Palesa Ryan is the Head of Origination and Coverage for the Social, Health and Education sectors at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and is responsible for a team which funds projects in affordable housing, education and healthcare infrastructure. Celebrating 20 years working experience in the financial services industry in 2023, Palesa has exposure spanning across South Africa’s big four banks as well as the key DFIs including the Industrial Development Corporation and the Land Bank of South Africa. Her work experience includes Credit, Workout and Restructuring, Turnaround, Coverage (Relationship Management and deal origination) and Private Equity. Her sectoral experience is vast and includes funding clients in infrastructure, property, primary and secondary agriculture, financial services (banking, hedge funds, insurance companies, asset managers, microlenders), healthcare, retail, mining, education, student accommodation and housing. In her numerous roles, Palesa has covered clients across SADC, East and West Africa.
