Portia Derby currently serves as the Chairperson of Ubu Holdings (PTY) Ltd. Portia served as the Group Chief Executive of Transnet SOC Ltd, a position she assumed until October 2024. With a distinguished career marked by senior roles within the South African government during pivotal periods of economic reform, Portia brings a wealth of expertise to her current leadership position.
Her tenure includes notable roles such as Director-General of Public Enterprises (2005 – 2009), where she oversaw corporate strategy and structure within the investment portfolio, and Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Trade and Industry (2002). Portia’s governmental career commenced at the National Institute for Economic Policy (NIEP), where she served as a financial researcher, making significant contributions to the quantification of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP).
Beyond her governmental roles, Portia has enriched her professional experience through engagements in the private sector. Notably, she served as a non-executive director of Metair Investments and Safcol, and as Executive Director: Clients Africa at Aurecon, an esteemed international engineering and infrastructure advisory firm.
Portia Derby is academically distinguished, holding a Bachelor of Science Degree with majors in Economics and Geology, an Honours degree in Economics from the University of Natal, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Her multifaceted background and extensive experience position her as a respected leader in both public and private sectors.
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