Meet Laila Razack, CFO of Equites Property Fund — one of the JSE's youngest women executives

Our take

For SA property watchers, this profile is worth noting on two levels. First, Equites Property Fund is one of the more specialised REITs on the JSE, concentrating on logistics and industrial assets — warehousing, distribution centres, and last-mile facilities — rather than retail or residential. That focus has held up well as e-commerce growth drives demand for well-located industrial space across Gauteng, the Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. Investors tracking listed property should keep an eye on how Equites navigates interest-rate pressure on its balance sheet, which is squarely in a CFO's domain. Second, Razack's profile matters for the broader conversation about transformation and leadership diversity in SA's listed property sector — an industry that has historically been slow to reflect the country's demographics at executive level. Her position signals gradual change. For young finance professionals, particularly women of colour eyeing careers in property finance or asset management, her story offers a tangible reference point in an industry that needs more of them.