Catherine Wijnberg

Catherine Wijnberg is a pioneering force in Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, recognized as a Forbes Women 50 Over 50 leader and a powerful advocate for change—for entrepreneurs, for South Africa, and for the planet. Widely known as the small business growth guru, she is the Founder and Group CEO of Fetola, South Africa’s leading business growth agency, which has propelled over 2,000 SMEs to success.
Driven by a commitment to finding new and greener solutions to unemployment, inequality, and poverty, Catherine leads Fetola in helping entrepreneurs start and grow sustainable businesses. Through the Fetola Growth Method©, applied technology, investment readiness solutions, and catalytic finance, Fetola’s support programmes deliver measurable social, environmental, and economic impact. Graduates of these programmes have an 87% long-term survival rate—nine times South Africa’s national average.
Her strategic vision has established Fetola as a trusted partner for policy makers, social investors, and philanthropists dedicated to sustainable development and inclusive economic growth.
Catherine’s Amazon bestseller, The Art of Acceleration, introduces the Fetola method as an innovative blueprint for driving economic transformation in emerging economies through the support of small businesses—offering practical insights for those seeking scalable impact.
Born in Zambia, Catherine holds two degrees in Agriculture, an MBA, and brings more than 30 years of business growth experience, having created enterprises in five different sectors across three countries.