Phumi has been the CEO of Funda Wande since in February 2024. Prior to this, she was Chief Operating Officer at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, and Chief Operations Officer at the Amy Foundation, where she started as After School Programmes Manager. She transitioned to the non-profit sector in 2019 to follow her passionate for children’s education and development, after a 20-year corporate career where she held leadership positions in Human Resources and Corporate Affairs in the telecoms and energy industries. She has also served as a non-executive director on company and non-profit boards.

Phumi has a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree and Post-graduate Diploma in Human Resources Management from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and has completed leadership development programmes at Wits Business School and the UCT Graduate School of Business. She hopes to be a champion for access to quality education for all children and believes that if key stakeholders came together in the sector and worked towards a common goal, real change is possible.