Masithela is a seasoned financial-services executive and the Interim Chief Executive of Absa Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB). She was appointed to this role on 15 October 2024, joining the Absa Group Executive Committee on the same date. Prior to this appointment, she served as Managing Executive: Transactional Banking at Absa CIB, where she played a key role in strengthening client solutions across markets and corporate services.
Yasmin joined Absa Group in 2011 as General Counsel for the Wealth, Investment Management and Insurance division. In 2014, she became Group Head of Compliance, joining the Absa Group Executive Committee. In 2018, she was appointed Chief Executive for Group Strategic Services, leading the Group’s corporate strategy and overseeing critical portfolios spanning digital transformation, human resources, and culture.
Before entering the banking sector, Yasmin co-founded Phukubje Pierce Masithela Attorneys, where she specialised in mergers and acquisitions, corporate and commercial law, structured and project finance, and public-private partnerships. During this period, she also served various board roles, deepening her experience in governance and strategic oversight.
A trained attorney, Yasmin holds an LLB, HDip in Company Law, and an LLM in Tax Law from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her legal foundation and extensive leadership track record across compliance, strategy, digital transformation and investment banking underpin her reputation as a trusted leader able to navigate complexity and drive organisational progress.
Yasmin’s tenure as interim head of Absa CIB reflects her long-standing influence within the Group and her ability to lead a key business during a leadership transition in one of Africa’s most significant corporate and investment banking portfolios.