South African payments provider Ozow has appointed Tendi Nyathi as its chief risk and governance officer (CRGO), effective Wednesday, 1 April 2026, marking a strategic step in strengthening its governance, risk and compliance capabilities.
Source: Supplied. Tendi Nyathi, chief risk and governance officer (CRGO) at Ozow.
The move formalises a long-standing focus on building a resilient, well-regulated foundation to support growth and innovation. Nyathi, who has been with the company for over nine years, steps into the newly created role from her position as chief legal officer, reflecting both continuity and leadership evolution.
Over the past decade, Nyathi has played a central role in shaping Ozow’s growth trajectory, embedding robust governance structures and proactive risk-management practices as the business scaled. She has been instrumental in major milestones, including the company’s Series B fundraise, while also leading key regulatory engagements and strengthening relationships with industry stakeholders and regulators.
The creation of the CRGO role represents a natural progression of this work, consolidating governance, legal, and risk capabilities into a unified, enterprise-wide function that supports innovation while maintaining trust and resilience.
Strategic risk leadership
In her new role, Nyathi will oversee enterprise-wide risk, governance frameworks, and regulatory alignment. This includes advancing board and shareholder governance processes, strengthening risk management across products and operations, and supporting licensing and regulatory strategy as Ozow continues to scale.
Importantly, the role builds on foundations already established within the business, reinforcing Ozow’s proactive approach to managing risk in a fast-evolving fintech environment.
“The formalisation of this role is a continuation of work we have been doing for many years,” says Nyathi. “At Ozow, governance and risk have always been embedded in how we build and scale, not as a reactive function, but as a strategic enabler of sustainable growth.”
She adds that the opportunity now lies in further integrating these capabilities across the organisation.
“As fintech becomes more embedded in the financial ecosystem, the ability to manage risk holistically and proactively becomes a differentiator. This role allows us to strengthen that approach, ensuring that governance and risk actively enable innovation, rather than constrain it.”
Governance leadership focus
Ozow interim chief executive officer, Rachel Cowan says the appointment reflects the company’s broader positioning within the payments ecosystem.
“Ozow has always taken a proactive and collaborative approach to governance, risk, and compliance. As the industry evolves, we see this as a critical area of leadership, not just for our business, but for the broader ecosystem we operate in,” she says.
“Tendi’s appointment formalises this focus and ensures we continue to lead from the front as expectations around trust, transparency, and accountability continue to grow.”
Scaling through structure
Nyathi will continue to oversee the legal function, ensuring close alignment between legal, regulatory, and governance capabilities as the company grows.
Her appointment also reflects Ozow’s strong track record of internal leadership development, having joined the company when it had fewer than 20 employees and contributing to its growth into a business of more than 100 people.
Looking ahead, Nyathi says her focus will remain on enabling innovation through structure and clarity.
“When governance and risk are embedded early and effectively, they create the confidence to move faster. That’s where the real opportunity lies, building systems that allow us to scale responsibly while continuing to innovate.”
