As Chief Executive of Eskom Holdings Ltd, Thulani Gcabashe is a powerful advocate of meaningful black empowerment, both in South Africa and across the continent.

He joined Eskom's Durban distributor in 1993, on the management team specifically responsible for electrification. In 1995 and 1996 he served as General Manager in Eskom's London office; during this period he attended the Programme for Executive Development at the IMD in Switzerland.

In 1997, Mr Gcabashe was appointed Senior General Manager (Customer Service) Distribution. Two years later, he joined the Eskom Management Board and the Electricity Council as Deputy Chief Executive and Chairman of Eskom Enterprises. In 2000 he was appointed Chief Executive Designate, and later the same year Chief Executive.

He serves on the Board of Business Map SA, and the Standard Bank Group. He is President of the Union of Producers, Transport and Distributors of Electricity Power in Africa (UPDEA).