Dr Lester Goldman is a governance- and strategy-focused Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director with more than 20 years of leadership experience across professional bodies, governance institutions, finance, NGOs and stakeholder-driven organisations.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors South Africa (IoDSA) and a Fellow of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), with qualifications including a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), an MBA and a finance background. As a South African and Historically Disadvantaged Individual (HDI), he is committed to ethical leadership, sound governance and building institutions that create sustainable value and broader societal impact.
Currently serving as CEO of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), he has led organisational restructuring, governance modernisation and institutional strengthening initiatives focused on long-term sustainability, organisational performance and stakeholder value.
His leadership experience includes governance reform, Companies Act and King Code alignment, financial stewardship, balance sheet strengthening, revenue growth, staff stabilisation, quality systems and institutional development. Key initiatives have included the review and approval of founding documents, achieving ISO certification, strategic asset acquisition, and strengthening WISA’s institutional positioning and reputation.
