Khulekani Mathe is the Chief Executive Officer Designate of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA). He joined BUSA in February 2023; prior to that, he held the position of head of financial inclusion at the Banking Association South Africa. In this role, his responsibilities included driving transformation in the banking industry, fostering small business development and promoting financial education. 

Mathe is an experienced professional in policy development and has held various positions in the public service. He has served in the Presidency, the National Planning Commission Secretariat and the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. While working in the National Planning Commission Secretariat, he played a key role in the development of the National Development Plan and served as the head of the Secretariat. 

Early in his career, Mathe dedicated 15 years to the education sector, focusing on adult education. During this time, he led the Tembaletu Community Education Centre, which received national and international recognition for its exceptional work, winning two national awards and one international award. In 2007, he was appointed chairman of the Ministerial Committee responsible for reviewing adult education policy in South Africa. Mathe also played a role in the establishment and governance of the Education Training and Development SETA when it was established. 

He is a certified director and a member of the Institute of Directors of South Africa. He holds a Master of Science degree in development finance and a Master of Education degree specialising in adult education. Additionally, he is a fellow of the African Leadership Initiative, part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, an alumnus of the Ford Foundation International Fellowship Programme, and serves on the board of directors of the Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme Foundation; he was recently appointed onto the boards of the Human Resources Development Council and the National Education Collaboration Trust.