Ms. Karishma Govender is an experienced attorney, mergers and acquisitions specialist, commercial litigator, business turnaround expert, and non-executive director. Admitted as an attorney in the Northern Provinces, she holds an LLB from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (2004) and has practiced commercial litigation in Durban and Johannesburg.
Karishma currently serves as the General Counsel of the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), where she has spent over 17 years contributing to SME development through funding and business restructuring. Her expertise in developmental finance has driven numerous high-impact BBBEE transactions, with a particular focus on revitalizing distressed businesses to enhance employment retention and creation in South Africa’s economy.
In addition, Karishma is a Non-Executive Director at Crowie Holdings (Pty) Ltd, South Africa’s second-largest building construction group, which includes subsidiaries such as Enza Construction (infrastructure) and Tractionel Holdings (electrical engineering – rail electrification and renewable energy infrastructure).
In her lengthy development finance career driving the job creation mandate in the South African economy, she has been optimally placed to develop strategy around sustainable Black business, both as a member of various investment committees and as a portfolio manager. She remains dedicated to advancing sustainable Black business in South Africa, a mandate she has championed through her roles at the NEF in various capacities over the past 17 years.
