Leading with Vision

+Impact met with Georgina Smit, the newly appointed CEO of Green Building Council South Africa, to discuss her leadership priorities. With a background in technical excellence and a commitment to scaling impact, she shares how GBCSA will strengthen its role in guiding the country’s sustainability journey.

Q: As you step into the CEO role, how do you envision building on the successes during your time as Head of Technical to shape GBCSA’s broader strategic direction?
GS: My passion for green building certification began early in my consulting career. Certification was never just a compliance exercise for me; it is a tool for effectively embedding sustainability into real-world projects. When I joined GBCSA, I went from operating within a slice of the market to being part of a team responsible for supporting the entire ecosystem: developers, investors, consultants and policymakers, across the full range of projects shaping the built environment.
This bigger picture showed me where the green building movement was gaining traction, and where further opportunities lay. One of the earliest insights I had was how heavily the sector had formed itself around the green commercial office. While that sector will always remain an important foundation, it was clear that we needed to expand into other project types. Growth into the industrial and multi-unit residential sectors, supported by the increased uptake of EDGE, has expanded both the reach and relevance of certification.
At the same time, I focused on strengthening the GBCSA technical team by bringing in targeted expertise. I championed hiring of certification experience into the team itself, combining technical excellence with a broad strategic understanding of where the market was and where it could and should be. The focus now is to enable efficiency and effectiveness through systems and technologies that facilitate delivery and scale.

Q: How have you demonstrated the tangible benefits of going green to stakeholders who may be hesitant to adopt new practices?
GS: For many developers, investors and financial institutions, the question of sustainability comes down to asset performance, which requires credible evidence.
Research such as the MSCI South African Green Property Index and Green Building in South Africa: A Guide to Costs & Trends provides strong data showing that green-certified buildings outperform conventional buildings across key financial indicators such as asset value, rental premiums and occupancy levels. This data helps shift the perception that sustainability comes at a premium to being recognised as a necessary strategic investment, but this very technical, specialist-focused message was not easily understood by the broader industry decision-makers we needed to reach.
This became an imperative of mine: ensuring that stakeholders understand both the financial and operational case for green building and have clear direction to act on it. We achieved this by translating technical research into useful insights, leveraging more accessible content formats such as interactive webinars published to YouTube and news articles in the media, amongst others.
We have also prioritised applied research partnerships that generate insights directly relevant to the South African market, such as those with Divercity and ReDimension Capital, exploring emerging trends in sustainable development. Our work on Energy Performance Certificates demonstrates how policy tools can support improved building performance.

Q: From your experience, which innovations or rating tools have had the greatest impact on defining sustainability in South Africa’s built environment?
GS: Green Star has long been the cornerstone of the green building movement in South Africa, but one of the most significant developments in recent years has been the transition to the Green Star New Build V2 framework.
Supporting the development and rollout of V2 was another priority during my time as Head of Technical. Securing sponsorship for the update ensured we could deliver a tool that aligns more closely with international best practice, delivering a framework that is better suited to the current scale and complexity of the built environment challenge. Climate resilience, upfront carbon, occupant wellbeing and social impact are now considered in a far more holistic way.

Q: What impact does South Africa’s green building movement have internationally?
GS: South Africa plays an active role in shaping global best practice. GBCSA is an active member of the World Green Building Council, and within the WorldGBC African Regional Network, the organisation holds the position of Vice Chair. South African expertise has supported the development of multiple certified projects across Africa, confirming that sustainable buildings can be successfully delivered within complex economic environments. That experience offers valuable insights for other emerging markets facing similar challenges.

Q: What’s your long-term vision for GBCSA’s role in shaping the built environment?
GS: My long-term vision is simple: every building in South Africa should be on a sustainability journey. Achieving this will require stronger collaboration between industry, government and financial institutions, where we have made significant progress. More broadly, we need to drive a greater recognition of the critical role the built environment should be playing in addressing climate change, through advocacy and clear communication of its value environmentally, socially and economically. Equally important is inspiring the next generation of professionals by creating opportunities for learning, collaboration and leadership.
Green building is no longer a niche conversation. The solutions exist, the business case is clear, and the industry has proven what is possible. The real opportunity now is scaling that progress so that every building in South Africa begins its sustainability journey.

Georgina Smit is an award-winning leader and driving force in sustainable design and green building innovation. She served as Head of Technical at GBCSA for five years before assuming the CEO role in May 2026. Georgina directs GBCSA’s strategic mandate to mobilise industry leaders, government partners and the property sector towards a net zero future. Her passion for collaboration, technical excellence and market transformation guides her to advance the council’s mission to scale sustainable building solutions, embed best practice and foster a culture of environmental responsibility across South Africa’s built environment. Georgina holds two Master’s degrees, and joined GBCSA after nearly 10 years of consultancy at Arup where she contributed to multidisciplinary projects focused on resilient design and low-carbon innovation.