Excitement builds for pioneering GC Forum on Governance, Risk, and Compliance in Johannesburg this month

Under a theme of "Bridging the Gap: Navigating Business, Law, and Geopolitics”, the upcoming inaugural GC Forum | Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) in Johannesburg on 17 September marks a step-change in how senior African in-house counsel engage with the most pressing forces shaping business today: geopolitical volatility, legal fragmentation, and rising demands for risk-conscious governance.

“To be able to sit in a room with like-minded people, and people with similar job pressures and challenges, it’s great to be able to share experiences and remind yourself you’re not the only one facing these problems,” says Anastasia Posokhov, Regional Head of Legal: Africa, Middle East and Asia for Aggreko. “It will be amazing to hear how people solve similar problems, and share your own experiences and hope that resonates with or is valuable to somebody else.”

Anastasia will be part of a morning panel on “Business Meets Geopolitics | React, Report, or Reroute? The GC’s Role in Global Volatility", exploring how General Counsel are helping organisations respond to external shocks. Moderated by Claude de Baissac, Founder and CEO of Eunomix, that expert panel also includes Hellen Mogashoa, Corporate and Government Affairs Lead for Microsoft Southern Africa, and Lombe Mbalashi, a partner at Mbalashi C and Associates. 

It’s one of several fascinating panels, Quickfire, and Q&A sessions throughout the one-day forum, which is being hosted by Africa Legal in partnership with Afriwise, the leading legal data and intelligence platform in Africa. Other sessions will explore managing legal risk across multiple jurisdictions; navigating governance failures, conflicting values, and ethical grey zones; a grounded, human perspective on decision-making, resilience, and the lasting impact of moments that test both character and judgement; and rapid-fire GRC Insights from Africa’s legal experts. 

“Things are moving very quickly in Africa, and so having a GRC mindset and also informing people about risks and good governance is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a core business function,” says legal data expert Steven De Backer, founder and CEO of Afriwise. “At the GC Forum, I don’t want polite panels that state the obvious… “We’re bringing senior counsel and compliance leaders together to challenge orthodoxies, debate hard truths, and leave with solutions they can implement the next morning.”

Other speakers include: Susan Batuuka Kaggwa, Company Secretary/Head of Legal for Uganda Airlines; Velile Memela, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer at Sanlam Limited; Chrissy Dube, Head of Department: Governance Insights and Analytics for Good Governance Africa; Nigel Maramba, Senior Legal Counsel Southern Africa for Unilever South Africa; Warren Beech, CEO of Beech Veltman Inc; and Rebecca Thomson, Head of Investigations, Compliance and Ethics at Baker McKenzie. 

In 2025, GCs are not only legal advisors — they are strategic risk leaders. They interpret political shifts, track global regulatory ripple effects, harness legal intelligence, and guide sustainable business decisions. 

Taking place alongside the IBA African Regional Forum Conference, the GC Forum GRC is a high-level, full-day event that will explore how legal leaders in Africa can: 

• Bridge the gap between legal compliance and strategic business planning;

• Interpret and respond to geopolitical volatility at operational and board level;

• Leverage legal data and digital tools to future-proof legal functions;

• Drive strong governance, ethics, and accountability across cross-border operations. 

Join us as we convene Africa’s most forward-thinking legal minds for practical insights, peer exchange, and leadership dialogue on 17 September 2025.