Salma Seedat.

Executive Director

Salma Seedat is the Executive Director of Innovation Edge, where she leads the organisation’s strategy, investments, and partnerships to catalyse transformative early childhood innovations in South Africa. With over two decades of experience in social impact, she brings deep expertise in impact investing, education, public-private partnerships, and leadership development across the African continent.

Prior to joining Innovation Edge, Salma served as the founding Executive Director of the Instructional Leadership Institute, a non-profit organisation strengthening school leadership and instructional practices in under-resourced public schools across South Africa. She has also held senior leadership roles in impact investing networks, health systems innovation, and development finance initiatives, at BroadReach Pty Ltd, GreaterCapital NPC, Impact@Africa, and Southern African Impact Investing Network.

Salma holds an MBA (cum laude) in Managing International Organisations and a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Finance from the University of Stellenbosch Business School, where she also teaches on postgraduate and MBA programmes in Strategy, Leadership, and Business in Society.

Her decision to join Innovation Edge was driven by a deep belief in the power of early childhood interventions to shape equitable futures and the unique opportunity to scale innovation that is locally grounded and globally relevant.

“Innovation means breaking away from traditional limitations. Seeing new possibilities where others only see constraints, and courageously designing solutions that centre human dignity, justice and equity.”