Standard Bank Group, the parent company of South Africa’s largest bank by assets, has named David Hodnett as the new CEO of The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (SBSA).
Hodnett, who brings more than 30 years’ banking experience, joined Standard Bank in 2019 as Chief Risk Officer for SBSA before becoming Group Chief Risk and Corporate Affairs Officer in 2022. He also serves as a non-executive director at Liberty Group Limited and Liberty Holdings Limited, positions he has held since 2023.
Before joining Standard Bank, Hodnett held senior roles at Absa Group Limited, including Deputy CEO, Company Secretary, and Finance Director between 2013 and 2016. He was Executive Director and Company Secretary at Absa Bank Ltd. from 2012 to 2018 and earlier a partner at KPMG South Africa.
Born in August 1969, Hodnett holds an undergraduate degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and an MBA from Manchester Business School.
Leadership changes across the group
The group has also appointed Thabani Ndwandwe to succeed Hodnett as Group Chief Risk Officer. Ndwandwe, who will join the Group Leadership Council, will simultaneously retain his role as Chief Risk Officer for SBSA. Lungisa Fuzile’s position as Interim CEO of Africa Regions and Offshore has been confirmed permanently.
Hodnett’s and Ndwandwe’s appointments remain subject to regulatory approval.
More details on Ndwandwe and Fuzile
Ndwandwe has been with Standard Bank since 2004, rising through credit and risk functions and shaping strategy for the South African franchise and its Personal & Private Banking unit. His leadership has been instrumental in steering the bank through macroeconomic shocks, monetary policy shifts and volatile markets.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Financial Accounting from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, and completed an International Executive Programme at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Outside the bank, Ndwandwe is a regular commentator on consumer credit dynamics and the macroeconomic pressures facing South African households. He recently authored a customer-focused insight on the 2025 national budget, adding to a growing portfolio of articles and media appearances.
Born in 1966, Fuzile oversaw a unit that contributed 47% of Standard Bank Group’s interim 2025 results during his tenure as interim CEO, underscoring his operational impact. Before this appointment, he served as Group Head of Public Policy and Regulation and Regional Chief Executive for Southern and Central Africa.
He joined Standard Bank in 2018 after more than two decades in South Africa’s public service, including over 15 years at the National Treasury where he rose to Director-General in 2011. Fuzile began his career in education as a school teacher and university lecturer before moving to Statistics South Africa in 1997.
He holds a Diploma in Education (Commerce) from the University of Transkei, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Commerce from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School.
