Jeannette Safi is Chair, President, and Assistant Treasurer of the UCT Fund Inc., having joined the Board in 2015. She is a New York admitted attorney, legal and business advisor, and strategist, with extensive corporate law experience, capital raising and management expertise, and transactional prowess. With over 15 years of experience advising global companies on all aspects of business formation and growth in both developed and emerging markets, Jeannette currently consults on corporate transactions and strategic matters across multiple jurisdictions.

Born and raised in Lesotho, Ms. Safi received her Bachelor of Laws (cum laude) from the University of Cape Town in 2006. Jeannette began her legal career at the world-renowned law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, practicing for over a decade in their New York, London, and Paris offices. During her tenure, she represented major financial institutions, investment banks, and global corporations, leading hundreds of deals that raised US10billioninequityfinancingandsecuredoverUS10billioninequityfinancingandsecuredoverUS70 billion in debt funding. Her expertise spans public and private equity and debt offerings, including IPOs, spin-offs, and acquisition financings.

More recently, Jeannette has broadened her practice to include transactional and advisory work in the venture capital markets. She is passionate about harnessing legal and business structuring and risk mitigation strategies to overcome barriers to international capital for EM/FM start-ups, particularly in South Africa and on the continent. She has a special interest in non-traditional capital raising vehicles and ecosystems, such as crypto-funding and blockchain regulatory regimes, and their intersection with conventional securities regulation.

Maintaining strong ties to the UCT community globally, Jeannette is committed to supporting UCT in the US, strengthening inclusion and diversity in alumni engagement and giving, and deepening the community of excellent UCT Ambassadors. As the first female chair of the UCT Fund, she aims to honour this distinction with a special focus on philanthropic initiatives addressing social exclusion and gender-based violence in the domestic law arena.

“I became involved with the UCT Fund because I believe in the transformative power of education. The opportunity to contribute to the University of Cape Town, an institution that has shaped my own journey, is deeply meaningful to me. As Chair, I am committed to supporting initiatives that empower students, foster innovation, and drive positive change both locally and globally.”