Theo Baloyi | |
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Born | Theo Baloyi |
Citizenship | South Africa |
Education | University of South Africa |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2013–present |
Known for | Founding Bathu Shoes. |
Title | Founder and CEO of Bathu Shoes Founder and CEO Avenue Exchange |
Awards |
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Theo Baloyi is a South African entrepreneur, and the founder and chief executive officer of Bathu Shoes. [1] He launched his eponymous shoe brand in 2015, having previously served as a Senior Associate at PwC in Dubai. [2] [3] He was featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2019. [4] [5] In 2021, he won GQ's Business Leader of the Year. [6] [7]
Baloyi was born and raised in Hammanskraal, Gauteng, where he also spent his childhood. [8] His father, Solly Baloyi, quit his nursing job to become a real estate agent and died in 2014. [9] His mother is Tshidi Baloyi and he has a sister called Goitsimang Baloyi. [9] Baloyi's childhood education was at Shalom Primary School, followed by high school. In 2009, Baloyi relocated to Johannesburg and studied BCom Accounting at the University of South Africa. [10]
Before leaving the University of South Africa, Baloyi began his entrepreneurship journey by selling perfumes door-to-door. [11] [12] Baloyi was then selected to work for PwC South Africa under their graduate program, his performance prompting the company to hire him on a full-time basis, and he was transferred to PwC Middle East in Dubai. [13]
In 2015 Baloyi founded Bathu, a shoe company. The company owns and operates over 30 stores across South Africa and the SADC region. [14] [15] He was appointed a board member of South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) in July 2022. [16]
Baloyi lives in Eye of Africa, Johannesburg. [17]