Young Future Leaders

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Washington Fellow Faith Mangope is a young professional with an intellectual climate to back up her captivating broadcasting skills. 

She is currently the anchor of “News Hour With Faith Mangope” on ENCA. She is also the Head of Business Development at the urban and innovative digital radio station, Massiv Metro as well as former host of e.tv’s breakfast television show, Sunrise. 

Faith Mangope has been recognized as one of the Top 200 South Africans by the Mail and Guardian as well as Top 100 Young South Africans by the Independent Newspapers.

Following her induction as a Washington Fellow, Faith was the first South African to be solicited to intern at Africa.Co, an entrepreneurship organization powered amongst other institutions, by the US State Department as well as Global Entrepreneurship Week. 

Faith Mangope is the founder of FTA Media Communications, a media and Public Relations related corporation, as well as the New G in Business Forums. 

Faith Mangope is also the founder of the New G App, a mobile application designed to provide access to job opportunities for graduates on their mobile device. 

She is also a faculty member at Ivy League institution, Duke University, where she not only facilitates content to top company executives but also produces learning programs for partners of the University. 

Her latest endeavor is The Faith Mangope Technology and Leadership Institute where she has partnered with multinational Fin Tech company, XH Smart Technology Africa. 

Listen to Faith's Interview on Soundcloud, Youtube and Vimeo 

Kwena is the SAP Next-Gen Director for the Africa region. In her role, she partners influential organisations within the private and public sectors, civic society, academia, youth, startups, accelerators and incubators, to collaborate, develop youth tech skills and seed-in disruptive innovations linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

She is the Regional Lead for the Global Gender Agenda, a collaboration with UN Women which aims to leverage innovation and technology as an enabler to inspire and empower women and girls through public-private partnerships.

She is also a Non-Executive Director at Moment Business Consultants an organisation that provides business consulting services to startups and SMEs in South Africa.

Kwena has more than ten years overall industry experience. As a former management consultant, she has worked with business leaders across various industries to solve critical business challenges.

She is considered amongst the top 1% of Africa’s youth leaders, having been selected as a Mandela-Washington Fellow- the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative, as well as an Afrika Kommt Fellow, a German-led program to develop future leaders of Africa.

Kwena is an international conference speaker having been invited as a keynote speaker and panellist at various international events. She is a spokesperson and thought leader on the topic of empowering youth, women and girls.

Kwena is a change multiplier who is passionate about empowering Africa’s youth and women through skills development, innovation and technology as a key driver in unlocking economic growth on the Continent.  

Listen to Kwena's Interview on Vimeo, Youtube and SoundCloud

Simidele Adeagbo is paving the way for future generations, focused on empowering women and leveraging sports as a game changer for societal transformation. 

As a trailblazing Olympian, visionary business leader and sport and social justice advocate, she harnesses the power of sport as a unifying and transformative force to inspire youth, build communities, and create social change. 

Adeagbo blazed an unconventional path of service through sport, making Olympic history at the 2018 Winter Olympics by becoming the first Nigerian Winter Olympian and the first African and Black woman to compete in the sport of Skeleton at the Winter Olympics. 

With a strong track record of leadership at one of the world's most recognizable brands (Nike Inc.), Adeagbo aims to unleash the potential of Africa's youth through elevating powerful female athlete stories and breaking the barriers of traditional, societal and cultural norms that limit access to sports for women. 

As a sport and social justice advocate, Adeagbo is recognized as a female athlete defying convention and for her involvement in game changing community networks and non-profit organizations that uplift women and youth.  

Listen to Simidiele's  Interview on Soundcloud, Youtube and Vimeo 

 Sphesihle Nxumalo is a Firebrand Pan-Africanist, Liberal Meritocrat and a Progressive Constitutionalist. Without a doubt, many of the projects and activities that he has been and is currently involved in as well as his leadership thought locate him within these labels.

Sphesihle has been a very active young person from his high school days. He participated in many debate and academic competitions. He has received many accolades over the years. 

He appeared twice on the then “Matrics Uploaded” show (now called “Geleza Nathi”) which aired on SABC1 – winning the show twice in a row. 

Sphesihle graduated high school with 6 distinctions and became one of top 10 outstanding learners in the Gauteng East District – for which he was recognised at the Gauteng East Department of Education awards in 2012. 

He was also the top performing learner in his school (Dr Harry Gwala Secondary Schoool in Daveyton), scooping all the academic awards for which he was nominated. 

He received a scholarship from the Gauteng City Region Academy in partnership with the Skills Education Training Authority as well as from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) to undertake his LL.B (Law) studies at Wits. 

He was also awarded a Peermont Education Trust scholarship to complete his final year of study. He graduated in the top 10% of his LL.B class in 2016 and was awarded the Dean’s List Merit Award.

Before completing his LL.B studies at Wits, Sphesihle interned in multiple law firms in Johannesburg. He was then signed by ENSafrica, Africa’s largest and top-tier law firm to do his articles of clerkship with the firm. 

Subsequent to his articles, he was offered an Associate position with the firm. He is also an Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa.

His work as an Associate Attorney at ENSafrica’s competition/antitrust practice includes advising on the notifiability and compilation of merger transactions to the competition authorities in various jurisdictions including South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and the regional regulatory body COMESA. 

Sphesihle’s experience further extends to advising on prohibited practices (i.e. cartel conduct, restrictive vertical practices and abuse of dominance), dawn raids and compliance programmes in relation to South African competition law. 

Sphesihle also contributes written articles to local publications including Business Law and Tax Review and is a contributing editor of the Butterworths’ Competition Law Reports.

Over the years, Sphesihle has participated in numerous constitutional, political and social discourses with highly-esteemed panels, including Judges and Parliament Ministers debating issues ranging from political activism, race, gender inequality, to the land issue – issues which he considers to be at the centre of our vociferous constitutional debate. 

In his personal capacity, Sphesihle has made significant and extensive literary submissions to different bodies in the country, including the Constitutional Review Committee, pertaining to the expropriation of land without compensation issue. 

Moreover, Sphesihle served in several leadership structures (for example, he served as Chairperson of the Students Christian Organisation at Dr Harry Gwala Secondary School, Academic Officer and Deputy Chairperson of the Mpumalanga Students Association, Mentor Coordinator of the Law School Council, Creativity Team Leader at the Christian Action Fellowship, etc.) and was appointed as a Lead Mentor by the Counselling and Careers Development Unit of Wits University as well as a Students’ Legal Counsel, representing students facing disciplinary action before the Wits Students’ Disciplinary Committee chaired by a Professor of Law. 

He has provided mentorship to many students who are now professionals making significant strides in their respective fields of work. Furthermore, he was a Tutor at Wits University – tutoring 3rd year law students. He also tutored high school learners in Midrand on weekends as part of an initiative by a non-profit organisation called “IkamvaYouth”, which aims to increase the collective skill level of the population, to grow the national knowledge base, and to replicate success in more communities.

Sphesihle was instrumental in the establishment of Kgololo Academy (which means “to set free”) located in Alexandra, Johannesburg. He was recruited by The Khulula Foundation (a public charity founded in Washington, DC and operating in both the United States and South Africa. Its mission is to develop the next generation of change agents from low-income communities in South Africa by providing them with a transformative, university preparatory education within the community) and became part of the team that conducted surveys and provided administrative assistance in making Kgololo Academy a reality.

Considering his visible social and leadership footprint, Sphesihle was nominated and chosen as one of News24’s top 100 ‘Young Mandelas’ (Young Leader) in South Africa under the “Leadership” category. This recognition aims to honour young leaders who dedicate efforts to make a difference in South Africa through the leadership, creativity, resilience, vision and compassion shown over time and, as such, embody the spirit of Tata Madiba. 

As a top 100 ‘Young Mandela’, Sphesihle will be working on a new youth-focused social impact project facilitated by Naspers, which seeks to leverage the power of technology to find solutions to some of the most pressing issues youth face in South Africa.

Sphesihle has recently been selected and chosen, from a pool of 7,000 young people in the whole of Africa, to be part of The African Union Youth Volunteer Corps (AU-YVC), a continental development program that promotes youth volunteerism in Africa. 

The program aims to deepen the status of young people as key actors in Africa’s development targets and goals, enhancing their participation in policy developments as well as design and implementation of relevant interventions towards the African Union’s Agenda 2063: ‘The Africa We Want’. It brings people together to share skills, knowledge, creativity and learning to build a more integrated, prosperous and peaceful Continent driven by its citizens. Young African professionals are recruited to serve for a period of 12 months as African Union Volunteers in an African Union Member State other than their own.

 
Listen to Sphesihle's interview on Vimeo, Youtube and Soundcloud 

Born and raised in Durban, Kwa Zulu Natal, Kerusha holds an LLB from the University of Kwa- Zulu Natal. 

She started her career as a legal advisor for Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club and during her time there became legal advisor for the Motsepe Group, which includes the following companies: African Fashion International, African Rainbow Minerals, Motsepe Foundation and Ubuntu-Botho. 

Having signed with a modelling agency when she was 16, Kerusha kept modelling and media as a parallel  to her legal career. She was a 2016 Miss South Africa finalist and has done work for brands such as Nedbank, Clicks, Shower to Shower, Momemtum and Italian brand Freddy Jeans. Kerusha is still a model with D&A (CPT) and Pace (JHB). 

Kerusha decided to leave Sundowns and the Group in June 2017 to start her own Consulting agency, KKG Consulting, where she could focus on Consulting for companies within the labour and commerical space. This also allowed her time to pursue a career in media. 

Becoming a television presenter was a natural progression for Kerusha as the entertainment world was always close by because of her modelling career. SABC3's Mela made her a presenter in August 2017. "The best thing about being a presenter is the ability to hero the stories of so many people who may lead seemingly ordinary lives but are doing extra ordinary things."

Kerusha is an advocate for women empowerement and regularly does workshops and motivational speaking in order to help women find their power in the workplace. Her message about breakingthe stereotype of bi-polarizing women, comes from her own experience of not being taken seriously by the business community because of her dual career in media. 

She has worked with many foundations and believes strongly in the tangible and sustainable development of children and young adults. Currently, she teaches Chess-Education for an hour on Mondays at Kids Haven in Benoni.

Kerusha was appointed to the South African BRICS Business Council Degregulation Working Group in March 2018 and represented the country at the Mid term meeting in Shanghai in March 2018 as well as the July 2018 Meeting that took place in Durban. 

Listen to Kerusha's interview on Vimeo, Youtube and Soundcloud

Samukelo Zwane is the Head of Product Development at FNB Wealth and Investment Management Solutions, a division of FNB, which is responsible for providing investment solutions to enable clients to meet their financial goals. 

Samukelo has extensive knowledge in investment product development having filled up similar positions in Discovery and Glacier by Sanlam. 

Samukelo holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Actuarial Science from the University of Pretoria and he intends to complete his actuarial exams with the UK based Institute and Faculty of Actuaries which will enable him to qualify as a Fellow of the Institute of Actuary. 

He obtained a Master in Financial Mathematics from the University of Cape Town, his Master’s thesis was titled “Accurate Estimation of Risk When Constructing Efficient Portfolios for the Capital Asset Pricing Model”. 

Most recently, Samukelo completed a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree with the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. His MBA thesis was titled “Asset Growth and Cross Sectional Stock Returns on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange”.

He fulfils non-executive directorship roles in Mangethe Group and Uprise Africa. Uprise Africa is an equity crowd-funding platform, a first of its kind in South Africa, it enables entrepreneurs to access equity capital in a cost-effective manner. 

Similarly, the platform provides investors with comprehensive information about entrepreneurial ventures, which have a high potential of being successful. Mangethe Group is an investment holding company, which has interests in engineering consulting and construction. 

Mangethe Group’s ultimate aim is to be a diversified investment holdings company with interests in various sectors where it makes meaningful contribution.

Samukelo is a member of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries(IFA), Association of South African Actuaries (ASSA) and Institute of Directors South Africa(IoDSA). 

Listen to Samkelo's Interview on Vimeo, Youtube and Soundcloud

Samke Mhlongo is Founder and Chief Executive of The Next Chapter (“TNC”) Wealth Partners – a consultancy that draws on various industry experts to provide financial wellness and coaching services to individuals and small businesses. 

Through her consultancy, this ex-private banker and SETA accredited trainer has established herself as an international wealth coach whose repeat clients include Anglo American and Standard Bank, and whose presentations have been delivered across South Africa through to Kenya and Cyprus.

Her business accolades include being named MIPAD Top 100 Most Influential Persons of African Descent Class of 2018, Entrepreneur Magazine Top 50 Black African Women Entrepreneurs to Watch 2018, and Brand SA “Play Your Part” Ambassador in the field of Entrepreneurship.

Mhlongo also promotes financial literacy as resident finance columnist for BONA magazine; a South African glossy with over 3 million readers; and as presenter of the daily FreshBIZ report on Metro FM, South Africa’s largest commercial radio station with over 4million listeners. 

Mhlongo sharpened her finance expertise during her 7-year tenure at Investec Specialist Bank and Asset Manager. She is also the youngest board member of state-owned mineral research technology agency MINTEK and sits on its Audit & Risk Committee. 

Mhlongo holds an Accounting degree from the University of Cape Town, Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Wits Business School, and an MBA from the same college completed with a dissertation titled Factors contributing to over-indebtedness of black South African females.

Listen to Samke's Interview on Soundcloud, Youtube and Vimeo 

Koketso is a young person who is passionate about adding value in the lives of young people and have taken leadership seriously from such a young age with various involvements, including the Student Representative Council. 

At the age of 15 Koketso won a national letter-writing competition by Post Office which resulted in prize money for my school at the time, which they used to build a school. The school hall has since been named in Koketso's honor (i.e. Koketso Mbewe Centre).

Being such a big fan of the sciences, Koketso is now in pursuit of a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering at the University of Pretoria. Her university experience has truly challenged her to want to be no ordinary graduate and to strive to exhaust my talents, because of the challenges I experienced and managed to overcome; failure being one of them.

Koketso founded Youth Leadership Investment Network (YLIN) in 2016, which is a social enterprise that works with primary school kids throughout to youth in high school and university with the objective of fostering a mental paradigm shift in terms of how young people perceive themselves relative to their circumstances and communities, their attitude towards learning and living responsible lives. Three main pillars are of priority in our programs: Health education, Leadership (of the self and others), and Moral regeneration.

In the same year, Koketso was selected as one of the top ten young social entrepreneurs by Monash South Africa (MSA) in partnership with Youth Action Net and International Laureate Universities through the Leading Entrepreneurship for African Development (i.e. MSA LEAD) Fellowship, making the first cohort of this Fellowship. 

Koketso was also honored to be one of the judges for the 2017 cohort of the Fellowship. It has also been a privilege to be selected among only three youth to represent the South Africa at the 2016 Annual Youth Dialogue by the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS). Youth over 45 African countries were convened in Tanzania to engage on issues of elections of governance. 

This convening was significant as it asked of us (the youth) to scrutinize our role on pertinent issues on which we have the power to influence. This continues to be a topic of interest as leadership starts with understanding our responsibility and refusing to be sidelined from the decision-making processes of our countries and ultimately of Africa.

In 2017 Koketso was enlisted as one of the 100 Faces of Impact among young people under the age of 25 from various countries across the world, by Impact Squared. In the same year I was on the list of Mzansi’s 100 Top Youth of inspiring and aspiring leaders under the category of Healer, by The Young Independents, a division of The Independent Media Group. 

Koketso has also been acknowledged as one of 100 Young Mandelas of the Future for 2018 by News24 under the leadership category, acknowledging the work I do with Youth Leadership Investment Network and other entities with which Koketso has been honored to work. This honor further affords Koketso the opportunity to participate in, and help shape, a new Naspers youth-focused social impact project that leverages the power of technology to find solutions to some of the most pressing issues youth face in our country. 

Currently, in addition to managing Youth Leadership Investment Network, I serve as the Chairperson of the executive committee for an NGO called Gap Bridging Associates, whose mission is life-skills facilitation and research, building local and global partners and working also with young people in and out of schools. Koketso co-founded a supply-chain development company, Sulani Investments, 100% female-owned and driven by female empowerment, for which I am the Branding & Marketing director. 

Furthermore, Koketso works with the University of Pretoria Business Incubator, as Social Media and Marketing manager but also working as part of an integrated team; the incubator serves to help and support students of the University of Pretoria who are running businesses or have business ideas they want to make practical. Support is given in the form of resources (books, online courses, workshops, training, mentorship, among others).

Previous involvements and supported organizations include volunteering with Pledge a Pad — a society that support girls in schools and homes with sanitary towels through pad-drives and other fund-raising means; workshop facilitation on Presentation Skills for GirlCode for young females in institutions of higher learning and young professionals, in preparation for their 2018 Hackathon (collaborative computer programming competition); Lean in Chapter @ University of Pretoria sharing insights from her experiences on business development through their Women in Business event; Techno Gilr Alumni Program, for which Koketso is still an ambassador, advocate and beneficiary of the primary program, TechnoGirl, which works on empowering and informing girls in high school about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and further affords them job-shadowing experiences with companies in these fields. 

 Listen to Koketso's Interview on Soundcloud, Youtube and Vimeo  

Lunga is an advocate and a member of the Johannesburg Bar. He previously served as an in-house counsel at the Constitutional Litigation Unit of the Legal Resources Centre. 

His areas of interest include constitutional law, administrative law, class actions, land and housing rights, mining law and customary law. 

He has appeared before various High Courts around the country, the Land Claims Court, the Labour Court and the Constitutional Court. 

Lunga has also appeared before the Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education, the Commission of Inquiry into the Traditional Leadership Dispute in respect of the Bakgatla Ba Kgafela Community and is currently one of the evidence leaders in the Commission of Inquiry into Tax Administration and Governance by the South African Revenue Service.

Lunga is dedicated to to using the law to attain social justice and to improve the lives of people from marginalised communities. He has represented people from marginalised communities in public interest and constitutional law cases. 

In July 2018 Lunga was recognised by News24, South Africa’s largest news website, as one of its “100 Mandela’s of The Future”. This was in celebration of the life and legacy of the late former President Nelson Mandela.

Lunga is also the co-founder of JustLaw, a legal rights advocacy platform dedicated to bringing the law to the people by educating the public about South African law and how to access justice through weekly podcasts that cover a variety of legal topics. JustLaw is also a crowdfunding platform that is dedicated to providing individuals, communities and organisations with a platform wherein they can crowdfund legal expenses relating to their cases. 

JustLaw leverages on the unique power of the internet in order to achieve universal access to justice 

 Listen to Lunga's Interview on Soundcloud, Youtube and Vimeo 

Jason is the CEO and co-founder of CG Holdings, an owner-manager led group that holds shares in a number of companies directly owned and operated by its directors and senior managers. 

Today the CG Holdings group of companies employs more than 3000 people in 6 operating companies across the EMEA region.

Based in Dubai, AL LAITH provides event overlay solutions (temporary scaffolding grandstands, mega stages and event facilities to global partners such as the PGA and has an access equipment sales and rental division.

Across Europe, the Middle East, and SE Asia, the IRIS Group (based in London) provides managed drone services doing inspections and providing specialist consulting knowledge on military unmanned equipment.

In Africa the group has investments in a suite of industrial services businesses under Prommac, New Age, EC&I which provide Project Management, Mechanical, Welding, Electrical and Instrumentation solutions to large industrial clients in the mining, petrochemical, energy and paper industries and also has UAV (drone) operations.

Jason has spoken at and attended International seminars in South Africa, Scotland, England, San Francisco, Canada, Singapore, Dubai and Los Angeles to name a few.

Jason become a Mechanical Engineer whilst serving as a member of the South African Police Services. He was a qualified paramedic and now holds a project management qualification and has a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). He is also a qualified helicopter and commercial drone pilot.

Jason currently serves on the EXCO of the Young Presidents Organisation (YPO) and was selected in 2017 as one of only 250 global leaders to be part of Peter Diamandis’s mastermind of exponential entrepreneurs. Jason holds EXCO posts on the YPO Global Deal and Opportunity Network headed out of Chicago as well as the YPO Global Entrepreneurship & Innovation Network in Silicon Valley. Jason has been featured on numerous media platforms including Entrepreneur SA and CNBC. 

 Listen to Jason's Interview on Soundcloud, Youtube and Vimeo  

Oletilwe Mogashoa is a Senior Business Development Manager at Old Mutual South Africa. 

She has over 9 years’ experience in the financial sector and her corporate related work includes: Corporate Consulting, Client Relationship Management, Client Service, Risk Management as well as Financial and Collateral Management. 

She holds a Bachelor Degree in Finance from the University of Johannesburg and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management specialising in Corporate Governance from Monash University. 

She has currently enrolled with the University of the Free State to pursue her Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning. And obtain a CFP designation (Certified Financial Planner). 

Ms Mogashoa is a social entrepreneur at heart and she sits on the Board of the Johannesburg Child welfare(JCW) as an Honorary Treasurer, within her personal capacity. 

Furthermore, she runs Owning It2, a company which is committed to providing mentorship and career development, as well as exposing disadvantaged students to various institutions that can provide aid in the form of bursaries, scholarships and student loans for university studies. 

Amongst her other accomplishments, Oletilwe has presented and been featured on numerous television shows, namely ‘Green Intentions’ on SABC International; a youth program on SABC 2 called ‘Hey SA’ and a youth talkshow called ‘Sista-Hood’ on ETV. 

She is currently a resident judge on an entrepreneurial and educational game show called ‘Game Plan’ on SABC 2. Lastly, she is also the executive producer and host of an online TV Show called 'Secrets to Success' of which she founded. She is known amongst her peers as a pragmatic, astute and strategic individual.

Listen to Oletilwe's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Tanya Kunze is a top neuroscience coach and highly sought-after global keynote speaker, educator and thought leader, and expert in the fields of consciousness, leadership and transformation. 

Tanya is known for her educational seminars and has coached thousands of corporate employees. Tanya has spoken at many events and has been interviewed on various news channels on business development, leadership, transformation and woman in business over the years. 

She is the former CNBC Africa anchor of her series, “Healthy Business’, which focused on the financial benefits of corporate wellness.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

·  Panel Expert: Sales Enablement Soireè (San Francisco 2019)

·  Judge at BESMA (British Excellence in Sales Management Awards) (London 2019)

·  Author of the BIG 5 Smart Selling Series USA panel (Chicago 2019)

·  Cover of Revolution Magazine (Global 2019) in 16 countries and reaching 50,000 readers in 48 hours

·  Feature supplement in the 4th Revolution Magazine (Global 2019)

·  Regular editorial content provider Revolution Magazine (Global 2019)

·  Interviewed on eTV morning show (2019)

·  Panel Expert: Sales Enablement Soireè European panel (London 2019)

·  Speaker at the Sales Innovation Expo (London 2019)

·  Redefine Innovation Challenge mentor (2019)

·  Interviewed on the Matt Brown Show ‘sales-neuroscience’ (2019)

·  Tanya’s ground-breaking advancements in business development were published in a feature in Leadership Magazine (2018)

·  Interview on ‘Signature Africa TV’ (London 2017)

·  Article in Financial Mail (2017)

·  Featured in Destiny Magazine (2017)

·  Momentum roadshow MC (2010)

·  Keynote speaker at the coach and mentor’s association of South Africa (2017)

Due to her philanthropic and Women in Business focus;

·  Life Luxury & Style Magazine selected her as one of the top 40 most inspirational woman in South Africa (2019)

·  Interviewed on the Matt Brown Show, ‘Women of Steel’ (2019)

·  Nominated as a LinkedIn ‘Wonder Woman’ (2019)

·  NEWS24 Women’s month profile: Tanya Kunze (2018)

·  Interview eNCA ‘Morning News Today’ with Uveka Rangappa Transformation in the Workplace (2018)

·  Noticed on an international platform and elected as a LinkedIn Goodwill Ambassador (2017)

·  GIBS (Gordon Institute of Business Science) Bizschool coach

·  Ambassador for La La Lux clothing

·  Interviewed on SABC ‘Women and work/life balance’

BOOKS

- Own your Sales Power (Available on Amazon)

- Head Over Sales (Available on Amazon)

 Listen to Tanya's Interview on Soundcloud, Youtube and Vimeo  

Stephen Yeboah is the co-founder of Commodity Monitor, a tech-based business that uses data analytics to generate exchange of information on sustainable production, supply and consumption of commodities in Africa, including mining, oil and gas. 

Commodity Monitor utilizes blockchain technology to assess the opportunities and challenges along the global commodity value chain.

Stephen was selected as LinkedIn Top Voice on ‘Economy and Finance’ for 2017/2018, with more than 450,000 followers. He was also selected as part of 30 under age 30 emerging Ghanaian Talents in the world by the UK-based Future of Ghana.

He has about ten-year experience in research and policy analysis in Africa’s extractive sector, agriculture, energy, climate and was a Research Fellow at the Africa Progress Panel (APP), a non-profit chaired by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, from September 2013 to July 2016.

As part of the work for the APP, he engaged in policy research, communications and stakeholder liaison at the highest level towards driving Africa’s agenda in agriculture, energy, climate, natural resources and sustainable development in the global context. 

Stephen has also worked as a research consultant at the African Natural Resources Center of the African Development Bank (AfDB), where he assisted in projects like the value chain analyses and the use of financial modelling in Africa’s extractive sector.

He has published more than 100 articles, blogs and papers on energy and climate, finance, agriculture, natural resources governance and sustainable development in Africa and holds a Master in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), Geneva, Switzerland.

He is currently undertaking a doctoral study at the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration (IDHEAP), University of Lausanne, Switzerland, researching on the politics, institutions of mining and the outcomes on Ghana’s development.

Listen to Stephen's Interview on Soundcloud, Youtube and Vimeo 

Adriana holds a MSc – summa cum laude – in quantum cryptology and a PhD in quantum biology. Her postdoctoral research focused on quantum effects in photosynthesis as well as the origins of prebiotic molecules and life itself. 

As Head of Innovation at SAP Africa she is passionate about exploring innovative applications of emerging technologies to challenges facing the continent.

Adriana has authored numerous academic and popular science articles on her research, and has received a range of research awards, including the global L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science award in 2015, and the Royal Society of South Africa Meiring Naude Medal in 2016. 

Adriana is also a faculty member of Duke Corporate Education, volunteers as a board member of the Match4Action Foundation to accelerate social impact and director of the Foundation for Space Development South Africa, an exciting initiative of which is the Africa2Moon project.

Since childhood, Adriana has dreamed of living on another planet, and is currently one of the 100 Mars One Project astronaut candidates in the running to move to the red planet in the next decade. 

She is grateful for the platform she has as a scientist, innovator and Mars One candidate to inspire school children, teenagers and adults around South Africa and globally to get excited about the future, believe in their dreams and remember Nelson Mandela’s words – “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

Listen to Adriana's interview on Soundcloud,  Youtube and Vimeo  

Tshepo Matseba is the Marketing and Communication Executive at Old Mutual Insure, a wholly owned subsidiary of Old Mutual Limited. 

Prior to his current position, he was the Head of Brand and Reputation at the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (FPI). He also served as Corporate Reputation Strategist at M&C Saatchi Abel. 

Tshepo has held various prominent positions in the PR industry including: two years as the President of the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) and a number of  senior roles including MD at Reputation 1st, a boutique strategic communication and reputation management consultancy, Business Editor of The Afropolitan magazine and Editor-in-Chief of The Official NEPAD Yearbook.

Industry experience

Amongst the varied industry positions he has held, he was also the Divisional Director of Marketing and Communication at Liberty Corporate. Before that, he was the Head of Marketing & Communication: Sales and Distribution at Discovery; where he focused on strategic marketing planning & execution, experiential marketing, leveraging sponsorships, media relations, brand management, and digital communication.

With over 17 years expertise across marketing communications, he has served in a range of industries including higher education, financial services, telecommunications, and information communication technology (ICT) in Africa and the Middle East for a number of brands including, Huawei, Momentum, MTN, and UNISA's Graduate School of Business Leadership.

Education 

Tshepo has a number of qualifications, including: a Communication Science degree from the University of South Africa; Professional Management Programme from the University of South Africa in collaboration with the Open Univeristy Business School (UK); a Management Advancement Programme at Wits Business School; Senior Management Development Programme and a Digital Marketing Certificate from the University of Stellenbosch Business School. He is currently completing his BA (Hons) in Business Management at the University of Lincoln, UK.

He also holds the APR (Accredited in Public Relations) status, which is internationally recognised in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia through by the Global Alliance of Public Relations and Communication Management Associations (GA). He is also accredited as MCIPR (Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations), UK. Tshepo is the chairman of the judging panel for the South African Brand Summit & Awards (http://www.sabrandsummit.co.za).

Listen to Tshepo's  interview on Vimeo, Youtube and Soundcloud 

 Wayne Naidoo is founder and CEO of DUKE, one of South Africa’s fastest growing advertising agencies.

Wayne began his career in marketing, as the Marketing Manager of the Cape Town 2004 Olympic Bid Committee. Seduced by the world of advertising, he joined Lowe Bull soon after its inception where he started out in Account Management and grew through the ranks to business development director then moved across into general management. 

During this time he worked on a varied array of blue chip accounts, including Nike, SAB, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Pick n Pay, Nando’s, Heineken and Johnson & Johnson. In 2007, Wayne was promoted to the Managing Director of the Lowe Group and in 2009 filled the hot seat as the Group CEO.

During his tenure, Lowes was placed first in the Lowes Worldwide Network, ranked the No1 creative agency group in SA as well as winning CT agency of the year. Lowes were also ranked 43rd Best ad agency group in the world by the Gunn Report – being the only SA ad agency to have featured over 3 consecutive years.

In Oct 2012, Wayne took up the position of Chief Marketing Officer for newly found afb (now known as JUMO World) – which in a 2 year space has become one of Africa’s fastest growing Fintech companies. After a very successful client stint, Wayne returned to his first love, Advertising, and started DUKE.

Wayne was also the Chairman for the ACA (Association for Communication and Advertising in SA) a board member for the AAA School of Advertising and Chairman of YPO (Young Presidents Organisation).

Wayne currently serves as Vice Chair for the ACA, is a Regional Exco member for YPO Africa and has recently been invited to serve on the Global Advisory Council for Advertising Week based out of New York.

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Zama Khanyile (34) is a fund manager at the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and in she is charge of the uMnotho Fund that deals with acquisitions, new ventures and expansions. 

A Chartered Accountant who studied at the University of Johannesburg and is registered with the South African Institute of Chartered Accounts, she leads a team of 15 investment professionals, carrying out the mandate to improve access to capital for black-owned entities, and she oversees the NEF’s women empowerment fund that finances businesses that are majority owned and managed by black women. 

She sits on a number of boards including that of  Qumbu Mall and the non-profit organisation African Women Chartered Accountants, of which she is the president.

“My role is to increase the number of black female chartered accountants and to implement initiatives that support them in their journey to qualifying, eventually becoming formidable and ethical leaders,” she says.

Khanyile is committed to making a difference in the lives of young, black upcoming chartered accountants and has focused her efforts on making this happen. She plans to continue her own personal growth as a responsible leader and wants to keep on converting her success into significance.

“My family has always been supportive of me and I have had a few women help me find my feet,” she says. “The women who helped me build my career are Futhi Mtoba, Lesego Sennelo, Philisiwe Mthethwa and Hlengiwe Makhathini. These women opened doors for me.”

When asked what advice she would give to young South Africans looking to pursue their goals, she says: “Opportunity often comes dressed as a challenge. You must be prepared to work and to rise to the occasion when the opportunities come to you.” 

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Grant Field has been the CEO of Fedgroup since 2015, having worked for the group since 2002.

Field’s unique approach is informed by his broad experience in the financial services industry, underpinned by his BSc in Engineering, an MBA and years of work within the IT space. 

After joining the company to help set up the IT department, his expertise in the aforementioned disciplines saw him being promoted to the position of Fedgroup’s COO. He was personally responsible for initiating a software project to design a bespoke system specialising in the administration of all Fedgroup lines of business.

In his current position as CEO, Field is spearheading a client-centric, personalised approach to the provision of financial services, which is no longer the industry norm. This is made possible by the independence offered by the Fedgroup business model. In addition, Grant is ensuring that Fedgroup remains at the cutting edge of developments in the financial services space through the integration of technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence), IoT (Internet of things), peer-to-peer models and blockchain, amongst others.

A new generation of socially conscious investors, comprising predominantly millennials, is driving a prolific trend in global investing. They want their money to do good in the world, while still realising a fair return. The trend, known as impact investing, has gained significant traction in first-world markets. 

Grant recently launched Impact Farming on the Fedgroup app – making it easier for South Africans to invest. Impact Farming is an app-based crowdsourcing solution that gives prospective investors the opportunity to own agricultural assets and venture into the renewable energy space. 

Currently, the choice of assets consists of blueberry bushes, beehives where sustainable honey is produced, and urban solar farms that generate clean electricity. A regular income based on the production of these assets can then be earned. This investment can be for as little as R300.

 Listen to Grant's interview on Vimeo, Youtube and Soundcloud 

When Luvuyo Rani opened an Internet café in Khayelitsha – many people told him he was mad. Ten years later, with customers queuing up to make use of these precious resources, he has proved his doubters wrong.

An inspiration to the community, Luvuyo Rani‘s is the ultimate rags-to-riches entrepreneurial tale and his business is improving the lives of many people in Khayelitsha who, without him, would be left to watch the digital age pass them by.

Born and bred in the Eastern Cape, Rani came to Cape Town in 1996 to get a tertiary education and pursue a career in teaching. The entrepreneurial seed was always present, however, as Rani had looked up to his self-employed mother from a young age.

After graduating from Cape Technikon with a National Diploma in Commercial Education, and a B Tech in Commercial Education a few years later, Rani started teaching accounting and entrepreneurship at a Khayelitsha high school while continuing to study a B Tech in Business Administration.

After three years, however, he decided to take a risk and resign, and shortly afterwards he started his business - Silulo Ulutho Technologies - with his brother Lonwabo in 2004.

 Silulo Ulutho Technologies started out by selling refurbished computers and soon expanded to basic IT training and writing business profiles and plans for local businesses. 

In the school’s 7 years 20 000 students completed the 6-month course and this year 1500 people have already enrolled. And again Rani and his partners are struggling to keep up with demand.

In 2006 Rani was looking to improve his own skills and attended the UCT Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB) on a full Institute of Directors (IoD) bursary to add some concrete business know-how to his natural entrepreneurial flair. He maintains that the Associate in Management (AIM) course prepared him to grow his business with confidence.

In 2014, Luvuyo was honoured by the Junior Chamber International one of the Ten Outstandig Young Persons in the world for his work in entrepreneurship. This accolade could not have come at a better time at Silulo celebrated its 10 years of changing lives through technology. 

“We know that there is a hunger for technology in townships and we want to feed this demand,” he adds. “My business partners and I have a vision that will see us opening up Silulo centres in every township and rural area in South Africa”.  

In 2016 Luvuyo has own as the Schwab Social Entreprenuer of the Year 2016, where he attended the World Economic Forum in Kigali, Rwanda in June to receive the award. 

Listen to Luvuyo's interview on Vimeo, Youtube and Soundcloud 

Bradwin Roper currently the CEO of FNB Connect, supporting both Retail and Business Segments in FNB. This critical role includes strategic leadership related to both the business, technology and supplier/partnership aspects of the telecommunications business within the bank. 

Brad is a Chemical Engineer by profession with previous experience from Unilever, within Supply Chain and Research and Development and later in a Business Process Optimisation Engineering role at Barclays Africa. 

He was a recipient in the Mail and Guardian Top 200 young South Africans in 2019 and has an MBA from GIBS. 

In early 2016, Brad was appointed as the CEO of Sales and Service at the Contact Centre where he successfully merged Sales, Service and Business Suites into one consolidated channel which set off the modernisation journey of this channel. 

In June 2017, he was appointed as CEO - FNB Lesotho and led the management of FNB, RMB, Wesbank and broader end to end banking, he was accountable to the FNB Lesotho Board and Regulatory bodies both locally and abroad. 

Bradwin strongly believes in leveraging peoples’ natural talents in an empathic manner and describes himself as a connector or people, business, systems and stakeholders. 

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Nkateko Masinga is an author, publisher, spoken word artist, TEDx speaker, World Economic Forum Global Shaper and 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow. 

She was born in Mamelodi and completed her schooling at Glenstantia Primary School, The Glen High School and Dansa International College. She went on to study Medicine (MBChB) at the University of Pretoria, but her true passion is in the arts.

Her written work is published in the 2017 edition of U.S journal ‘Illuminations’ and is forthcoming in UK pamphlet press ‘Pyramid Editions’ in 2018. She is published in Malawi's Nthanda Review, Nigeria's Ake Review and Agbowo Review, the University of Edinburgh's Dangerous Women Project and is featured in South African journals Type/Cast, Poetry Potion, Any Body Zine, Ja. Magazine and UNISA's Guillotine Magazine.

In 2015, her work was shortlisted for the ‘Respond’ Human Rights Poetry Award 2015/2016, organized by the United Human Rights Student Network (UHRSN).

In 2017 she was a finalist for the 4th Crystal Ruth Bell Residency in Beijing, China.

She has been awarded membership into the Golden Key International Honour Society for outstanding academic achievements.

In 2017, her poem titled “I Wonder If Leaving Home Made Me This Way,” published in American journal "Illuminations" Journal Issue 32, was nominated for the 2018 Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses collection.

In 2016 she started her own publishing company, NSUKU Publishing Consultancy, in order to assist other writers who wanted to get their work published but didn't know where to start. (NSUKU means "gold" in her home language XiTsonga). 

In a few months she had a wide client base with five published books and realised that NSUKU was more than just a consultancy: she was operating as a publishing company. She assisted clients with everything from editing, proofreading, typesetting, layout, getting an ISBN (International Standard Book Number), cover design, printing and distribution. 

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Agriculture for Mr. Samson is more than just food production (zero hunger), it is the foundation for sustainable development, job creation (no poverty), healthier living as well as national development. He believes agriculture must adopt the business mindset, technology, automation, precision, data and be climate smart. 

To this end, Mr. Samson has devoted his time and resources to building modern farms exploring the latest technologies for agriculture, sharing and training others to adopt “the modern agriculture” to ensure together we can use agriculture as a tool to build the nation we so desire. He believes “food production should not be seasonal because hunger is not seasonal”.

Mr Samson is trying to solve a problem many aren't aware exists. In his native Nigeria there is a shortage of fertile land needed to provide food for its ever-growing population of 190 million.

There are only 30 million hectares of farmland under cultivation in Nigeria annually, short of the estimated 78.5 million needed for food production, according to the International Trade Administration of the United States

Says Mr Samson: " This is because we have desertification from the North, coastal encroachment down south, oil spillage, as the middle belt is disrupted by religious, tribal and boko haram crisis. Add to this over grazing, bush burning, hence i say land isn't enough for growing for the growing population."

It is this significant problem that Ogbole is tackling with an unconventional method of farming that involves growing crops in the air.Aeroponics, as this method is known as, is a process of growing plants in the air without the use of soil. 

Mr Samson first got involved in soilless farming in 2014, and two years later founded PS Nutraceuticals  with his business partner, Mr Peter Okocha Jnr, a company that "implements cutting edge agricultural technologies for efficiency in food production to ensure food security."

"Soilless growing entails removing the soil component, bringing in substitutes, and applying fertilizer to enable the plants to grow," he says.

The advantages of this innovation are manifold, according to Mr Samson. "Growing without soil means you can grow [crops] any time of the year," he adds.

"With soilless farming we have been able to push for what you call urban farming, where we now have farms in cities such that we are able to cut off the middlemen and marketers," he says.

"And with soilless farming we have been able to eliminate the pathogens that exist in the soil that naturally affect these crops."

Only 46% of Nigerian soil is fertile to grow crops, according to him, and as such the country must take a step towards self sustainability in food production, as he believes the "war of the future will be fought through agriculture."

It's therefore imperative, he says, that technology plays a more prominent role in agriculture for a variety of reasons.

"We're bringing in technology into agriculture so that the youth can actually see this as a viable option," Mr Samson says.

"We also want to ensure that food production is no longer seasonal, and we're also bringing in smart sensor technologies into agriculture so that you're able to get feedback from your plants."

As a child Mr Samson wanted to be a doctor, but now armed with a degree in biochemistry, a master's degree, and a PhD, he wants to lead Nigeria on the path to increased food production.

"The future of the economy is dependent on the few people who have bright ideas, that can think outside the box for us to latch on," he says. "Money does not solve problems; ideas, solve problems."

Mr Samsonis now involved in programs to encourage youths to engage in agriculture, based on the belief that "people will always eat."

"Food will not go out of style, so this is one sector that will always remain relevant because people must eat," he says.

Mr  Samson is vastly read, B.Sc. Biochemistry Igbinedion, M. Sc. Biochemistry, Ibadan, Common Wealth of Nations MBA, National Open University of Nigeria (in view), PhD Biochemistry, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (in view). Other certificates include Biotechnology from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Introduction to Food and Nutrition from Stanford University, Introduction to population health from The University of Manchester, Greening the Economy from Lund University Sweden, Sustainable Agriculture for year 2050 from Wageningen, Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture from The University of Western Australia
Certification, and Public Health from University at Albany.

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Watch Samson's Innovation Plans for the Future of Farming on CNN

At the age of 30, Senamile Masango is a nuclear scientist who formed part of the first African team to lead an experiment at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research.

She’s been honoured by President Jacob Zuma, and is ploughing on full steam towards her PhD.

Although it seems like she has life all mapped out, it hasn’t always been easy.

Masango was born and bred in the fringes of KwaZulu Natal, KwaNongoma. 

Masango started university as a naïve teenager at the age of 16. Soon she found herself pregnant and failing some of her modules. “I abused the freedom and subsequently lost focus,” she said.

She said university was her only chance of freedom because her father was a strict man who never even allowed sleepovers. Her father was a well-known chief inspector from KwaNongoma.

“He was a principled leader and role model who raised us very well and dropped the seed of education in us. He also taught us the value of ubuntu and generosity.”

But she wasn’t so sure about the decision to go to university at 16. “I would not advise parents to allow their children to attend university at such an early age. Instead, they should rather let them take a gap year.”

After giving birth to her daughter, she took a year’s break from varsity and her mother stepped in when she returned to her studies.

Tragedy struck her last year, when her seven-year-old daughter was run over by a car. Trying to put the heartbreak of losing her child behind her, Masango is now a full-time MSc student in nuclear physics at the University of Western Cape. 

She specialises in investigating the structure of the nucleus, using a technique called coulomb excitation to help understand the nuclear force that is still under research.

President Zuma recently lauded Masango for her remarkable accomplishment. “We congratulate this inspirational young African woman on her excellent achievement and hope that she will serve as beacon for all other young African women to follow in her footsteps and achieve their goals and dreams,”

Masango is the founder and chairperson of non-governmental organisation South African Women in Science and Engineering, which is registered with the department of social development.

Wise Africa, as it is called, serves to promote leadership and role models for young people wishing to enter the fields of science and technology, and increase the scientific productivity and efficiency of women scientists in the third world by conducting surveys and analyses about the status of women and recognising their achievements.

Masango once turned her house into a makeshift study centre for Grade 10, 11 and 12 pupils in her community, to whom she also provided maths and physics lessons and career guidance.

She donated all her high school study material and books to less fortunate pupils who couldn’t afford to buy prescribed textbooks. She also selflessly assisted university entrants with the application process and fees.

“I am passionate about education and contributing to making the South African education system a better one by assisting in improving maths and science pass rates. I want to change the lives of youth in disadvantaged backgrounds, bring science to the people and encourage more black researchers in scarce skills,” she said. “I also want to make education fashionable in my lifetime.” 

Masango is a  Princess by birth from the Zulu Royal household and one of South Africa's successful black woman scientist under 35 years 

Other endeavours in Masango’s pipeline include hosting an educational show with a focus on science, penning a book, travelling the world and gracing the cover of Forbes Magazine. In addition, she dreams of launching a clothing line in an effort to make education fashionable.

Listen to Senamile's Interview on Vimeo, Youtube and Soundcloud

Charity is a vibrant young entrepreneur with a keen interest in the renewable energy and construction spaces. She is co- founder of Strauss Energy Ltd., an award-winning energy enterprise that seeks to alleviate energy poverty in Kenya and Africa at large. 

Ms. Charity is a TechWomen Fellow, registered architect, with an MSc. Project Management in Construction and certification from Babson College’s Centre for Women Entrepreneurs in Boston, USA. 

She indulges in the building and energy industry through reduction of poverty by affording everyone a solar powered roof that can also generate passive income for their home. 

Strauss Energy’s Stima roofing tile is a Kenyan innovation that integrates solar cells into basic roofing material, roofing the home and powering it with clean, green energy at the same time. 

In September 2017, Ms. Charity was nominated as “Business Woman of the Year” by the All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) and was also awarded as one among six “African female tech entrepreneurs” by the World Economic Forum, in June 2017. 

She was also one among 40 most influential women in Kenya under the 2016 Business Daily “Top40Under40”. Because she believes in making a difference in the world, 

Charity is a Rotarian and embarks on service-above-self projects. She guarantees no blackouts, reliable power, lower bills and green energy for all. Not one to shy away from a good challenge, and to maintain a healthy balance in life, she enjoys the outdoors and a good hiking challenge is always welcome. 

Aside from that, Ms. Charity is a mentor to young women and women entrepreneurs who seek to take up challenging STEM careers that will aid in changing the society for the better. 

I’m an entrepreneur, writer and speaker, particularly passionate about transformational leadership and organisational change. I enjoy helping fellow business owners, executive teams and CEOs get the best out of their people, especially in the midst of rapid political, environmental and socio-economic change.

In 2006, after a short and colourful sales career (that included peddling welding machines and earth-moving machinery spares), I took the entrepreneurial plunge and started a company called Cerebra. With a specialist focus on digital content and engagement, Cerebra won numerous multinational accounts and grew quickly to become South Africa’s leading social media agency. In my role as CEO of the business I had the privilege of working with Coca-Cola, Samsung, Toyota, Vodafone, AB InBev, Google, Ford, Huawei, Barclays, and many other remarkable brands. Cerebra was acquired by global advertising giant WPP in 2013.

In 2007 I co-founded a web start-up called Afrigator.com that was acquired by Naspers just 18 months later. Around the same time, I began hosting a popular networking event called the 27dinners, which went on to catalyse business collaborations and relationships through hundreds of successful events.
 

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Daniel Thebe is obsessed with media. But not just that; the Cape Town-based entrepreneur wants South Africans to own and produce the media they consume.

Thebe is the founder of the Township Film Festival: a festival that showcases and celebrates township-owned and inspired films and connects junior film-makers with their more established counterparts.

He started the festival as a way of challenging the South African film industry’s insularity. “There aren’t any platforms in South African townships where local township films are screened, but also the industry is largely white and male-dominated. I wanted to change that.”

Thebe’s obsession with media doesn’t end there. The Raymond Ackerman Academy graduate is also the chief executive officer of online video-on-demand service Uhuru TV.

The online TV station currently has a ratio of 80% international media and 20% local content, but Thebe aims to exclusively air local content in the next five years. At the end of the day, he just wants South Africans to tell their own stories.

“It’s one thing to consume media, owning the narrative behind that media is a different ball game altogether. We’re not there yet, but we’re slowly getting there. It’s about time we told our own stories.”

Thebe’s firm- Uhuru Consumer Electronics has since invested in the TMT sectors. Uhuru’s entities include Isidima Brands Multimedia, Uhuru TV, Uhuru Phones (first and only African owned, controlled and managed smartphone brand in the world), Uhuru Mobile (operational as of October 2018).

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Tshepo Danny Ralebepa (“Mr. Ralebepa”) is a qualified corporate counsel with over a decade of solid legal, risk management and corporate/commercial advisory experience.

Mr. Ralebepa has keen interest in and advises on matters company law, business ethics, governance (with emphasis on legal compliance, due diligence, governance and risk management), business risk management, strategy, legislative compliance, competition & intellectual property law and general corporate commercial litigation. 

Mr. Ralebepa joined Alexander Forbes in their insurance division as a consultant/legal advisor in 2005, upon leaving university. Mr. Ralebepa has gained extensive experience and knowledge in providing legal counselling on products/services in the financial services / insurance sector. 

Mr. Ralebepa then left financial services sector to pursue his interests in corporate/commercial & intellectual property law. Mr. Ralebepa joined the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, Consumer Affairs Division (and whilst working there Mr. Ralebepa successfully completed his practical legal training with the Law Society of South Africa in 2008, a requirement for admission as an attorney). 

Mr. Ralebepa was then called to join Ramsay Webber Incorporated (“the Firm”) in 2009 as a candidate attorney, to complete his articles of clerkship and qualified in the same year qualified for admission as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa. Mr. Ralebepa continued practising law with the Firm, in the areas of corporate commercial and commercial litigation. 

Mr. Ralebepa then was offered a position as an associate in the corporate/commercial department. Mr. Ralebepa worked directly with the senior partner of the Firm in the corporate/commercial department). He then moved on from law practice towards end of 2010 to join the South African Broadcasting Corporation SOC Limited (the “SABC”) in 2010 to become an in-house Legal Counsel in its commercial services department, Legal Services. 

Mr. Ralebepa was in 2013, appointed to a new position of Manager: governance (risk & compliance) in the SABC Group Supply Chain Management Division. Mr. Ralebepa was head hunted and then left the SABC in August 2014 to join Naspers Group of Companies – Video Entertainment, MultiChoice South Africa as Senior Counsel, Group Legal Services, until Mr. Ralebepa left in 2018, August. 

Mr. Ralebepa was head hunted for a, and then joined at Adcock Ingram Holdings Limited as their, Group Legal Counsel (Advisor), in September 2018. In this short sting, Mr Ralebepa was responsible for day-to-day directing and managing the group legal and compliance affairs / matters. 

Qualifications 

· Mr. Ralebepa is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa. 

· Mr. Ralebepa holds BA, LLB & Post Graduate Certificate in Media and Intellectual Property, all obtained from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

· Mr. Ralebepa has also completed Executive Leadership Programme, from the University of Pretoria, Gordon Institute of Business Science.

· Several business management certificates

Achievements (notable)

Mr. Ralebepa was involved in and was responsible for managing (litigation) arbitration as a leading advisor in the matter. The value at stake was over USD25 million. Mr Ralebepa successfully defended the case in the arbitration proceedings. Mr Ralebepa was responsible for the legal strategy in all the litigation and compliance matters under his watch.

Current Occupation / Business Activities

Mr. Ralebepa is currently managing, directing and heading up legal services as General Counsel / Independent contractor for (a new start-up company of University of South Africa) Unisa Enterprise (Pty) Ltd.

Directorship / Council / Board Membership

Mr. Ralebepa was a director of two not for profit organization for combined 3 years and 10 months, all based in Johannesburg. Mr. Ralebepa was mainly responsible for providing philanthropic legal counseling and risk advisory to the board on matters company law, procurement / supply chain and commercial litigation

He is currently serving as a Council Member for Gerson Lerhman Group Inc. an international technology enabled learning company, that provides a platform that connects top professionals with experts through telephonic and face to face conference. 

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Alon Lits joined Uber as its first General Manager in Africa (first employee in Africa, first 300 globally) in August in 2013. 

Alon moved into his role as General Manager for Uber in Sub-Saharan Africa in early 2015. He is responsible for the development and sustainable growth for the business and team across 7 countries and 16 cities. There are over 2.3m riders and 59,000 drivers who make use of Uber's technology across the region.

He began his career in the leveraged finance division of Investec Bank Limited, where he provided debt and preference share financing solutions to public and private companies in South Africa, as well as Africa’s largest private equity funds. Alon is born and raised in South Africa and is passionate about South Africa and Africa. He holds and MBA from INSEAD and is also qualified as an Associate of the Faculty and Institute of Actuaries in the UK.

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Yandisa Sokhanyile (35), born in the rural town of Mt Ayliff, Eastern Cape. She started school at the age of 4 and matriculated at Commercial Park Private School at 15. 

A born entrepreneur, she started selling chips and sweets in primary school and at 10 she was running a mini bakery from home. After studying Computer Engineering and Information Systems, she found her passion Brand Activations and Events . 

She started her first formal business Vibezone Entertainment, at the age of 19. The company became one of the leading artist and brand management companies in the country, competing in the then male dominated industry. Vibezone has been the engine behind some of South Africa’s biggest artists, having shaped careers of stars like Malaika, Siphokazi, Theo Kgosinkwe, Zonke, and many more. 

The company has also managed international events including Bebe and Cece Winans show, Johnny Gill, Anthony Hamilton, Kenny Lattimore, India Arie, Oleta Adams to mention a few. Vibezone became a preferred supplier at the Coca Cola Dome. 

In this time Yandisa also devoted herself in making a difference by using her skills and resources to fight plights of people living with Disabilities through We Are Capable Disability Magazine, until Disability was adopted into the constitution. 

The magazine won a Shoprite Community Builder Award. She also dedicated her time in working with the National Department of Health, raising awareness and fighting the stereotype and taboo around Tuberculosis. 

In 2017 she launched KONECTA (PTY) LTD, a turnkey ICT solutions provider specializing in building Wireless Networks and platforms to gather big data analytics and enable value added services. 

The company is playing a crucial role in providing Free WIFI by partnering with brands and government to bring connectivity to the underserviced areas. 

KONECTA is transforming the Public Transport Industry and developed the first Multi Modal Route planner App in the country for Gauteng Department of Transport. (Gauteng On The Move App) 

With KONECTA she merges her passion for brand development, Consumer behavior, Marketing with Technology, assisting brands and companies to transform into the digital era & navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

She is an Advisory Board Member for Multinational Software Development Company. Always driven by her passion for development and advocacy for the marginalized communities, she founded Iron Sharpens Iron Foundation, an NPO that hosts Motivational Talks in rural communities and also advocates for successful individuals to go back and transfer knowledge and skills in their hometowns / villages. 

Her accolades includes being an IBM Techsacle Candidate for 2019, she has also been named by the Ambassy of Netherlands as an InspiringFifty SA women in STEM and a finalist at the Standard Bank TopWomen Awards for 2019. She hosts a 4IR feature on Umhlobo Wenene FM’s afternoon drive show, unpacking and simplifying 4IR in Xhosa. 

She has also launched the 4IR Simplified platform on social media and provides opportunities, information and communication platform for 4IR. 

Listen to Yandisa's Interview on Soundcloud, Youtube and Vimeo 

Prior to establishing her agribusiness, she previously co-owned a successful headhunting talent organisation called ClientScape for 3 years, which niched in headhunting professional engineers and artisans for the manufacturing, engineering and chemical industries. 

Mbali is a BCom Industrial Psychology Graduate from the University of Johannesburg and also an alumni from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) after being selected from a thousand applicants across South Africa to complete an intensive business boost program sponsored by J.P Morgan. 

In addition to being a successful self- funded entrepreneur for 6 years, Mbali has achieved numerous milestones in business and has been featured on several radio interviews and publications such as: True Love Magazine, Drum Magazine, Farmers Weekly and NuFarmer Africa. 

She is also a two-time finalist for the 702 Small Business Awards with Sage One in 2014 and 2017 and has recently been regarded as the Top 100 Women Changing South Africa, in August 2018 by the Mail and Guardian. 

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Talifhani Banks is the founder and CEO of Analytics Advertising, a multi-disciplinary advertising, marketing, and brand boosting and building agency that is  working with some of the leading Corporate, Emerging businesses and Personal brands in Africa.

Talifhani is an entrepreneur, who, from a young age, established himself in the actuarial and econometrics sphere and reinvented himself in the analytics industry.
 

Talifhani started his career at Daymon Worldwide as a Data Analyst. He then went to lecture at Damelin College, teaching Statistics , Evonomics and Marketing before he moved back to corporate as a Pricing & Promotion Analyst. 

He worked on Brand match, Smart shopper and Analytical models that helped in Marketing and Decision making. He moved from Pick’n Pay to Grohe as a Pricing Analyst and then to Autozone as a Business Analyst where he discovered his calling for Analytics Advertising. 

Talifhani is building the next generation of advertising agencies as Analytics Advertising is growing at a rapid rate and has been hailed as one of the upcoming global brands of the 2020's 

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Tankiso Motaung, Red puppy’s Co-founder and CEO hails from a small village Fateng Tse Ntso in Paul Roux, Free State. 

Raised by a single mother until she her untimely death when he was just 15 years old. Post completing his Electrical Engineering qualification, the constant rejection from prospective employers influenced his unorthodox choice of standing with a placard in hand on Grayston Drive begging for a job. 

His story went viral on social media and landed him a graduate programme with Vodacom's Solutions Management Enterprise Business Unit. He went on to excel as their top achieving graduate. 

He has also served on both the Pension Fund and Youth Exco at Vodacom.  A Solutions Architect by profession, Gordon Institute of Business Science Postgraduate Diploma in Business graduate and Master’s in Business Administration candidate who is passionate about education and entrepreneurship. 

Even with his own hardships and challenges he has faced, he gives back to his community and runs an NPO that assists school kids with the bare necessities and shares his story to remind them that, all things are possible. 

Recognized as one of the 100 Young Mandela’s in 2018 indicates that he is on the right path in his quest of doing his part to make Southern Africa a better place. 

The most inspiring part about his story is how resilient and courageous he has been throughout his journey with so many odds against him. 

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As a graduate trainee in marketing at MTN, Lindelwa Skenjana wanted to study something that would bridge technology and development.

“I wanted to learn and use technology to make the continent better, the dream was either the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund or the United Nations,” Skenjana says of her time after completing her Masters at the University of Manchester.

When she came back to South Africa, she went into the corporate world, joining Old Mutual in 2013. She held several jobs in the financial services giant, including being a marketing consultant, before being appointed as the marketing and stakeholder relations manager for the Masisizane Fund.

The fund aims to provide development finance and business support to small, medium and micro enterprise businesses, with an ownership of 51% by previously disadvantaged individuals, in the agriculture, franchise, supply chain and manufacturing sectors.

When Skenjana took up at the job at the Masisizane Fund, it had no digital footprint. She had to start from scratch, setting up a website and a social media presence.

Being at the coalface of marketing innovation, Skenjana was promoted to Old Mutual’s head of digital innovation just two years later, at the beginning of June 2019.

She speaks firmly about the power that consumers now have in the palm of their hands by way of their smartphones, to check their funeral policies and other financial services Old Mutual offers.

“As much as people like to look at the West for technological evolution, there is great pick up in West and East Africa; the South African market is a bit slower in trusting,” she says.

Skenjana believes the fast pace of digital adoption in financial services on the continent forces companies such as Old Mutual to look around Africa for best practice in artificial intelligence and robotics.

She and a friend formed the Mbewu Movement, a young professional women’s social dialogue forum, in 2012 after several young colleagues approached her for mentoring opportunities.

The forum leaned on the co-founders’ extended networks to hold successful pioneering sessions that included frank conversations about the difficulties women face in rising to the top of their professions.

For the future of information and communications technology policy Skenjana believes a lot more should be done than merely dropping laptops at schools. She advocates for “out of the box thinking”, including public schools having direct links to private schools so that resources such as computer labs can be shared.

Listen to Lindelwa's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

‘As you can see, I love knowledge and learning; I pretty much study all the time,” Maanda Tshifularo says about his five degrees and postgraduate diplomas. He is also pursuing a PhD at the University of Johannesburg, which involves finding financial solutions through artificial intelligence.

Learning was Tshifularo’s ticket out of rural Begwa village, close to Thoyondou in Limpopo. His single mother, who worked as a domestic worker, sometimes came home with just R300 a month for her three children.

“It was incredibly hard — my mom was a maid — I had to travel really far to go to school, and didn’t have much to eat,” Tshifularo recalls.

His love for reading and learning, often while sitting under trees, ensured that he passed matric with five distinctions and was awarded a bursary to study chemical engineering at the University of Cape Town.

He describes going to university as a culture shock, having come from a small village. Tshifularo says he had never seen a lift before and did not know how to operate it, or eat with a knife and fork.

From the rural village, his career has taken him to working in some of the top corporates in South Africa. “I’ve been incredibly lucky,” Tshifularo says. 

While his strength lay in maths, science and particularly physics at school, he soon realised after university that he did not enjoy being a chemical engineer.

After several positions within Deloitte and Mckinsey as a consultant in mining and engineering, as well as working at MTN, he moved to Discovery Health, where he appreciated the exposure to innovation and health insurance.

Tshifularo was headhunted by Telesure Group Services in 2017 and became general manager of operations at 1Life Insurance before being promoted to Dialdirect insurance, where he specialises in short-term cover such as car and home insurance.

He says his career in financial services has now spanned the three major areas of insurance, life, health and short-term cover and he is passionate about this sector, while also doing his PhD to research the industry further.

“Some people know from a very young age what they want to do; for me it was a long and winding road,” Tshifularo explains.

In the hopes of giving young people exposure to the diversity of careers out there, Tshifularo produces a weekly podcast called SuperLead (www.superlead.org) where he interviews professionals ranging from pastors to bankers.

“Hopefully they won’t meander as much as I did,” Tshifularo says about his passion project, which he slots in between his pressured work and study schedule. 

Lazola Tutani currently holds the role of Head of Mould and Bladders Department at Continental Tyres South Africa based in Nelson Mandela Bay, the only tyre plant in Africa belonging to the multinational Continental group. 

At just 28 years old, he passionately leads 50 people in his department, most of whom are much older in age than him. He was entrusted with this department in 2017 and has since introduced innovations to optimise the department. It is young leaders like Lazola who raise the cliche question; Are leaders born or are they made? 

Lazola’s professional career began in 2013 where he was an engineering trainee at Continental Tyres. It is in this role that he met an Engineering Manager at Continental who took particular interest in challenging him with projects above the typical scope of a trainee but, through hard work and determination, he always excelled and found himself equal to the tasks. 

In 2015 he was subsequently employed as a shift manager, which is where he began to lead people. Lazola has completed short courses in Quality Assurance, Lean Manufacturing and several Leadership programmes and is enrolled in the Nelson Mandela Business school to further his education and expand his scope not just in the operations of the business but also in the finance, HR and legal aspects.

Raised by a single mother in the Eastern Cape, who on a mere educator’s salary endeavored to give Lazola and his younger brother a good education and expose them to much more than their backgrounds provided and also encourage their dreams. 

He finds inspiration and insight for his leadership journey through books like Jim Collins’ Good to Great and Betting On A Darkie by Mteto Nyathi. 

Listen to Lazola's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Rianette has been sharing the cyber safety message since 2015 at schools, conferences and corporates with the aim to save lives by creating awareness for responsible digital citizenship. 

She founded SaveTNet Cyber Safety after she heard of the shocking statistics of young people who commit suicide because of cyberbullying and has been the driving force behind SaveTNet, which offers help to cybercrime victims through a NETwork of professional services. 

Rianette is seen as a thought leader in the cyber safety space and is a front runner also working on issues such as smart cities, eSports and Gaming. 

Her book on digital parenting empowers parents and she offers parenting training sessions. 

Listen to Rianette's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

• Relebogile Mabotja also known as ‘Lebo’ was born and bred in Pretoria, South Africa.

• She has been entertaining audiences since the tender age of 5years old.

• Her breakthrough came in 2004 when she was cast as a principle role in the stage production Fame The Musical -playing the role of ‘Mabel’.

• In the same year, Relebogile was nominated for a Naledi Award (2004) for Best Newcomer Female and Best Female in a Musical.

• Towards the end of 2004, Relebogile’s bubbly personality led her to present the show ‘Backchat’ on CrazE for eTV.

• Since then, Relebogile has exercised her great acting ability on shows such as Home Affairs, Zone 14, Generations and Afrikaans Sketch Comedy Kompleks, as well as German film, Traum Hotel.

She has grown as a stage performer and performed at productions such as the Afrikaans musical Imbumba/Samesyn,She has also starred as “Pinky- the Shebeen

Queen” in the musical ‘Soweto Story’.

• Relebogile has also emcee’d at corporate events as well as the FIFA Fan Parks during the World Cup 2010.

• Relebogile was next seen presenting Gospel Grooves on ETV and narrating the SABC 2 Christmas Special, The 12 Days of Christmas in 2006.

• Her talent extends to producing for television, commercials and music videos which won her multiple nominations.

• Relebogile has been the voice behind many campaigns such as the theme song for Africa Magic on DSTV and the National Lottery.

• 2011 saw her win a South African Music Award (SAMA) for Best Kiddies Album with African Treehouse and a South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) for Best TV Soap Ensemble with fellow cast for playing lead, Mpumi.

• In her various musical roles, she is an adjudicator and Director on the Board for the National Eistedfodd Academy (NEA), prelim judge for Mnet’s Idols and Music Expert for Mzansi Magic’s Clash of the Choirs Season 2.

• In 2013, Relebogile began her radio career and she found herself as the host of the Early Breakfast Show on 702.

• She also landed her first musical composition gig when she wrote the new channel music for SABC 2’s rebrand through her publishing, television and production company,

Lebotja Media.

• Relebogile went on to work on the title music for shows such as afro Cafe, Making moves and Sunday Chillas.

• In 2014 she made history by becoming the youngest board member on the SAMRO board.

• Relebogile is now a Non-Executive Director at SAMRO, as well as the Chairperson of the Human Resources & Remunerations Committee.

• She was nominated for Music Excellence at the Women Real Architects of Society Awards 2016.

2017 has seen her guest host SABC 3’s Trending SA a few times.

• 2019 has seen her flourish as a News reader and Contributor on Metro FM’s afternoon drive show ‘The Kings Suite’.

• She has recently joined Discovery channel ‘Real Time’, on DSTV 155 as their ambassador.

Listen to Lebo's Interview on Vimeo, Youtube and SoundCloud

Veli Ngubane has not only co-founded Avatar South Africa, but also inspired a new agency offering, YGK, and is part of M&N Brands, a holding company with diversified investments in leading advertising, media and communication businesses.

Veli serves as Advisory Board Chairman at the Red & Yellow School, sits on the IAB’s Transformation & Education Council, is a DMA Board Member and has judged the Loeries, Apex, Bookmarks, Pendorings and AdFocus Awards.

Veli Ngubane was also named in the Mail & Guardian Top 200 South Africans. Veli holds a BSocSci (Politics, Economics & Law) from UCT and a postgraduate Marketing & Advertising diploma from the Red & Yellow School.

Listen to Veli's Interview on Vimeo, Youtube and Soundcloud

Hiten is a driven, determined and dedicated individual whose humility and honesty go far beyond his years.

As an accomplished and responsible leader, Hiten operates with the highest integrity. His knowledge, gained through practical real-life experiences, is used to assist large scale businesses, entrepreneurs, SMME’s and charitable organisations, to be sustainable for the future.

Hiten’s modern approach to empowering individuals through mentorship and hands-on assistance is what distinguishes him as an individual and disruptive leader. His guidance, mentoring and training to businesses and individuals, resonates in the success stories of individuals under his leadership.

His innovative thinking and use of practical and theoretical knowledge to bring new ideas or assist those in business facing challenges - is shown in his proven track record of starting up 3 successful businesses, implementing successful turnaround solutions and strategies at 3 organisations, getting them to sustainable growth levels.

He is an active member on numerous social media platforms engaging with thought leaders and making meaningful contributions on a variety of topics.

Hiten is delivery focused, and his innovative thinking coupled with his passion for modern technology to enhance business operations, both internally and for his clients, sets him above most.

He is destined to soar to great heights as a young confident professional who will help shape the future for others to follow, both here in South Africa and beyond.  

Listen to Hiten's interview on SoundCloud, Youtube and Vimeo

Something momentous happened in my career when the company I worked for retrenched an entire division and my perception of a safe job as a permanent employee was shattered in a single moment. 

After this I wanted to be part of something to help steer the ship but promises that didn’t materialise shattered my perception of the world even further.

This is when I knew I had to create a place where people felt valued, included, a place where both employees and clients truly became part of a thriving community.

Shortly thereafter, a former employer of mine approached me to assist them, and I realised that this was the opportunity I had been looking for all along – to solve pressing challenges quicker and better than anyone else.

This is when I discovered the Power of Transparent Collaboration – and how working together with my clients in the spirit of a true partnership enabled us to build a product 5-times faster than traditional software development.

And leveraging low-code, a new concept that I had been researching for years that was key to delivering their solution in just 16 weeks, instead of 12 months, and within budget.

This revelation changed my outlook to problem solving and software development. My new mantra was to write the least amount of code to solve the problem at hand, and this is how JustSolve was born.

I realized that working smarter, not harder, can assist companies in developing software faster and allow the ever-growing product backlogs to be addressed in a way that traditional development cannot - especially with the global shortage in information technology skills and increased drive for businesses to become more agile.

Through the Power of Transparent Collaboration, we have helped Global Brands in multiple industries establish their Centres of Excellence through mentoring and coaching while co-operating on projects – as a result, our clients managed to deliver their development projects in up to half the time and within budget.

Helped a Global Fleet Management Brand transform 3 key business processes and delivered an integrated solution in 12 weeks instead of 9 months at a major cost saving (160k instead of 3.6 million for in-house development).

Watch Botha's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

I was a performance athlete (parkour) and Professional Stunt man for multiple international films before I started my journey as a Financial Adviser 6 years ago.

After a year my practice was ranked in the top 100 countrywide and in two years from then grew the business to rank in the Top 35 Achiever group of Financial Advisers countrywide with an independent ranking of the top 1% of Financial Advisers worldwide. (MDRT.org)

I’m honored to have helped many people in over 3000 individual and corporate client meetings in a variety of sectors that include financial services, retail, manufacturing, mining, property, IT, Film and sport. I’m passionate about solving money problems and co-creating solutions & strategies that are attainable for clients to achieve their financial freedom – whatever that means to them specifically.

I am most proud of my mission to address the problem of financial literacy in Africa and hopefully the world through my channel called MONEY TALKS WITH NABEEL KHAN. The channel deals with everyday issues people face with money & designed to teach the audience how to live a meaningful life with money by focusing on building the right mindset, habits & education with money. I believe that we need to reignite the awareness and value of effective advice in personal finance and give the power of education of financial planning and money management to all people. The platform gets detailed in a topic to create the “How To” and “why” so everyday people can own their journey to financial freedom.

I also created a Certified Financial Coaching course that is built to teach people to become financial coaches because Financial Planning is great but its half the solution. It’s a prescriptive process that focuses on products, but goals are achieved through emotionally integrated processes linked to each clients’ vision of their financial freedom and planned for by considering the transitions of a customer’s life. It’s a journey specific to each person.

 Follow Nabeel on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Listen to Nabeel's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

As a Chartered Accountant, my experience across various businesses and industries, including property, asset management, finance, start-ups and more has made me into a well-rounded professional. 

I apply various financial management and business development solutions to companies. I understand that every business is different and therefore adapt solutions for modern-day business to the different needs of each company.

Growing up with parents from different cities and cultures, I have had the opportunity to travel South Africa and gain a different perspective, respect and appreciation for diversity.

I am a firm believer in South Africa and that the untapped potential can be unleashed to resolve the levels of inequality and unemployment. However, this will require effort from all of us. 

Assisting the less fortunate, whether by giving your time or money, is extremely important (especially educational initiatives that have the leveraging effect of improving the lives of not only the beneficiary, but also the family of the beneficiary). As long as you are trying to make a positive change (no matter how small you think it is), you are making a difference.

I am also very keen sportsperson and am currently training for my next ultramarathon.

“Umtu ngumtu ngabantu” - A person is a person because of other people. Therefore, I welcome connections as I am always keen to learn, share and grow my network.  

Listen to Uwais' Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Delray is part of the senior leadership team at a world leading financial Institution. He is a Futurist with a passion for self-development, growth and learning. 

He has held various leadership roles in Credit Risk Management and Business Operations. He is experienced in operations management, credit risk, operational risk, strategy development, and engaging with external partners, industry forums and regulatory bodies. 

Delray’s dynamic leadership style has made him successful in leading cross-functional projects, teams and developing future fit talent. 

Throughout his career, he developed a broad set of skills which includes; business analytical thinking, analysing contextual environment, decision-making, development of strategic and tactical solutions, client and partner engagement and relationship management, leadership, adapting to and managing change, identifying business opportunities and developing associated solutions, and project management.

Listen to Delray's  Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud 

Tinyiko Mageza currently holds the role of Marketing Executive at the V&A Waterfront. 

With over 15 years’ experience in Marketing, her career spans across multiple industries include FMCG, financial services, tourism and more recently property development. 

Prior to joining the V&A Waterfront, Tinyiko held senior and executive level positions at various financial institutions but her passion for Marketing was borne at the beginning of her career when she joined The South African Breweries Ltd. 

Tinyiko describes herself as a lowkey activist for kindness (because kindness trumps everything); a curious human, purpose-driven marketer and storyteller. 

Born in the township of Soweto, Tinyiko fell in love with the idea of escapism through words, pictures, music and stories. 

This ultimately led her into Marketing and sparked a passion to find human connections and solve business problems by building commercially impactful purpose-led brands and teams. 

She currently serves as a Board Member for the African Association of Visitor Experiences & Attractions (AAVEA). 

Tinyiko was recently named as one of 20 young marketers and communicators from across the world in PRovoke Media’s (formerly the Holmes Report) Rising Stars list. The Rising Star nominees are individuals who have demonstrated that they are well-positioned to be among tomorrow’s most influential global chief communications officers and chief marketing officers. The 2020 list included nominees from the US, Asia-Pacific, EMEA and the UK.

Listen to Tinyiko's interview on Soundcloud,  Youtube and Vimeo

Cyril Madiba CA(SA) is a chartered accountant with almost 10 years post qualification experience, which has largely been in the banking and financial services industry across auditing, investment banking, finance and change. Secondments to Boston (USA) and Chennai (India) have added an international flair to his experience. 

Cyril currently works at Absa Group's Financial Control unit as a Senior Finance Specialist with a specific focus on the Card Issuing and Acquiring business units within the Retail and Business Bank division. 

Cyril also holds a Harvard Business School certificate on Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies and is a certified life coach through Achology's Academy of Modern Applied Psychology.

Cyril's passion for youth development is evident in the initiatives he is involved with in addition to his role at Absa Group. He is the chairperson of the Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust (CRET) Advisory Board, which provides advisory proposals on strategic and operational objectives to ensure the organization has an even bigger impact in society. CRET, a partner entity of the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation, assists students from disadvantaged backgrounds with funding for tertiary studies and provides holistic support. 

One of his achievements in his role as Chair, was being directly responsible for a significant monetary donation towards CRET, following a moving speech for holistic student support programmes at one of the Foundation's events. 

Cyril has shared a number of platforms with the Foundation founder and President of South Africa, the honourable Cyril Ramaphosa.

Cyril is a founding member of the fund set up by CRET Alumni, comprising of those who were supported by CRET in the past, as a way of giving back. The CRET Alumni Fund has already supported two students with tertiary education funding and produced its first graduates. 

Cyril is part of CRET's mentorship programme where he provides guidance and advice to assist students. Through the Endunamoo School of Accounting and his personal capacity, he mentors aspiring chartered accountants on their journey to qualification.

Cyril is the founder of The Growth Switch, an organisation which assists students and young professionals with academic, career and personal development growth insights. This is done through online videos as well as one on one mentoring and coaching sessions. The initiative was born from the realization that there are critical soft skills that the education system doesn’t teach, yet such skills are important if one is to launch and sustain a successful career.

He is a published author, under the pen name Abidam Liryc, having released two books as part of the "I'm Not Supposed To Be Here" series on Amazon.com which is based on his remarkable life story. He also speaks at career days and webinars to provide guidance to others.

Cyril is an Independent Non-Executive Director on Youth Managers Foundation NPC (YMF) Board. YMF is a non-profit youth development organization founded in 2008 with a vision and objective of developing the leadership skills of young people in order for them to become agents of positive changes in their areas of influence.
 

He serves on the Board of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), as appointed by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation. The mission is to transform NSFAS into an efficient and effective provider of financial aid to students from poor and working-class families in a sustainable manner that promotes access to, and success in, higher and further education and training, in pursuit of South Africa’s national and human resource development goals.

Cyril's contribution to his professional career as well as the development of others saw him being recognised as one of the finalists in the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) annual Top 35 under 35 competition in 2020. This competition celebrates young CAs (SA) who are making a valuable contribution in their communities, as well as to the economy.

Skilled in analytics, writing, problem solving, coaching, mentoring, stakeholder management, motivational talks and advisory, Cyril's mission is to positively impact society such that the lives of others are improved.

Listen to Cyril's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Tinashe Ruzane is the CEO and co-founder of FlexClub, a vehicle subscription marketplace live in South Africa and Mexico, providing its members with flexible monthly access to vehicles from partners such as car rental companies, dealers and financiers. 

Prior to founding FlexClub, he was the Head of Vehicle Solutions for Uber across Europe, Middle East and Africa, leading the design of innovative asset financing products for its driver community.

Listen to Tinashe's Interview on Soundcloud,  Youtube and Vimeo

Stha Mavundla is a vibrant and dynamic South African game-changer, Biological Scientist, Certified Life Coach and an international speaker.

She is the Founder and Managing Director of Zanda Zonke (Pty) Ltd which focuses on transformational game-changing leadership.

Stha is passionate about inspiring and empowering women. Her love for children led to the team incorporating an early childhood development department in the foundation. She believes that the first 7 years of a child's life are the most important years and if proper resources are provided then the child is set up for success. 

She believes this is the greatest return on investment anyone could ever ask for because the world could be incubating the next greatest invention or a cure to an incurable disease in a little creche in a village somewhere. 

Her passion for self-love has resulted in her being called an AFROlutionary which is a visionary with an afro. Her natural

hair inspires many women of colour in corporate to do the same.

One of her natural hair posts on Twitter went viral after being viewed over a million times in a space of less than 72 hours with more than 22000 likes, 3500 retweets and almost 1000 comments.

Many women have since been following her social media pages and reaching out to her where she seeks to inspire and empower women to lead their own lives authentically by powerfully being themselves and going after their dreams.

Listen to Stha's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Prudence Mabitsela – 31 year old female enthusiast, born and bread in Soweto. A young dynamite MD of Dynamic DNA – appears to leave no stone unturned when it comes to identifying opportunities. 

Where does all this drive come from? Partly from the strong women in her life – her mother and grandmother. 

 Believes in empowering and developing the youth to ensure that they have the right skills for the future. The right skills will drive them to be more creative in solving social challenges through entrepreneurship and be gainfully employed in the ICT sector. 

She provides true empowerment through various skills development programmes. 

Prudence believes that change can be done through changing one person at the time. she is currently campaigning to drive more females into the ICT industry using the 4IR4HER platform. 

Watch Prudence's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Godiragetse is the Founder of Goodie Tutors Pty Ltd and the brain child behind AskGoodie, a maths and science call centre platform which Godiragetse and his small team of Edupreneurs believe will revolutionise the education landscape in South Africa.

Goodie Tutors is a tutoring agency which provides extra tutorial classes by offering one-on-one tutoring; university pre-exam workshops and exam-focused math workshops for high school students. 

They differentiate themselves from other agencies by offering sessions to students in exam focused settings – enabling students to be more psychologically prepared for exams.

Through Goodie Tutors he is involved in driving maths and science tutoring programmes in his home town of Hammanskraal and runs maths and science programmes for students at the Uitkoms orphanage and the Soweto Canoe and Recreation Club (S.C.A.R.C) in Johannesburg.

Watch Godi's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Self-taught luxury shoe designer, Mathapelo Pitse's love for footwear has taken her out of corporate and into luxury shoe production.

Pitse, who is the founder and CEO of shoe brand, J'adore D'amour, is one of a growing number of South African designers who are making their mark in fashion, from Thebe Magugu whose designs adorned Issa Rae on her hit US television show, Insecure, to sneaker makers Theo Baloyi and Lekau Sehoana.

"I've always known [since] I was young, that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I was just never too sure what I wanted to do," says Pitse, settling down on her suede sofa, after unloading boxes of shoes on her kitchen counter.

On her feet is a pair of white sandals, accentuated by a long, slim, gold heel. The employer of six explains that the shoe is a prototype that she's testing out for quality and durability.

Her journey to her shoe business has been a long one, that has taken her out of corporate and into a home office in her Midrand flat. The 34-year-old Boksburg, Gauteng native explains that she started working as a receptionist and administrator after matric.

From there, she climbed the ladder until she was a personal assistant (PA) for a few companies. But the entrepreneurship itch continued, and she started her first business Chilli Pepper Bar, serving Mexican burritos, which she had fallen in love with, in the US where she had au paired.

But she soon realised that the food business was not for her, and she sold Chilli Pepper Bar to a friend and decided to go into fashion. Pitse was keen on a swimwear line but that was not quite the right fit either. 

One day, while cleaning out her cupboard with her mother, they both realised that she had almost 300 shoes. 

"And that's when I had my 'aha' moment, I was like 'wait a minute? Why don't I resell shoes?'" she says with a quick smile.

So, she started buying shoes from countries like China, Turkey and Brazil and reselling them for a commission. 

"And then I realised that I wanted to move into retail to understand what selling was all about in the retail industry and that's when I moved from my job, from being a PA to being a sales associate for a luxury brand," she explains. 

She moved on to French luxury brand, Cartier where she worked as a sales associate for three years, before realising that she wanted to design her own shoes and build her own brand.

"I want be a Coco Chanel, I want to be a Christian Louboutin, I want to be a Balmain, something that I can leave behind and people can still carry on with the legacy," Pitse says. 

And so, she put in the work, and launched J'adore D'amour in 2020, making her first sale 15 days after. But she soon found herself in hot water with the public on social media platform Twitter, with some dragging her for the non-South African brand name and what they considered to be exorbitant prices. 

Her prices range from R550 to more than R3 000.

In that moment she learned that she had to tell her brand story well for people to understand. And she had to teach consumers about her pricing strategy, which is based on the amount of effort put into the brand to make the shoe, the quality of materials and the packaging among other things.

In the medium to long term, Pitse says she'd like to expand into brick-and-mortar shops, starting in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. She is also keen on partnering with a retailer to sell her shoes in their stores and then move into the rest of Southern Africa before becoming a global brand. 

She will also launch her own sneaker line, soon.

Her easy-going demeanour and quick laugh make it seem as though it was all smooth sailing for the CEO, but she did find the manufacturing process challenging.

"One of the things I realised from the process [is that] our South African industry, especially the footwear industry, is very crippled, it's on its knees. We used to have a great industry and right now we don't because a lot of importing happens," Pitse says the employer of six.

And so, one of her dreams is to help reignite South Africa's local manufacturing capabilities by having own facility that will make produce her brand and those of other designers.

"There is so much opportunity to build beyond the brand. And I'm in the process of wanting to go into manufacturing locally because I've understood the challenges that I'm having to face with building my own brand but then, what is stopping me from owning the manufacturing space?" she says. 

Watch Mathapelo's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Tinyiko Simbine, Co-Founder and CFO of GirlCode, has over 6 years of experience in the Finance field and has been part of the Management team of GirlCode for 6 years now. 

An initiative that started off as a hackathon to get more girls excited about tech and has grown into a national non-profit organization impacting hundreds of young girls through various initiatives.

Tinyiko has spent the past 6 years managing and growing these initiatives into nationwide, free, volunteer-led, weekend coding clubs designed for females of various ages. 

Initiatives that aim to equip the girls with a strong foundation in digital literacy and programming skills.

Tinyiko is passionate about empowering young females to pursue careers in ICT and is providing them with the skills to innovate the country’s tech industry. 

She is about fostering a culture of learning among the girls as well as bridging the gender gap in the ICT industry. Her aim is to ensure that the less fortunate aren’t left behind in this technologically advanced world.

Her ultimate goal in life is to be an inspiration to others and help change past stereotypes that women currently face in various walks of life, especially in the corporate space. 

Watch Tinyiko's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Sine is a qualified Chartered Accountant (SA), with work experience both locally and internationally. She completed her BCom Accounting degree and BCom Honours (specialising in Chartered accountancy) degree at the University of Johannesburg and then went on to complete her CA articles at one of the Big 4 audit firms (EY). Once she qualified as a Chartered Accountant (CA), she assumed a Senior Consultant role on two international secondments in the USA. 

During this time she gained experience in the following industries: Fast moving consumer goods, retail, logistics, travel, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing.   In June 2021, she joined the EY Capital Markets group in London, United Kingdom. Capital Markets is consulting group for EY’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) operations that is primarily focused on local and cross-boarder IPOs, complex control implementation and specialised accounting transactions. 

Sine joined the group as part of her overall goal of becoming a well rounded CA with exposure in various global markets.  She is also the founder of HAMSINI NA NNE (HNN) https://www.hamsininanne.co.za which works with various schools, academic institutions and businesses to promote literacy in schools.  

The Great African Read is the flagship program that is run by HNN. The program kicks off at the start of the year by holding a national writing competition for grade 10 learners across South Africa and publishing the winning short stories in The Great African Read book series. The proceeds raised from the sale of the books are then used to provide reading facilities in rural schools that are adopted by the program https://youtu.be/vliAmut8BV8.   

HNN has had a positive impact in over 100 schools, has built reading rooms that have benefited over 900 learners and is growing fast.   In 2021, The Great African Read was one of the six finalists across the world that was nominated for the Systematic Joy of Reading Award in Denmark. This was to recognise its overall efforts in advancing the literacy agenda in South Africa.  Over the years, Sine has appeared on SABC’s Morning Live, Northern Natal News as well many other media platforms to promote the literacy agenda in Africa.   

In addition, she has served as an Independent Trustee on the HP South Africa Trust between May 2020 - May 2021. The Trust is focused on encouraging young African women to study Information Technology at tertiary education level. 

Watch Sine's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud