activist and first recipient of the Women’s Award for Exceptional National Service; and Her Royal Majesty Queen Mother Semane Bonolo Molotlegi of the Royal Bafokeng Nation – a fitting end to a wonderful conference.
#IWFCapeTown25 #IWFWeLead #Ubuntu #WomenInLeadership #CapeTown
