Gill Marcus
Gill Marcus completed her BCom in Industrial Psychology through Unisa in 1976 while in political exile.
Marcus was the first female Governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) between 2009 and 2014 and is credited with making the SARB “one of the most respected central banks in emerging markets”. She was born and raised in Johannesburg, where her parents were active members of the South African Communist Party. The family went into exile in 1969, and Marcus became a prominent figure in the ANC’s London-based Department of Information and Publicity. Noted for her “towering height and flowing kaftans”, she travelled with Nelson Mandela during the 1994 election campaign, was elected to Parliament, and — through dedicated self-study — made herself an expert in South Africa’s financial systems. Among her many senior positions in both the private and public sectors, she served as Deputy Minister of Finance from 1996 to 1999. She currently holds a professorship in policy, leadership and gender studies at the Gordon Institute of Business Science.