Parmi Natesan's journey from humble beginnings to CEO of the Institute of Directors in South Africa (IoDSA) has been shaped by curiosity, resilience and a willingness to embrace unexpected opportunities. The first person in her family to graduate from university, she went on to qualify as a chartered accountant and later as a chartered director.
Natesan has worked at the IoDSA since 2010, becoming its chief executive in 2019. Her role spans leading the organisation and its people, engaging with boards, regulators, business leaders and the media and contributing to discussions about corporate governance and ethical leadership.
Joining the IoDSA as a governance specialist proved to be a defining career move.
One of her achievements is contributing to the development and launch of King IV. She sees the King Reports as having played an important role in shaping corporate governance in South Africa and influencing governance internationally. Natesan is also passionate about professionalising directorship and ensuring that directors understand their roles as requiring competence, continuous development and accountability. Natesan is proud of becoming the IoDSA's youngest chief executive and the first person of colour to hold the position. She is also the first female chair of council at St Peter's College and serves on the King Committee.
Among her other achievements are being appointed an adjunct associate professor at the University of the Free State faculty of economic management sciences and receiving several awards, including the 2025 Gender Mainstreaming Legacy Award for Positive Role Model and the 2025 Outstanding Visionary Leadership Excellence Award.
For her, leadership means listening, learning, making difficult decisions and taking responsibility for them. She believes hard work should be accompanied by humility, resilience and integrity and that leaders should create opportunities for others.
Natesan also has a creative side, with a love of design, fashion and making things. She completed an interior design diploma a combination of analytical and creative thinking that she believes has served her well.