Ntombezintle Raziya’s journey from Mthatha to the boardrooms of pan-African strategy is rooted in purpose, empathy and innovation. As colleague engagement and social impact response manager at Absa Group, she leads volunteering and entrepreneurship initiatives that span multiple African markets. Her work centres on financial inclusion, youth empowerment and creating a scalable impact that bridges corporate responsibility with grassroots development. Ntombezintle, 34, designed Absa’s pan-African volunteering strategy, aligning employees to community development efforts. She also led a national entrepreneurship roadshow, culminating in Youth Entrepreneurship Week, and curated Absa’s global debut at the One Young World Summit. Ntombezintle is the founder of Igniting Humanity, a social enterprise that was born after she participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship in the US. Since 2016, the foundation has invested over R30 million in youth development, creating employment pathways for more than 300 young people with a focus on the green economy and innovation. “True leadership,” she says, “is about building spaces where others feel seen, heard and included.