Theo Baloyi

Theo Baloyi
Born	Theo Baloyi Hammanskraal, Gauteng
Citizenship	South Africa
Education	University of South Africa
Occupations	Entrepreneur shoe designer Businessperson
Years active	2013–present
Known for	Founding Bathu Shoes.
Title	Founder and CEO of Bathu Shoes Founder and CEO Avenue Exchange
Awards	Forbes Africa 30 under 30 (2019) GQ Business Leader of the Year (2021)

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]

Early life

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 he died in 2014[9] His mother, Tshidi Baloyi, He has a sister called Goitsimang Baloyi.[9] Baloyi did his childhood education at Shalom Primary School, thereafter he was enrolled for high school. In 2009, Baloyi relocated to Johannesburg and studied BCom Accounting at University of South Africa.[10]

Career

Before leaving the University of South Africa, Baloyi began his entrepreneurship journey by venturing into selling perfumes door-to-door.[11][12] Baloyi was then selected to work for PwC South Africa under their graduate program eventually overperforming 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]

Personal life

Baloyi lives in Eye of Africa, Johannesburg.[17]

See also

• Bridgette Radebe
• Randall Newman
• Phuti Mahanyele

References

1. "5 minutes with Bathu founder, Theo Baloyi". SowetanLIVE. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
2. "Q&A Sessions: 'I am a product of opportunities' — Theo Baloyi". The Mail & Guardian. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
3. "Theo Baloyi on Twitter: I worked at PwC for 5 years". Twitter. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
4. "#30Under30: Business Category 2019". Forbes Africa. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
5. Staff Reporter. "Forbes Africa announces 30 Under 30 list for 2019". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
6. "Everything you need to know about the 2021 GQ Men of The Year Awards Winners". www.gq.co.za. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
7. "Entrepreneur Theo Baloyi Wins GQ Business Leader Of The Year Award At The Men Of The Year Awards 2021". StartUp Magazine South Africa. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
8. Tau, Poloko. "Bathu's footprint among Africa's top 10 most admired brands". Citypress. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
9. Ngwadla, Nkosazana. "Entrepreneur Theo Baloyi on making over R18m selling sneakers". Drum. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
10. "Put your best foot forward with Bathu". SowetanLIVE. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
11. ADVERTORIAL. "Celebrating the Success that is the GOMORA founded Sneaker, iBathu". News24. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
12. "ENTREPRENEUR: Theo Baloyi, founder of Bathu Shoes". BusinessLIVE. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
13. Tsakane Ndlovu (1 April 2021). "Walking His Journey". Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023 – via PressReader.
14. "Stores". Bathu. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
15. Buthelezi, Londiwe. "30 stores without funding: How Bathu Shoes soared and opened 24 branches during a pandemic". Fin24. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
16. Staff Writer (16 July 2022). "Bathu CEO, Theo Baloyi, appointed board member of SACSC - Azhizhi". Azhizhi. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
17. "Bathu's founder Theo Baloyi's privilege hour with Kgalema Motlanthe!". Mgosi. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2022.