V hahangwele Manavhela , also known as Hangwi , joined South Africa ’ s Public Investment Corporation ( PIC ) in 2014 in the role of Environmental , Social & Governance specialist for Unlisted Investment , later becoming ESG Manager . She received her Master ’ s Degree in Sociology from the University of Johannesburg and , prior to taking up the mantle of ESG Manager at Public Investment Corporation , worked at Tshikululu Social Investments . “ Working at the social investment company was the foundation of what later became my ESG role . That ’ s how my journey began , with a very strong passion around social issues ,” she explains . We sat down with Manavhela to find out how she has been tackling the tri-fold challenges of ESG management at South Africa ’ s largest asset management organisation with over US $ 150bn under management , and what she sees as the way forward for South Africa as a whole .