Thulisile Phesheya Phiri APR

Founder & Managing Director · Southern Africa’s Investment-Government Bridge

Thulisile Phesheya Phiri APR has spent 27 years at the intersection of investment and government policy across Southern Africa. She has sat in rooms with heads of state and Fortune 500 CEOs, written the briefing documents that prepared ministers for investor dialogues, articulated the investment narrative to the most senior leaders in government and business across the SADC region, and hosted the forums where investment commitments were made that created lasting economic impact.

Prior to founding The African Storyteller, she was Head of Communications and Public Affairs, Southern Africa at General Electric (NYSE: GE) — managing GE’s R700M socio-economic investment commitment across 15+ African markets, directing crisis communications during the Transnet 1064 matter, and receiving the South African Government’s Siyabonga Award for outstanding economic partnership.

She is Co-Vice Chairperson of the French South African Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FSACCI) — the bilateral platform through which she has connected French and European investment with Southern African government leadership for years.