The former Executive Director of the African Leadership Institute and 2007 Fellow, Tracey Webster, has been appointed CEO of the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust. Prior to her appointment, she had been the CEO of The Enterpriseroom, a specialist consultancy that helps governments and companies develop and implement sustainable transformation programmes. The aim of her company was to advance small and medium-sized-black-owned businesses as well as encourage youth employment.
The Oppenheimer Memorial trust was founded in 1958 by the late Harry Oppenheimer to honour the memory of his father, Sir Ernest. It has had a long tradition of investing in education, public interest activities and other philanthropic causes in order to make a positive difference to South African society. In 2012, the Oppenheimer family donated an additional sum of R1 billion to the Trust.
It's been a year for Tracey, as she was also selected to sit on the investment committee for Grand Challenges Canada, where she will be driving their investment of 100 million CAD into Africa, particularly on health innovations. She told Tutu Fellows that she was hoping to leverage her position on the Grand Challenges Canada investcom with the work the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust is doing to hopefully make an impact at systemic levels. She said she would be calling on the Fellowship to help her craft a vision for the Trust's legacy and 10-year plan.
The Oppenheimer Trust makes grants to public benefit organisations and institutions, principally in the education sector. It also supports the arts and a range of civil society organisations engaged in policy research and advocacy work.
Report