Breaking theBarriers

Founder and Managing Director of Promote Balance, Shailendra Senzere works at the intersection of behavioural science, occupational health and business performance, helping organisations understand and address the human factors that influence leadership effectiveness, workplace functioning, employee wellbeing and organisational performance.

A HPCSA-registered Occupational Therapist and behavioural science practitioner, Shailendra brings 15 years of clinical experience across psychiatric services, occupational rehabilitation, medico-legal assessment, functional capacity evaluation, return-to-work and disability management, and workplace health interventions. Her clinical background provides a strong foundation for translating clinical and behavioural insights into practical workplace strategies that support sustainable employee functioning and organisational outcomes.

Her work extends beyond traditional wellness or coaching, combining evidence-based behavioural science with occupational and organisational principles to strengthen leadership capability, workplace culture, accountability, employee performance and organisational resilience. She brings a rigorous, commercially grounded approach to understanding how behaviour, functioning and workplace demands interact, particularly in complex or high-pressure environments.

Mangla Haripersad is an accomplished Human Resources professional with over 16 years of experience in strategic HR management, employee relations, labour law and organisational development. Currently serving as Head of Human Resources at Iser t/a Expert South Africa, Mangla partners with executive leadership to develop and implement people strategies that support business growth, organisational performance and legal compliance.

Throughout a diverse career spanning industries including retail, financial services and labour consulting, Mangla has led large-scale recruitment initiatives, organisational restructuring, performance management, employee wellness programmes and complex labour relations matters, with extensive experience representing employers at the CCMA and managing disciplinary, grievance and retrenchment processes.

Mangla combines strong legal expertise with a practical, people-centred approach to HR. Passionate about creating high-performing workplace cultures, Mangla is also focused on leveraging emerging technologies, including AI, to modernise HR practices while maintaining a strong emphasis on employee wellbeing, engagement and ethical leadership.

Kabelo Monageng is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa and holds an LLB degree from the University of South Africa, a National Diploma in Legal Assistance from the Tshwane University of Technology, a Certificate in Environmental Law from the University of Pretoria and a Certificate in Contract Management from the University of Pretoria.

Mr Monageng is a highly motivated, diligent and skilled professional with experience and expertise in Labour and Employment Law, Debt Collection, General Civil Litigation in the Magistrates Court and High Court, Commercial Law, Family Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Environmental Law.

Having served in prestigious institutions and various legal firms, including a team voted winner of the African Legal Awards in the category of Litigation and Dispute Resolution Team of the Year in 2019, he has acquired highly valuable skills that enable him to provide reliable and competitive legal advice and assistance.

An accomplished Occupational Therapist with 20 years' experience in Vocational Rehabilitation, spanning private practice and corporate wellness settings. She has a special interest in incapacity and disability management, functional capacity evaluations, mental health, vocational rehabilitation and return-to-work case management, with extensive experience supporting both employers and employees through complex workplace and rehabilitation challenges.

She holds a Degree in Occupational Therapy and a Postgraduate Diploma in Vocational Rehabilitation (Cum Laude) and has completed training in pain management, psychiatric functional capacity evaluation, occupational injuries and diseases, and vocational rehabilitation.

An experienced presenter and facilitator, she has delivered professional presentations on return-to-work, disability management, absenteeism and vocational assessments to audiences including Workipedia Interest Group, the South African Society of Occupational Health Nurses (SASOHN) Gauteng Branch, and various corporate clients. Her presentation experience spans both professional conferences and corporate training environments.

Leeat Blatt is a Senior Claims Manager at Liberty Group.

She holds a BSc in Natural and Environmental Sciences with an endorsement in Sport Science, completed cum laude, a BSc Honours in Biokinetics, and an MSc in Medicine. Leeat's research was published in the Occupational Health Southern Africa journal, and focused on factors affecting return to work following musculoskeletal conditions in insurance claimants in South Africa.

She is passionate about mentorship, knowledge sharing and fostering collaborative relationships across the insurance industry.

Dr Suzanne Harmse is an occupational therapist, researcher, educator, and practice owner based in Pretoria, South Africa. She is the founder of FunctionWell and Harmse Work Samples. Her practice focuses on general rehabilitation, functional capacity evaluations, vocational rehabilitation, and return-to-work support.

Suzanne completed her Bachelors Degree at the University of Pretoria, as well as her Master's degree where her research explored the validity of MODAPTS as a work assessment tool. She holds an Occupational Therapy Doctorate from Boston University, where her doctoral work focused on grassroots vocational rehabilitation decision-making in the South African context.

Her work bridges clinical practice, research, education, and service development. She has a particular interest in helping therapists translate complex assessment findings into practical, person-centred rehabilitation and return-to-work plans. Suzanne is passionate about developing contextually relevant occupational therapy services, especially in resource-constrained settings, and equipping clinicians with tools that are both evidence-informed and usable in real-world practice.

Suzanne has taught at undergraduate and postgraduate level at the University of Pretoria, and through Learn at FunctionWell she provides continued professional education courses. She is also involved in global projects, and has recently been engaged in a train-the-trainer project in collaboration with Zurich University of Applied Sciences, where the aim is to support the development of vocational rehabilitation services in Ukraine.

Suzanne's mission is to increase the accessibility of vocational rehabilitation through shared knowledge, training and mentorship.

Beauty Mtonga brings 37 years of distinguished experience in the banking and financial services industry. She is a global subject matter expert in risk management and an executive renowned for her expertise in enterprise risk management, governance, compliance, credit risk assurance, credit support, collections and recoveries. She is currently Group Head: Risk Functions at Absa Group.

A recognised leader in the risk profession, she is a board member of the Institute of Risk Management South Africa and of Women in Governance, Risk, Compliance and Financial Crime Prevention (WGRCFCP) in the United Kingdom. She is a passionate mentor and advocate for women empowerment, an international speaker, a director of programmes, a chorist and a community advocate, and a member of the Corporate Women in Leadership South Africa Chapter.

Beauty holds an MBA, a Diploma in Law, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Management Studies. These distinctions underscore her consistent track record of excellence and her influential leadership in advancing risk management and governance practices across the African continent, alongside her meaningful contributions to community development.

She is a recognised thought leader whose influence extends beyond industry forums to shaping policy and regulatory perspectives across the continent. Through her participation as a speaker and advisor in key industry platforms, she contributes to dialogue on management, governance, compliance, financial crime prevention, and emerging technology. Her delivery of risk training across multiple jurisdictions has strengthened institutional alignment with policy expectations and regulatory standards.

Mbali Maseko holds a Doctor of Public Health degree in Leadership from the University of Illinois in Chicago, an Honours degree in Dietetics, a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting, a Master's degree in Public Health and a Master's degree in Business Administration. She is a distinguished professional in the health sector.

With 19 years of experience in the health fraternity, Mbali has dedicated 12 of those years to corporate health and wellbeing, strategy, and business improvement practices. She currently holds an executive position at Absa, where she leads the employee health and wellbeing function and shapes the health and wellbeing programme for Absa's workforce.

In her previous role as Group Head of Wellbeing and Employee Experience at Sasol, she oversaw the implementation of Sasol's wellbeing and employee value proposition strategies in the South African region, and supported their rollout in Sasol's global operations.

Mbali has gained valuable experience in other corporations across various industries, including a large fast-moving consumer goods company. Her early career saw her making significant contributions as a clinical dietitian at the Gauteng Department of Health and at the Aurum Institute for Health Research.

Njabulo Xulu is an IT specialist and former Mathematics teacher whose life changed profoundly in 2012 when he became a victim of gun violence. The experience marked a significant turning point in his life, bringing challenges that required him to navigate a very different set of circumstances. Today, as a person living with a disability, Njabulo’s story is a reminder that a life-changing experience does not have to define the entirety of a person’s journey.

Guided by his spirit of "No Surrender", Njabulo represents resilience, courage and the determination to keep moving forward in the face of adversity. His journey invites us to reflect on the human experiences behind disability, the importance of dignity and inclusion, and the need to create environments where people are recognised for their abilities, contributions and potential. Through his professional background in IT and education, alongside his personal journey, Njabulo brings a valuable human perspective to the conversations about overcoming barriers and the workplace challenges that he faced.

His story reminds us that behind every life-changing event is a person with a life, an identity and a future that deserve to be seen beyond the challenges they have experienced.