Sibongile Gumbi
2 April 2017
Council Member - Chair of Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa
Dr. Sibongile Gumbi attended both Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa (1984-1986) and Pearson College UWC (1989-1991). Her parents served at Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA and her siblings attended the same school.
She holds a PhD in Pharmacology and an MBA from IMD, Switzerland. Sibongile is the Founder and CEO of Smart Biotech, a company that develops and manufactures biological products that have application in human and animal health. The emphasis of the company is on the monitoring and management of zoonotic diseases prevalent in Africa. Her professional interests are technology development and innovation in the field of biosciences.
In 2013 she was appointed Chair of the Waterford Kamhlaba Foundation of South Africa, a post that she held for 6 years. The Foundation raises funds for Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA and provides opportunities for staff development, capital projects and student bursaries.
She served as a member of Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA’s Governing Council from 2013 to 2019 and was reappointed in 2020. She was nominated as Chair of the School’s Governing Council in November 2021.
Her personal mission is to visit all UWC schools!
"I derive my sense of purpose from giving back to the colleges I attended and, through UWC International, by paying forward the goodwill I’ve enjoyed throughout my life as a result of early-life educational investments. I hope that my contributions in the way of time, treasure and talent, at this later stage of my life, will eventually translate into positive outcomes for the UWC network and family."