Modern corporate leadership, especially in a sector characterized by complex regulations and evolving public demands, necessitates a combination of traditional expertise and proactive flexibility. Carina Wessels, the Chief Governance, Risk and Compliance Officer and Executive: Impact Advisory at Alexforbes, exemplifies this equilibrium. Her professional journey, from focused legal work to a senior role overseeing sustainability and governance, provides a valuable perspective on the qualities required for modern corporate leadership.
Foundations of Dedication and Non-Traditional Growth
Carina credits her professional values to her upbringing, shaped by her parents’ consistent work ethic and dedication. Her personal drive for achievement was also influenced by her sister, who is a paediatric cardiologist in Belgium. For nearly 24 years, Carina has been married to Sas, and they have a daughter named Nicci.
Starting in law, Carina’s career swiftly broadened into diverse commercial roles. Her early professional experience, gained while a law student, involved selling cost recovery software to legal practices, providing a practical reality of the legal profession. Following a short period managing client services at a hospital, she re-entered the corporate world, focusing initially on labor law, an area in which she also earned a master’s degree.
Carina’s career path expanded into corporate governance and commercial law. Her extensive professional background encompasses diverse roles across Human Resources, Risk Management, Business Improvement, Project Management, and Mergers and Acquisitions. At the age of 33, she achieved her first executive role at Exxaro, where she managed legal services and pursued a second master’s degree in Extractive Industry Law in Africa. Later, upon joining Alexforbes, her responsibilities expanded to cover governance, legal, compliance, and sustainability.
The Role of Support and Resilience
Carina identifies “resilience” and “passion” as the two primary qualities that define her leadership style, enabling her to adapt and persevere through complex business landscapes and the demands of family life. She cites her husband, Sas, as the most significant influence on her journey, acknowledging the vital support that has allowed her to balance career dedication with maintaining perspective.
Carina’s legal training provided a foundation in critical thinking and problem-solving, which she coupled with commercial acumen developed through varied business experiences. This approach to managing business growth is deeply informed by extensive exposure to boardroom dynamics, encompassing strategic decision-making and governance.
Driving Impact through Innovation
At Alexforbes, the Impact Advisory business line was developed as a start-up within the existing organization. This unit was created to address the growing challenges of sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues, driven by the company’s commitment to delivering superior advice. The mission of the division is to achieve tangible, real-world impact and foster sustainable long-term results for its clients.
Introducing a new business model within an established organization has faced notable challenges, specifically concerning governance and existing process limitations that hinder flexibility. Carina notes that overcoming these initial hurdles has demanded considerable resilience and skillful expectation management throughout the incubation phase.
Alexforbes has introduced several key offerings as part of this initiative. A key component is the “retirement fund of the future™” (RFotF), which aims to enhance member outcomes by prioritizing relevance and resilience. Furthermore, to bolster its capabilities, the company acquired Paragon Impact, a Jersey-based software platform. This platform facilitates assessments against the UN Sustainable Development Goals, enabling organizations to track and report their impact using verifiable data.
Integrating Professional Demands and Personal Life
Carina has developed an evolving approach to work-life balance in her demanding executive position. She admits that work sometimes overshadows her health and family, leading to strain on personal relationships. However, in recent years, she has transitioned to “work-life integration,” consciously placing her family and her relationship with her daughter as a higher priority. To manage stress and remain grounded, she incorporates exercise, such as bootcamp, running, and cycling, into her regular schedule, alongside making time for family travel.
Carina believes that patience and perseverance are essential for women leaders, especially when advocating for innovative solutions that the market might initially underestimate. She adds that commercial acumen and resilience are crucial traits for maintaining progress and momentum during the unpredictable initial stages of any new business venture.
Future Vision and Industry Influence
Over the next two years, Carina aims to position the Impact Advisory business as a premier sustainability consultant for retirement funds. She also envisions Paragon Impact becoming the go-to platform for impact monitoring and insight for asset managers, corporations, and investors globally.
For aspiring leaders, Carina encourages them to prioritize authenticity and determination over succumbing to perceived limitations. She emphasizes that continuous skill development is crucial, as competence and confidence form the foundation for making a real impact. She believes that consistent effort and hard work are the keys to success, urging women to claim their professional presence and refuse to let gender restrict their potential.
Professional Recognition
Carina’s contributions to governance and law have been recognized through various industry awards:
2019: Country winner in the CEO Global Pan African Awards for influential women in Financial Services.
2020: Selected as General Counsel of the Year at the African Legal Awards; recognized as a National positive role model in the 8th Gender Mainstreaming Awards.
2023: In-house Community Counsel of the Year, South Africa; Alexforbes recognized in the Women Empowerment Principles category of the Gender Mainstreaming Awards.
2024–2025: Included in the Legal 500 GC Powerlist for South Africa; named General Counsel of the Year Africa in the Women in Business Law EMEA Awards.
Sustainability: Top five finalist in the 2024 ESG Africa Beyond Awards African Trailblazer category; “Retirement Fund of the Future™” recognized in the Ebnet Evolutionary Awards.
2025: Named as one of Ascent’s top 100 career women in Africa and featured in World’s Leaders Magazine’s most influential women in law.
Carina Wessels’ journey exemplifies that modern corporate leadership is the ability to merge diverse expertise with a dedication to long-term influence. Her ascent, marked by a non-traditional progression from labor law to executive positions in sustainability and governance, demonstrates that true professional growth is fueled by a resilient spirit and consistent work ethic. As a leader at Alexforbes, her pioneering work, from the launch of the Impact Advisory business to groundbreaking initiatives such as the “retirement fund of the future™”, clearly aligns commercial success with a strong sense of societal accountability.
Carina’s story serves as a testament to the impact of authenticity, a commitment to continuous learning, and a robust support network in navigating professional challenges. As she guides her organization to the forefront of global sustainability, her key message for emerging leaders is simple: consistent effort underpins achievement, and the extent of one’s influence is determined by the boldness to claim one’s presence without apology.
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