Mr Ravi Naidoo

Mr Ravi Naidoo

Mr Ravi Naidoo

CEO Youth Employment Service

YES Chief Executive Officer, Ravi Naidoo, is passionate about social impact. He has an extensive track-record in designing and implementing successful impact programs, and has spent many years navigating the intersections of the private, public, and non-profit sectors. His strategic vision at YES focuses on forging innovative public-private partnerships that unlock the untapped potential of youth to build a better economic future for all South Africans. YES is today South Africa’s largest talent pipeline for youth 12-month internships into the private sector and has over 1700 sponsoring companies. He is now driving a particular focus on opportunities related to future-facing industries such as drones, renewables, and artificial intelligence. In 2022, Ravi was appointed to the National Planning Commission, where he serves as chairperson of the Economy Workstream. Some of his successes prior to joining YES, include leading the Development Bank of South Africa’s team in establishing the SA Green Fund, being the national manager of the multistakeholder ‘Health Roadmap’ that culminated in the government’s AIDS turnaround strategy (which saw average life expectancy rise from 49 to 62 years), and the restructuring of the Unemployment Insurance Fund to include coverage for the first time for over 600,000 domestic workers. Ravi holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Law) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.