Editor’s Note

We couldn’t have said it better than GBCSA CEO Georgina Smit in her foreword to this issue on page 7: our industry is significantly strengthened by the contributions and leadership of women across the built environment. Our annual women-focused issue gives voice to some of the powerful female professionals forging their paths in the sustainability space.

We hold an inspiring conversation with Nasra Nanda, CEO of the Kenya Green Building Society (KGBS), and GBCSA’s Bakang Moeng, who reflect on how female leaders are advancing sustainable building across Africa (page 24); Babalwa Tshandu and Levinia Palmer share their experiences and perspectives within GBCSA (page 12). On page 46, we highlight the winners of the 2025 IFC EDGE Women in Green Building competition. And in our annual corporate profiles section (page 58), women business leaders present their views on sustainability, social impact and advancing gender empowerment.

Dr Adenike Akinsemolu introduces us to the original sustainability engineer, the not-so-humble microbe (page 36). On page 50 Chantal Motilall explores how AI is transforming ESG reporting, offering new ways to accelerate data collection, simplify complex processes and drive more informed sustainability strategies.

On the project front, we feature several standout properties: in Johannesburg’s Oxford Parks Precinct, 10 Parks Boulevard and 55 Eastwood showcase contemporary design excellence with their 6-Star Green Star ratings (page 16); Izinga Eco Estate in KwaZulu-Natal includes apartments that achieved Final EDGE Advanced certification, demonstrating how large-scale residential developments can deliver meaningful savings to its occupants (page 40); and Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital in Cape Town, having achieved Net Zero Waste: Level 2 – Operational Waste (Measured), sets a benchmark for sustainable healthcare in Africa (page 52). Once again, the 2025 MSCI Green Annual Property Index confirms that certified offices outperform their non-certified peers (page 30).

From our 88% women-strong team at +Impact, we hope this edition inspires new ideas, sparks meaningful conversations and fuels action towards a more sustainable future.

Mariola Fouché
Editor

Chair’s Corner

As we celebrate Women’s Month, this edition of +Impact recognises the women who are helping to shape a more sustainable built environment. Through leadership, innovation, technical excellence and a collaborative commitment to creating places that are better for people and the planet, women are helping to accelerate the expansion of the green building movement.

The transition to a more sustainable future will depend on bringing together the broadest possible range of perspectives and expertise. Across South Africa, women are making significant contributions as engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, project managers, sustainability consultants, researchers, developers and policy specialists. They are helping to drive better design, stronger environmental performance and more resilient communities. Yet despite this progress, women remain underrepresented across many built environment professions, particularly in senior technical and leadership roles.
At Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA), we believe that advancing sustainability and advancing diversity go hand in hand. The challenges facing our industry are complex and interconnected.

Addressing climate change, improving resource efficiency and creating healthier, more resilient buildings requires teamwork, empathy, systems thinking and the ability to balance environmental, social and economic priorities. These are qualities developed through experience and strengthened by diverse teams.

It is encouraging that within GBCSA itself, women now make up 65% of our staff and we have a female-led EXCO, reflecting our commitment to creating an organisation where talent, expertise and leadership can thrive. In this issue we share the stories of some of the talented women who make GBCSA such a powerful organisation, and we celebrate their success. At the same time, we recognise that our broader industry still has work to do to ensure women have equal opportunities to enter, develop and lead within the built environment.

One initiative we are particularly proud of is the Women in Green Building (WIGB) Competition, now in its fourth year. Sponsored by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) since its inception, the programme provides funded training and professional development opportunities for women seeking to build careers in green building. By investing in knowledge, technical skills and recognised credentials, the competition is helping to grow the next generation of sustainability leaders, while strengthening the industry’s capacity to deliver meaningful environmental outcomes.

The GBCSA Green Building Academy strives to deliver quality, accessible training and accreditation and has become a powerful platform for individuals to attain the necessary skills to establish and grow their careers in the sustainability space. Throughout this issue, we celebrate women at every stage of those careers – those breaking new ground, those quietly influencing projects behind the scenes, and those mentoring the professionals who will follow them. Their stories remind us that real progress happens because of the people whose vision, expertise and determination inspire change and deliver meaningful impact.

Our ambition is clear: a built environment that is not only greener and more resilient, but also more representative of the society it serves. By opening doors, investing in talent and creating pathways for women to succeed, we strengthen our industry and accelerate South Africa’s transition to a sustainable future.

I hope this Women’s Month edition of +Impact inspires conversation, celebrates achievement and encourages more women to see the built environment as a place where they can build rewarding careers while making a lasting difference.

Georgina Smit
CEO, GBCSA