Simiso Velempini is a managing director in the Africa practice of K2 Intelligence. She has extensive consulting and advisory experience in sub-Saharan Africa and has lived and worked in many countries in the region. Simiso assists a wide range of large and mid-sized corporate entities across a range of sectors. Her work includes advising clients on market entry into sub-Saharan Africa and providing ongoing political analysis across the region. She is adept at supporting clients in understanding the risks they face both politically and on a reputational level when conducting business in a new jurisdiction; she is frequently used as a sounding board for clients when considering strategic decisions.
Prior to joining K2 Intelligence, Simiso was based in Johannesburg where, as vice president of reputation management at Barclays Africa, she advised the business on reputation management for specific issues related to transactions and relationships across 12 African markets. Before joining Barclays, Simiso worked as the Southern Africa analyst at Control Risks, where she provided bespoke analysis and risk consultancy for governmental, commercial, and NGO clients across a range of sectors including infrastructure, financial services, telecommunications, oil and gas, and mining in Southern and East Africa.
Simiso holds a B.A. in languages, a B.A. in international relations, and a B.A. (Hons.) in international relations from the University of Pretoria. She also holds a M.A. in international security from Sciences Po, Paris, and an M.Sc. in international relations from the London School of Economics.
