Tshepo Ntsane

Tshepo Ntsane is no ordinary man. His life story has the makings of any movie maker’s dream script. It all started in the dusty Free State town Virginia, where life was very basic, and at best, challenging. His mother must’ve had an inkling that her first-born was destined for greater things when she called him Tshepo, which means ‘hope’. Tshepo not only overcame many stumbling blocks but exceeded all expectations. Today he has a BSc (Hons) degree in Chemical Engineering, an MBA, an MPhil and he is a proud member of the elite RMB Class Of Programme.

Tshepo never had dreams of becoming an engineer. In fact, he was contemplating a career as an emergency medical technician. It was during a career day at school that he for the first time learned about the various engineering disciplines. He was inspired by a Chemical Engineer who spoke to the Grade 12s on the day, and he immediately became intrigued. Tshepo was however only interested in one thing: which was the most difficult discipline of them all? He thought that the most difficult engineering field would naturally pay the most, and so the seed was planted to study chemical engineering.

Despite all the nay-sayers who told him that the course was very challenging and that the dropout rate was quite high, Tshepo was unperturbed. He figured that because of his humble background, he really had nothing to lose. It was time for the next challenge: where to study and how to get funding?

Humble beginnings

Growing up on the dusty fields of a small mining town like Virginia meant that life was simple. By the time Tshepo had finished his matric (five distinctions in hand) he had never been exposed to computers, nor did he have an ATM card or crossed the Free State border. Considering the tallest buildings in Virginia were mostly three stories high at best, the prospect of studying in a big city with skyscrapers and traffic jams and speak English on top of it, became another daunting prospect.

Tshepo heard about possible bursaries, but all along thought that he had to apply for those in writing. It was only after chatting to some of his friends and following numerous ‘failed attempts’ that he realised that he had to apply online and not send his application by mail. His application was successful the first time round and he duly enrolled for a BSc Chemical Engineering degree at the University of Cape Town.

Hard work pays off

Many years of hard work and study followed and so did the rewards. Tshepo made the prestigious Dean’s Merit List for four years in a row. His natural ability to teach and share knowledge also didn’t go a miss as he became the go-to-guy to help his fellow students with complex mathematical, science and engineering problems.

It was during his second year of studies that Tshepo received a bursary from Sasol, which paved the way for a bright future as chemical engineer at Sasol in Secunda and later Johannesburg.

As the world grew more conscious about protecting the environment, so did Sasol. It was during this time that Tshepo played an instrumental part in ensuring that Sasol developed sustainability strategies and roadmaps that enabled the company to transition to a low carbon economy.

The world of finance

The investment banking space has always been something that fascinated Tshepo, particular its ability to act as a catalyst for economic development and social impact. However, he was a bit apprehensive about entering the world of finance as an engineer. A classmate in the MBA class told him about the RMB Class Of Programme. The Programme was where he wanted to be. Tshepo was now part of ‘an enabling environment’ where he could use and share his engineering skills, while at the same time learn more about financing and how the two disciplines are symbiotically intertwined. Arguably a match made in heaven.

Tshepo started his first rotation in the Future Markets and Sustainability division of Markets. He then moved to the Sustainable Finance and ESG Advisory team in Banking where he was eventually appointed as a transactor. He brings a vast amount of knowledge and experience to the bank from an engineering and ESG perspective. These skills are vital to the bank considering the many unchartered territories in the sustainable finance, green economy and ESG space.

He brings added value with the knowledge gained from doing two Master’s degrees. He was told that it is not allowed to do two degrees at the same time, simply “because it is crazy, and that he wouldn’t make it”. That was all the motivation Tshepo needed to proceed. He duly signed up to do an MPhil at the Gordon Institute of Business Science while finishing off his MBA at Wits Business School. Tshepo admits to being a life-long student. His next goal is to complete his PhD at an international university. The jury is still out on which one he is going to choose.

Bright future

Tshepo was the first sibling to take the bold move to leave the dirt roads of Virginia for a better life. This brave move, against all odds, not only expanded his horizons, but enabled him to create many opportunities for his family and those around him. His two brothers followed in his footsteps and became a teacher and a civil engineer respectively. Many other success stories followed including the passion to grow the country’s economy, one job at a time. All from humble beginnings in a town called Virginia.