Mpumi Madisa

Mpumi Madisa, in her third year leading Bidvest, is on the hunt for acquisitions to expand its empire. A Berkshire Hathaway–like enterprise based in Johannesburg, its portfolio already spans over 250 companies on multiple continents and activities as diverse as financial services, car sales, and hospitality. Revenues topped $6 billion in the fiscal year ended June 2023, and all seven divisions posted profit growth. The firm has benefited from the post-COVID rebound in travel and tourism and surging demand for renewable energy—a way Bidvest’s domestic customers can cope with South Africa’s energy crisis and rolling blackouts. That situation, as well as inflation, are challenges for Bidvest, too, but Madisa, 43, says the company has the capital for growth. Recent acquisitions include a forklift operator, an auto insurance underwriter, and two foreign cleaning companies, and she says there’s more to come.