Vodacom appoints former JSE CEO Leila Fourie to board

Fourie's appointment takes effect on October 9 2026. She will initially serve as Macozoma's alternate before becoming a full member of the board when he retires in July 2027.

She will also join Vodacom's nomination and remuneration committees from October.

Macozoma, who joined Vodacom's board in July 2017, is due to reach the group's 10-year limit on board tenure at its annual general meeting on July 20 2027. Lead independent director Khumo Shuenyane is expected to take over as chairman the following day.

The appointment gives Fourie several months to participate in Vodacom's governance structures before taking up her permanent board seat.

## Payments expertise

Fourie stepped down as JSE CEO at the end of March 2026 after more than six years at the helm of the exchange. She was succeeded by Valdene Reddy, the JSE's former director of capital markets.

Before joining the JSE in 2019, Fourie was CEO of the Australian Payments Network and previously headed Standard Bank's card division.

Her experience in payments and financial services is particularly relevant to Vodacom as the group continues to expand its fintech operations.

Vodacom's fintech business had 103-million active customers at the end of its 2026 financial year. The business processed transactions worth $525.6bn and generated R16.8bn in revenue, accounting for 12.6% of group service revenue.

CEO Shameel Joosub has subsequently increased the group's Vision 2030 target for financial-services customers to 130-million, from 120-million previously.

South Africa is a significant part of that expansion, with Vodacom's VodaPay platform complemented by insurance and lending products. The group's South African fintech customer base stood at 15.3-million at the end of the 2026 financial year.

Fourie's background in payments therefore comes as Vodacom seeks to develop financial services into a larger contributor to group growth.

## Broader board changes

Her appointment forms part of a broader reshaping of Vodacom's board ahead of Macozoma's departure.

The group announced in August that former Airtel Africa CEO Segun Ogunsanya would join the board as an independent non-executive director from October 9.

Naspers South Africa CEO Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, meanwhile, is due to leave the Vodacom board on October 8.

The changes reflect Vodacom's board-tenure requirements and are expected to result in a substantially refreshed board by the time Shuenyane assumes the chair.

Fourie also serves as an independent non-executive director of Australian payments company Cuscal and has board roles with the UN Global Compact and WWF South Africa.

She holds a PhD in economic and financial sciences from the University of Johannesburg.

Her arrival gives Vodacom a director with experience spanning capital markets, payments, financial services and technology — areas that increasingly overlap with the group's strategy as it seeks to reduce its reliance on traditional telecommunications revenue.