Risk management: Prudential

Achumile Majija advises stepping out of one’s comfort zone. That’s how he got from Umtata to Port Elizabeth for his BCom, to Cape Town for his honours, and then on to Leeds, where he completed his MBA in 2009. His next venture landed him a job with finance house Prudential Plc in London. Thrust into their fast-track programme for future leaders, Majija is now part of the team adapting the firm to the European Union’s latest post-recession insurance regulations. This places him at the cutting edge of Europe’s economic recovery from the lingering credit crunch. All the while 27-year-old Majija has kept his links to South Africa, remaining chairman of the Black Management Forum’s Young Professionals in the Western Cape. And in 2011 he was named the South African Business Club rising star of the year. True to his own advice, Majija plans to be home within five years for his next battle with the unknown.

— Ian Macleod

LinkedIn: Achumile Majija