Who is the new CEO of Standard Bank of South Africa? Meet David Hodnett

When the Prudential Authority greenlit his appointment in October 2025, David Hodnett officially assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of Standard Bank of South Africa (SBSA), succeeding Kenny Fihla.

His elevation follows a storied path in South Africa’s banking sector, defined by risk oversight, operational stewardship, and internal leadership transitions.

Hodnett's roots lie in audit and advisory: prior to his executive banking career, he served as a partner at KPMG South Africa.

He first joined Standard Bank in the 2000s, climbing through executive risk roles in its personal and business banking divisions.

In 2008, he made a notable move to Absa, where his portfolio expanded. He held roles including Chief Risk Officer, Finance Director, and eventually Deputy CEO of South Africa, overseeing areas such as IT, operations, and the “Rest of Africa” business.

In February 2010, Absa announced his appointment as Group Finance Director, while he retained risk responsibilities for a transitional period.

During his Absa tenure, Hodnett navigated both growth and structural transformation, deploying capital, managing risk frameworks, and integrating cross-border operations.

Return to Standard: Risk, Ethics, Corporate Affairs

In March 2019, he rejoined Standard Bank as Group Chief Risk Officer, succeeding Neil Surgey.

His return came after a period of change in banking regulation and market volatility, making the risk function central to the group’s resilience.

By 1 January 2021, his mandate expanded — he was appointed Chief Risk and Corporate Affairs Officer, integrating governance, ethics, stakeholder engagement, and reputation oversight alongside risk.

During a leadership shuffle, Hodnett briefly served as interim CEO for Business and Commercial Clients within Standard Bank Group between August and December 2021, before returning to his core portfolio in January 2022. 

In January 2022, his expanded role formally took effect.

Under his stewardship, Standard Bank has progressively calibrated its risk appetite, elevated ESG and stakeholder dimensions, and bolstered internal governance across group operations.

The SBSA Mandate

Hodnett’s new leadership comes amid strategic succession moves. With his transition, Thabani Ndwandwe will assume the Group Chief Risk Officer role (while retaining his SBSA risk functions).

Sim Tshabalala, CEO of Standard Bank Group, emphasised that Hodnett’s appointment signals the group’s internal depth of leadership succession. “David has extensive experience in South Africa’s financial services sector and has demonstrated exceptional leadership capabilities in our group,” remarked Tshabalala.

Hodnett officially took charge of SBSA following regulatory clearance from the Prudential Authority.

One of his early tasks: integrating risk oversight with commercial agility in a volatile macro environment, while managing regulatory expectations, digital transformation, and the intensifying South African credit landscape.

If he succeeds, this may mark a turning point in how South Africa’s banking giants cultivate internal leadership and integrate risk, reputation, and strategy seamlessly.

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