Programme Director
After 9 years with the BBC World News, Lerato currently hosts the daily talk show and podcast titled “PowerTalk with Lerato Mbele” at PowerFM987, the influential business channel owned by the MSG Afrika Group.
She presented Africa Business Report on BBC World News, as host of the channel’s main Africa-focused business shows “Talking Business Africa”, “In Business Africa” and “Africa Business Report”, as well as hosting international documentaries such as “Follow the Food” that looked at the relationship Africa has with global tech and the global agricultural industries in China, India, Japan and the USA.
Lerato is a regular Facilitator and Moderator at international and Africa conferences, with a strong focus on leadership dialogues, which she believes help to create an understanding about the changing global economy and how that impacts Africa and developing nations in particular.
She has moderated plenaries and hosted television debates, including for the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings, The OPEC Fund, African Development Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Nigerian Economic Summit, the Africa Leadership Summit, the Energy Indaba, The HSF Africa Week 2021 as Moderator of the Panel on Energy Transition and Digitisation, NEPAD, the IDA, and numerous prestigious international platforms.
She completed her undergraduate and Honours degrees at the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, and is a Chevening Scholar, who holds an MSc degree in Development Studies from The School of Oriental and African Studies, at the University of London.
Her career in journalism was launched in 1999 at The South African Broadcasting Corporation, where she finally served as anchor for the daily news show, News at 10. Prior to joining the BBC in 2012, she was Senior Business Anchor for CNBC Africa, where she hosted a variety of business programmes and discussions related to the Economy, business strategy, stock markets, entrepreneurship and leadership.
