Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting – University College of Durban (under the auspices of the University of South Africa)

Cas Coovadia is the CEO of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and former Managing Director of The Banking Association South Africa (BASA). He has played a pivotal role in shaping South Africa’s financial sector, including leading negotiations for the Financial Sector Charter and driving its implementation.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University College—Durban and has completed executive programs at the Wharton Real Estate Centre (University of Pennsylvania) and the Kagiso School of Leadership. With deep expertise in housing finance, local government, and financial inclusion, Cas has contributed extensively to publications on governance and civil society.

Cas has held leadership positions across multiple organisations, including Chairperson of the National Business Initiative, the Johannesburg Development Agency, and the Trust for Urban Housing Finance. He serves on the boards of the Centre for Development and Enterprise, the Nepad Business Foundation, and Business Unity South Africa. Internationally, he is a Council member of the University of the Witwatersrand and First Deputy President of the International Union for Housing Finance (IUHF), where he previously served as President for five years.

A strong advocate for financial accessibility, Cas was instrumental in conceptualising and establishing Community Bank in South Africa. He has extensive experience in SMME support, financial sector development, and economic restructuring in the SADC region. He also represented BASA on the board of the International Banking Federation, the only African banking association within the organisation.

Cas trained as a Chartered Accountant, ran an accounting practice, and worked with the Kagiso Group, managing a venture capital fund for emerging manufacturers. In 2016, he participated in the Trek for Mandela expedition to support fundraising efforts for the initiative.