I believe I was nominated for purposeful leadership across business and charity, supporting close to 200 employees, developing future leaders, and creating meaningful economic opportunity through resilience, integrity and service.

I am Yehuda Lazarus, Co-Founder, Managing Partner and CEO of Heya Solutions. Heya builds fully managed, office-based teams in Johannesburg for more than 25 international clients. We recruit, employ, train and support South African professionals who integrate directly into our clients’ businesses.

As a business leader, I guide our strategy, growth, operations, client relationships and company culture. I identify potential, develop future leaders and ensure our employees have the structure, support and accountability needed to succeed. My purpose is to create sustainable careers and prove that South African talent can compete globally.

My vision is to develop leaders who will eventually lead beyond me and build organisations whose impact outlives me. For South Africa, I envision a country where talent, not background, location or formal qualifications, determines opportunity. I want us to export skills rather than people, create dignified employment and enable South Africans to build successful futures at home.

I have used business as a platform for impact. During COVID-19, I founded Fingertips of Africa and, together with the One Moment Foundation, helped provide more than 15 million meals while continuing to build Heya and create sustainable employment. I hope this demonstrates that commercial leadership and service to society can strengthen one another.

Recreational activities

I enjoy spending time with my family and our four dogs, travelling internationally and, most especially, visiting rural South Africa, which is my escape and where I go to reground myself. I also love cooking, entertaining family and friends, and sharing meaningful time with those closest to me. As the proud father of a biracial, mixed-faith family, I value exploring my South African roots, celebrating the Xhosa and Zulu cultures that form part of our family’s identity, and remaining connected to my Jewish heritage, faith and community.