Theo Baloyi is a South African entrepreneur, and the founder and chief executive officer of Bathu Shoes. He launched his eponymous shoe brand in 2015, having previously served as a Senior Associate at
PwC
PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a Multinational corporation, multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom.
It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Fo ...
in Dubai. He was featured in the ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
''
30 Under 30
''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists published annually by ''Forbes'' magazine since 2011 consisting of 30 notable people under 30 years old in various industries. The American list consists of 600 people, with 30 selected in each of 20 sect ...
list in 2019. In 2021, he won
GQ's Business Leader of the Year.
Early life
Baloyi was born and raised in
Hammanskraal
Hammanskraal is a trans-provincial region anchored in northern Gauteng province, South Africa. The region consists of multiple residential, industrial, and commercial areas in a decentralized settlement pattern.
History
The historical roots of ...
,
Gauteng
Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...
, where he also spent his childhood. His father, Solly Baloyi, quit his nursing job to become a real estate agent and died in 2014.
His mother is Tshidi Baloyi and he has a sister called Goitsimang Baloyi.
Baloyi's childhood education was at Shalom Primary School, followed by high school. In 2009, Baloyi relocated to Johannesburg and studied BCom Accounting at the
University of South Africa
The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...
.
Career
Before leaving the University of South Africa, Baloyi began his entrepreneurship journey by selling perfumes door-to-door. Baloyi was then selected to work for PwC South Africa under their graduate program, his performance prompting the company to hire him on a full-time basis, and he was transferred to PwC Middle East in Dubai.
In 2015 Baloyi founded
Bathu, a shoe company. The company owns and operates over 30 stores across South Africa and the SADC region. He was appointed a board member of South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) in July 2022.
Personal life
Baloyi lives in Eye of Africa, Johannesburg.
See also
*
Bridgette Radebe
Bridgette Radebe (née Motsepe) is a South African businesswoman of Tswana descent and the sister of South African businessman Patrice Motsepe and First Lady of South Africa Tshepo Motsepe.
Career
She was born on 26 February 1960.[Randall Newman
Randall Newman is a Botswana entrepreneur, and the founder and chief executive officer of Verbosec.
Early life and education
Newman was born and raised in the capital city of Gaborone where he also spent his childhood. He did his high school ...]
*
Phuti Mahanyele
Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, (born c. 1971) is a South African business executive currently working as the chief executive officer of Naspers South Africa. She previously held the positions of co-founder and chief executive officer at Sigma Capita ...
References
*
South African businesspeople
21st-century South African businesspeople
South African business executives
South African chief executives
South African company founders
South African corporate directors
Living people
University of South Africa alumni
South African designers
Year of birth missing (living people)
{{SouthAfrica-business-bio-stub