Zandile Mathabo Makhaya CA(SA) (Financial Manager Harmony Gold | Winner of YLC IDEAL Authentic Leader Award 2022 | SAICA 35 under 35 Overall Winner 2022)

Mathabo Makhaya CA(SA) currently holds the position of Group Financial Manager (Health) at Harmony Gold Mining Company where she provides strategic financial oversite to the internal health management of 44 000 employees ranging from occupational, primary and tertiary healthcare provision.

She is an experienced board member sitting on the board of the Mineworkers Provident Fund (MWPF) and various sub-committees thereof (Investment sub-committee and Audit and Risk sub-committee). Her role as the chairperson of the Investment sub-committee at MWPF, where she was tasked to look after R33 billion in assets for around 70 000 members allowed her to champion for diversity, equity and inclusion in the asset management industry through various programmes that the fund has such as incubation of emerging managers and uplifting of diverse asset management companies predominantly in South Africa but globally as well while giving solid returns to members.

She has led the team to expand alternatives and impact investing to enhance returns for members with a corresponding increase in social benefits in targeted areas such as digital infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa among others.

She is also a founding committee member at AOFSA (Asset Owners Forum South Africa) through MWPF representation, which is a voluntary coalition of pension funds in South Africa with the strategic aim of investing in infrastructure projects in South Africa. The total estimated value of the forum is approximately R3 trillion.

She is an ambitious young woman challenging the status quo in a predominantly male industry. She is passionate about transformation, small-business development and impact investing, with a specific focus on gender equality and women empowerment. 

Achievements to date that she is proud of is enabling multiple small businesses to go through enterprise supplier development programmes and contributing to the communities they operate in through small-business development. This led her to win the IWFSA/Young Leaders Connect (YLC) 2022 “Lift up Leader in Business” and the “IDEAL Authentic Leadership” awards for her consistent demonstration of humble and bold leadership and commitment to transformation in her areas of influence. 

She is also the SAICA Top 35 under 35 overall winner for 2022 as she develops influences and leads with integrity. The Top-35-Under-35 competition recognises young CAs (SA) achievers who are not only excelling in their professional capacity, but who are also making a meaningful contribution to society. 

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Mauro Porcini joined PepsiCo in 2012 as its first ever Chief Design Officer. In this newly created position, Mauro is infusing design thinking into PepsiCo’s culture and is leading a new approach to innovation by design that impacts the company’s product platforms and brands, which include Pepsi, Lay’s, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, Doritos, Lifewtr, bubly, Aquafina, Cheetos, Quaker, Mirinda, SunChips, amongst many others. 

His focus extends from physical to virtual expressions of the brands, including product, packaging, events, advertising, fashion and art collaborations, retail activation, architecture, and digital media. 

He leads teams based in New York City, Purchase, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, London, Dublin, Moscow, Il Cairo, New Delhi, Shanghai, Bangkok, Mexico City, Sao Paulo.

In the past several years Mauro has been recognized with a variety of honors and awards for his achievements in the fields of design and innovation.

Amongst them, in 2019 the President of the Italian Republic has recognized Mauro with the title of Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia, an order of knighthood awarded for “extraordinary merits in the preservation and promotion of national prestige abroad, promoting friendly relations and co-operation with other countries and ties with Italy”. 

In the same year he received the Pentawards “Visionary Award” in London. In 2018 he was honored in New York City with the DrivenXDesign“Chairman’s Better Future Award”, given to those individuals that have led Expeditions to a Better Future, working over the last decade to make a difference in the world. 

In 2016, the Italy America Chamber of Commerceawarded him with the “Business and Culture Award”, a recognition given every year to one Italian that has performed in an extraordinary way in the United States in the fields of business and culture. 

That same year he received the “US Design Brand Leader Award”. In 2015, the newspaper Il Giornale named him “One of the 10 Italians that will change the world” while GQ Italy listed him as one of the “30 Best Dressed Men of 2015”.

In 2014, Mauro was included in Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business 1000”, an influential, diverse group of modern Renaissance men and women across the economy and around the globe. 

He was also recognized with the “PrimiDieci Under 40”, an award that celebrates the extraordinary professional and personal success of the ten most distinguished Italians in the U.S. every year.

Since 2013 Mauro has been part of the “Italian Talents in a Foreign Country” community of the Aspen Italia Institute chaired by prof. Giulio Tremonti.

In 2012 Fortune Magazine listed him in the “40 under 40” ranking – its list of “the business’s hottest rising stars” – the only designer included, Ad Age named him in their “Creativity 50” – its list of the “world’s most influential creative personalities” and the PoliMi association of the University Politecnico of Milan recognized him with the Alumni Polimi Awards 2012 for the “great merit of contributing to enrich the Italian culture in the world”. 

In 2011, Fast Company recognized him as one of the “50 Most Influential Designers in America” and “Master of Design” while the World HR Forum in Mumbai presented him with its “Award for Leadership and Innovation.” 

Since its creation PepsiCo’s Design function, led by Mauro, has been recognized with more than 1,000 design and innovation awards – in 7 years of projects – from several institutions around the world. Fortune included PepsiCo in their 2018 “Driven by Design” list, one of only two organizations in the Food and Beverage Industry.

Prior to joining PepsiCo, Mauro served as the first ever Chief Design Officer at 3M, where his mission was to build and nurture a design sensitive culture in a technology driven global corporation. 

The Wall Street Journal’s CFO Journal in 2011called him “the man putting 3M on the design map,” and under his design leadership, 3M made Fast Company’slist of 30 companies that “get” design. 

His teams, based in the U.S., Italy, China and Japan, won many of the world’s most prestigious design and innovation awards.

Mauro’s work has been featured in several books on design and innovation in multiple regions of the world. Amongst others, “Creative Confidence” (by Tom Kelley and David Kelley), Jugaad Innovation (by Simon Ahuja, Navi Radjou, Jaydeep Prabhu), “Il Minimo Sostenibile” (by Gino Finizio) and “Vincere con le idee” (by Enzo Baglieri, Gabriella Lojacono).

Mauro began his professional career at Philips Design and then created his own design firm, Wisemad Srl, in Italy with the celebrated entertainment producer and music star Claudio Cecchetto. His work on wearable technologies has been showcased at the Louvre in Paris as well as the Seoul Art Center.

In his professional career Mauro has been granted with 47 patents on his name. 

Mauro sits on the Board of Directors of the Design Management Institute, on the Board of Directors of the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce, on the Board of Directors of La Scuola d’Italia in New York and on the advisory council of other design and art institutions. He currently lives and resides in New York City.

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Jonathan Jansen is Distinguished Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University and President of the Academy of Science of South Africa. His research is concerned with the politics of knowledge in schools and universities. 

His 2022 books include The decolonization of knowledge (Cambridge University Press, with Cyrill Walters) and Corrupted: a study of chronic dysfunction in South African universities (Wits University Press). 

He started his career as a biology teacher in the Cape after receiving his science degree from the University of the Western Cape. He obtained a MS degree from Cornell University and a PhD from Stanford. He holds honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Vermont and Cleveland State University.

In 2013, he was awarded the Education Africa Lifetime Achiever Award in New York, the Spendlove Award from the University of California for his contributions to tolerance, democracy and human rights, and he has also won the largest book award from the British Academy for the Social Sciences and Humanities for his book, “Knowledge in the Blood”.

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Qhawekazi is a purpose driven and commercially astute marketing leader with 19 years of experience in unique roles across various industries. She has worked for many high-performing multinational companies where she was able to strategically lead winning campaigns, launch innovative products, implement effective brand strategies, and deliver on ambitious business growth goals. 

Over the years, Qhawe has cemented her reputation as an all-rounded marketer with extensive experience in spaces like Crisis Comms and Brand Management. She is a self-starter who’s always prepared to roll up her sleeves and actively get involved at an operational level to achieve business goals. This is where she would set the vision and direction for her team, and effectively manage projects to ensure that there is a data-led action plan designed to smoothly move the process and roll-out plan. 

As a person who understands the power of staying relevant and on the pulse of culture, Qhawe is driven by the desire to build holistic teams that are equally as passionate about unlocking new opportunities and baking brands into the public imagination. 

Her personal mantra is: “LIFE IS TRICKY BABY, STAY IN YOUR MAGIC”. This is important because she truly believes that people are champions of their own destinies. This is part of the reason she was recognised for her work in 2022 on the “Break the Ceiling Touch the Sky” list of Africa’s Most Inspirational Women Leaders by House of Rose Professionals Pte. This acknowledgement has inspired Qhawe to continue her journey to be a changemaker who builds memorable and sustainable brands that win hearts, minds, and wallets while learning new lessons along the way. 

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Nollie Maoto is a Chief Data and Analytics Officer within the Merchant Services business unit of FNB South Africa. She also has a significant profile and speaker responsibilities outside of the Group within the Data and Analytics community in South Africa, Africa and Internationally. 

In 2022 she was asked to be a panel speaker at the CDO Midwest Summit in Cincinnati USA. In May 2023 she will be speaking at the Geospatial World Forum in the Netherlands and in June 2023 she will be speaking  At the Velocity Datatechvibe Data and Analytics Summit in Dubai. 

She is passionate about sharing data and analytics related resources and materials on her social media profiles in order to bring more awareness to and to help more people transition into the Data and Analytics Industry. 

She was the acting CEO of SAWIL (Strategic African Women in Leadership) from February 2022 to September 2022. Nollie is the CDO Ambassador for South Africa as approved by MIT CDOIQ, CDO Magazine and the International Institute of Chief Data Officers. She is also an editorial committee member of CDO Magazine, an internationally recognised American tech magazine.

Amongst her many achievements, Nollie has also been recognised for her leadership and mentorship role of women in data and analytics across the African continent, including being the first and only South African invited to speak at Open Data Science Europe in2020 and 2022. She runs a female only Mentorship Program (non-data and analytics specific) and currently mentors 20 ladies within and outside South Africa.

In 2022 alone, became the winner of the Data Analytics Leader of the Year Award at the Dalebrook Media Awards and she also won the coveted Finnovex CDO of the Year 2022 award for Southern Africa. 

Nollie was selected as one of the Global Top 100 Data & Analytics Leaders in 2022, and was also listed as one of the 2022 CDO Global Power Women.

Nollie is a contributing author to the “Women in Leadership” book project by Professor Mazwe Majola from the University of Pretoria. She is a Inspiring Fifty SA 2021 nominee and a 2022 SAWIL Trailblazers Awards 4th overall winner for displaying unparalleled leadership values and advocating for gender equality.

She is also passionate about speaking to learners and introducing them to the world of data and analytics and also providing them with motivational talks and has been invited as a guest speaker at the school assemblies of schools such as the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls and Greenside High School.

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Julie has worked in the IT industry, specifically in software for the past 29 years. Following her completion of a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a Business Information Systems major from Wits University in South Africa, she began her career in programming business systems and quickly moved into a presales capacity where she found the challenge of talking to customers about their challenges, and then presenting possible solutions, far more exciting. 

Following a long tenure at Sybase, she joined SAP after the acquisition in 2010. She has spent several years focused on the Database Management and Technology solutions of SAP, leveraging her pedigree in understanding infrastructure software. She managed the African Platform and Data Management sales team, a strategic area in the overall SAP organisation.

In 2019, Julie joined OpenText as the Regional Vice President for Africa. As the Information Management company, OpenText has many leading solutions to aid customers improve their Resiliency and the Opentext Africa team has a unique opportunity for growth through its direct sales strategy as well as a mature partner network.  

Julie is leading this strategy to assist customers embrace the challenging circumstances we face and solve critical problems with innovation solutions.

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S’ne Magagula is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Tiger Brands, the largest FMCG company in Africa. 

She has over 27 years experience in Human Resources obtained from roles in companies including Haggie Rand, SAPREF refinery, Royal Dutch Shell in Southern Africa and the Netherlands, Sasol Mining and as the Senior Vice President of Group Human Resources at Sasol Limited. 

She is  seasoned and innovative business leader with a passion and track record for growing high impact teams that deliver results and create sustainable value. 

She has international experience in the development and execution of solutions that ignite human potential and performance to drive business success, agility and growth. 

S’ne has a particular passion and expertise in the areas of human resources in Petro-chemicals, Mining, Consumer Goods, business strategy, talent and leadership development, culture transformation, employee experience, digital transformation, diversity, equity and inclusion. 

She was joint winner of the IPM HR Director of Year Award in 2013 and winner of the CHRO SA award for Learning and Development in 2020. 

She holds a Bachelors degree in the Social Sciences from Rhodes University, a certificate in Human Resources Management from UNISA and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the UCT Graduate School of Business. 

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Jeanett Modise is the Group Chief People Officer at Absa Group Limited.

An award winning senior leader with more than 25 years experience in Human Capital, Procurement and Facilities Management at a number of blue chip companies across the financial services, technology, mining and Development Finance sectors. 

Prior to joining Absa, Jeanett was the Group HR Director for Sanlam where she also served as Executive Director on the Board of JSE listed Sanlam Limited and Sanlam Life. Jeanett also served as Chair of the Board HR & Remuneration committee and Non-Executive Director at Foskor, Cordustex, Indwe Broker Holdings, MiWay Insurance and Save the Children South Africa, a global NGO focused on the needs of children.

As a coach and business leader, Jeanett invests in the development and transformation of people and organisations directly and indirectly.

Qualifications: MPhil in Management Coaching, Stellenbosch Business School; Master of Business Leadership, MDP and B. Com Business Management; Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery; (SEP) Senior Executive Programme, Harvard and (AMP) Advanced Management Programme, Insead.

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Sungeetha is an experienced and seasoned commercially minded People Leader. By qualification she has completed her LLB and Social Science degrees, which has held her in good stead and provided a solid foundation for the work she has done in her career. 

She has almost 20 years of experience in Human Resources across various industries which include retail, legal, banking and technology, with a history of successfully developing and leading the people and commercial agenda, as well as the HR function for large businesses ranging between 1 000 to 12 000 people strong. 

Sungeetha’s strengths lie in developing and implementing business aligned people strategies to deliver against complex contexts and in facilitating the integration of people related outcomes through multidisciplinary HR teams. 

Her focus on business strategy realisation is evident in her customer orientated and outside–in approach to people strategy development and her ability to integrate a people agenda (across HR disciplines) that drives business results versus standalone activity. 

With her strong strategy-to-execution orientation and ability to pragmatically and logically assess situations on their merit and fact base, she has a long track record of being called upon to develop HR strategies and to ‘establish or fix’ complex people related contexts. 

These contexts have included a range of situations such as; managing leadership team performance and related team culture implications, redesigned opportunities for improved organisational effectiveness and efficiency, managing difficult stakeholder relationships and misaligned people practices. 

Sungeetha’s relentless focus on ‘getting things done’ and her passion for building a ‘better and then best’ working environment for large revenue generating teams has been a source of great fulfilment and lifelong learning for her. 

For fun, Sungeetha absolutely loves spending time with her family which are her three kids, husband and two dogs. Learning through the eyes of her children helps ensure that she has future generations in mind when solving for people at work but also helps her stay cool and up to date with current lingo and social media trends. Multi-generational leadership in corporate is of particular interest to her. Shopping, reading, cooking, travelling, learning about blockchain and the metaverse is what Sungeetha engages in when she has spare time. 

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Geordin Hill-Lewis was sworn in as Executive Mayor of the Cape Town on 18 November 2021.

Not one to let challenges prevent him from succeeding at a young age, Mayor Hill-Lewis is the youngest Executive Mayor Cape Town has had, and was the youngest Member of Parliament when elected in 2011.

Geordin began his political activism while studying at university. He has served on the oversight committees for Public Service and Administration, as well as Trade and Industry, and most recently served as the Shadow Minister for Finance. 

His reason for political activism has been to eradicate extreme poverty in South Africa, and achieve a society where the circumstances of one’s birth do not define life chances.

He firmly believes that providing quality basic services is the primary mandate of local government, and is critical to empowering each Capetonian to live a life of dignity. Key to providing quality basic services includes, among others:

• increasing investment in basic services;
• reducing infrastructure backlog;
• improving efficiency of budget spending;
• reviewing contract management;
• partnering with the technology sector;
• digitising all routine processes; and
• providing user-friendly and accessible digital solutions to communicating with the City.

Mayor Hill-Lewis is determined to get more done in Cape Town, and is eager to improve on the services and opportunities the City has already delivered. Among his many plans are to:

• release public land for housing;
• improve the quality of life of the poor and ensure everyone in Cape Town lives a life of dignity;
• procure power from Independent Power Producers and ending load-shedding in Cape Town;
• clean up the city; and
• make Cape Town a safer place for every family.

In his spare time Mayor Hill-Lewis enjoys watching sport, reading, spending time with his family and exploring the outdoors.

• Masters in Economic Policy: Finance (University of London)
• Honours in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (University of Cape Town)
• BCom in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (University of Cape Town)
• Matric (Edgemead High School)

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Zak is a seasoned Banker with over 25 years of Retail, Business and Commercial banking experience. He is currently one of the Regional Directors at FNB Commercial and previously headed the National Business Development/Acquisition teams for the commercial segment. 

He is the past Chair of the YPO Pan Africa chapter and an active EXCO member for the past 5 years. 

Education

• University of Reading, Henley Business School: Master of Business Administration 2015
• Henley Business School 2017: International Executive Development Program  (IEDP)
• Damelin Campus: Certificate in Banking 1995

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Zoleka Lisa was appointed Vice President of Corporate Affairs at the South African Breweries in July 2019. 

Lisa leads SAB’s public policy, communication, transformation, entrepreneurship & ESG strategy and she also represents the company on a number of boards including the global AbInbev Foundation, South Africa’s top business association Business Unity South Africa (BUSA). 

She is an SAB Foundation Trustee and active board member of the Beer Association of South Africa (BASA). 

Her aspiration is to be a respected business leader on the continent and  ensuring our company’s initiatives are always impactful and relevant to the communities in which it operates. 

She leads a team of passionate change agents that are stepping up the organisation's corporate reputation and ultimately, contributing to the African growth ambitions. 

Amongst some of her key achievements is the recent conclusion of SAB’s R1bn Public Interest Commitment where she spearheaded the project that invested into key societal areas such as agriculture, entrepreneurship and societal upliftment. 

She first joined SAB in 2014, where she was appointed as Regional Strategic Programmes Manager for Africa and has worked across the business over the past 9 years. 

Prior to joining SAB, Lisa spent nine years as a Senior Manager at Accenture, a global professional services company that provides services in strategy, consulting, digital and technology. 

She holds a B Sc. in Environmental Science and Economics from the University of Cape Town and an Honours degree from the University of the Witwatersrand. She has attended a range of Executive Development courses from Wits Business School and LSE. 

Wendy is a seasoned Strategic Marketer, renowned for her expertise in holistic and integrated marketing communications. 

Her vast experience encompasses strategic brand communication, behavioural marketing, TTL advertising, corporate identity design and architecture, media management and planning, social impact initiatives, digital marketing, sponsorship development, corporate communications, market and consumer research, and event design and execution.

Having obtained her education from esteemed institutions such as the AAA School of Advertising, Said Business School at Oxford University, Seth Godin AltMBA, GIBS, Stellenbosch Business School, and the Red and Yellow School of Business and Creative, Wendy stands as a distinguished alumna. 

Her academic background has fostered a deep appreciation for the power of international studies, guiding her strategic approach and shaping her global perspective.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Wendy has made significant contributions as a guest lecturer at renowned institutions like Vega School and AFDA. Through these engagements, she shares her wealth of insights and experiences, igniting the passion of aspiring marketers and creatives. 

Wendy's ability to inspire and empower the next generation is a testament to her dedication and exceptional communication skills.

With an unwavering commitment to strategic marketing, Wendy possesses a comprehensive skill set and a forward-thinking outlook. Her current pursuit of an eMBA at Steinbeis - Berlin School of Creative Leadership demonstrates her drive for continual growth and innovation. 

Wendy's journey intertwines the captivating realms of marketing, creativity, and international studies, promising to unlock new possibilities and create impactful transformations in the ever-evolving landscape.

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Tshepo’s career started at Citibank in 2000 where she spent 5 years looking after Local Corporates and specializing in International Trade, after which she joined Nedbank, where she was responsible for growing the Public Sector Department. 

Her banking career then moved to FirstRand where her focus was on various industries namely Diversified, Services, Pharmaceutical Companies and Hospitality, in addition she was tasked with Heading up the Retail Sector at RMB.

Tshepo is currently the Head of International , focusing on Multinational Corporates within ABSA Corporate and Investment Bank (CIB). The businesses focus on Global Connectivity and delivering International banking solutions locally and regionally to the Global Client Base investing in or trading across Africa. 

Tshepo serves as a board member of Manitou South African (a subsidiary of the Manitou Group - headquartered in France), as well as on the British Chamber and is Vice President of the Spanish Chamber.

Tshepo has a passion for banking, and a keen interest in development and motivation of others. Tshepo’s personal motivation is making a difference in the world, she demonstrates this by mentoring and guiding junior staff members to be the best possible version of themselves.

In addition, Tshepo is passionate on giving back to the community, and was involved with the Columba Leadership an NGO that has produced 6500 graduates in 160 schools across 6 Provinces through shifting leadership culture in schools and in contributing to an improved learning environment.

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Shalane is a mother, lifelong learner and Hawaiian native. She's the Founding Executive Director of the Trevor Noah Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors. Our vision is a world where education enables youth to dream, see and build the impossible.

Shalane has over 15+ years of global consulting, research, and systems change experience. She's committed to leveraging her cross-sector experience to enable fair and just access to economic opportunities. Shalane holds a Masters of Public Administration in international non-profit management and public policy from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Sociology from the University of California. 

Originally from Hawaii, she's based in Brooklyn, US, with her husband and daughter with frequent travel to Joburg. 

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Experienced and Seasoned Human Capital & Business Executive specialising in Digitalisation, Disruption, Strategy, Culture, Purpose & Leadership Advancement. 

VISION 

To utilise my business acumen, technological insights and organisational transformation experience to enhance shareholder value within an enterprise. 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

My career spans 24 years of versatile experience in many industries, I have led diverse, large, geographically dispersed teams and managed sizeable budgets in excess of R200 million to achieve remarkable results for organisations like Adcorp, Imperial, MultiChoice, Discovery and Standardbank. My experience as an Executive Director is bolstered by strategic and business acumen. Working across global geographies have given me in-depth understandings of various cultures, business operating landscapes and legislations. Over the years I have achieved 5 academic qualifications including an MBA, a Masters in ITC, and a Bsc in Software Engineering. This bears testament to my ability to be agile, critical and complex thinking, tenacity and intellect. 

I am regarded as an energetic and highly experienced human capital and business executive who has had the privilege to work alongside some of the country’s most successful business leaders and CEO’s of JSE listed organisations. Over the years I have acquired strong generalist, strategic and innovative skills with a keen interest in digitalisation and technology.  

Past leaders and peers describe me as a dynamic, pragmatic and influential team player with great business insight. I regard myself as being articulate, passionate about achieving results and embrace new challenges. Given my deep knowledge in information technology I have successfully re-engineered big data for many innovative human capital projects. Through process automation, re-defining culture and organisation redesign I was able to make a significant contribution in enterprise transformation. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Obtained Cum Laude in both my Executive MBA and Master’s Degree (M.Ed) 

Published a white paper from a Master’s Degree (M.Ed) in Denver Colorado 

Winner and finalist of numerous National Business Awards 

Awarded CEO full bursary to complete MBA at any global institution 

Published in Mail & Guardian as one of MultiChoice’s top leaders 

Speaker at various international and local conferences

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Dr Nonkululeko Boikhutso is the Chief Executive Officer at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital.  She has worked primarily in the public health sector at various levels of the health system and had a brief stint in the corporate sector at the Discovery Health Clinical Policy Unit.  She holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree and a Master of Medicine in Community Health (with distinction) from Wits University. 

She is a Fellow of the College of Public Health Medicine of South Africa.  Dr Boikhutso has expertise across diverse hospital operations with a specific focus on health services delivery and management.  

She is currently serving as a Non-executive Director of the CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation and Ronald MacDonald House Charities (RMHC) South Africa. Through her active participation in civil society organizations, she was appointed as a EXCO member of the Cancer Alliance for the 2017 – 2020 term representing childhood cancer survivor issues.  Dr Boikhutso is an honorary lecturer at the School of Public Health, Wits University.  She is a wife, mother of two, budding violinist and outdoor enthusiast. 

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Having first joined Altron as Group Executive for Shared Services, Collin is known for his strategic and highly pragmatic approach to leadership, as well as an innate sense for driving team outcomes and driving people to realise their full potential.  

Prior to joining the Altron Group, Collin was the Vice President for Sales and Service Management at T-Systems. Instead of following a conventional route into enterprise IT, Collin entered the workforce with a Durban-based logistics company where he was tasked with everything from running cables, building networks, and developing code. He later moved to Johannesburg where he spent 17 years at T-Systems, a German multinational IT services and consulting company. 

Looking ahead, Collin is focused on connecting individuals with their purpose in the new digital environment – and finding ways to align purpose with sustainable business practices. 

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Lindiwe Matlali is the Founder and CEO of Africa Teen Geeks; Africa's largest computer science education nonprofit and Apodytes an award winning technology company. 

Her numerous accolades Schwab Foundation Social Innovator of the Year, Queen Elizabeth II Point of Light Award, Mail & Guardian Top young South Africans, Destiny Magazine Power of 40 a list of South Africa's powerful women under 40, Top 50 most inspiring women in tech, MTN Women in ICT Community Builder Recognition Award and Fairlady/Santam Social Entrepreneur. 

She serves on the boards of Technology Innovation Agency, National Financial aid scheme and was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa as Commissioner on the Presidential Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

She is the member of the World Economic Forum Edison Alliance Executive Network, Racial Equity Group and Education 4.0. 

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Anél Bosman is the Managing Executive at Nedbank Corporate and Investment Bank (CIB), a division of Nedbank, one of Africa's leading banks. She has held pivotal roles at Nedbank, including Chief Risk Officer (CRO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Head of Strategy, and Executive for the Markets Business.

Making history, Anél became the first woman to lead an investment bank in South Africa. Under her leadership, Nedbank CIB has evolved to offer innovative and tailored financial solutions to its broad clientele, including corporations, financial institutions, state-owned enterprises, and governments within South Africa and across the continent. 

Notably, under Anél's guidance, Nedbank CIB has solidified its position as a sustainable and renewable-energy financing leader. 

This dedication to sustainability and ESG matters has been externally recognised through multiple accolades. The bank stood out at the Global Banking & Finance Awards 2023 by securing the Best Corporate Sustainability Strategy South Africa Award. 

Additionally, it received the Sustainability-linked Loan of the Year (Africa) Award at the Environmental Finance Awards 2023 and the Sustainable Bank of the Year Award at the African Banker Awards 2023.

Anél is known for her energetic leadership style and passion for helping others achieve their potential. Her experience spans risk management, data analytics, stakeholder engagement, and strategy formulation, equipping her with the skills to drive business success. 

Beyond her corporate roles, Anél is deeply committed to the welfare of her community and South Africa.

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Prof. Musawenkosi Donia Saurombe is a young academic who became a Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Psychology in 2017, breaking an astounding academic record of becoming the youngest female Ph.D. graduate in Africa, at the age of 23. 

Prof. Saurombe worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the North-West University Mafikeng from 2017 and then got appointed as a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Free State Bloemfontein in 2019. She later got appointed, also as a Senior Lecturer, at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in 2021 and was promoted to Associate Professor at the UJ in 2022. 

Prof. Saurombe has lectured courses in Human Resource Management and Industrial Psychology and supervises postgraduate research. She is a published researcher both locally and internationally and is also known for the work she does as a civic innovator, particularly concerning women and the youth. 

Prof. Musa also has over 5 years’ experience in HR consulting in the public and private sector. In 2017, Prof. Saurombe received the best Doctoral student in SA award for 2016 from the South African Board for People’s Practices (SABPP) and the Emerging Psychologist of the Year award from the Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa (SIOPSA). 

She was featured in the 2018 List of Top 100 Most Influential Young Africans by the Africa Youth Awards and was subsequently endowed by the Institute of People Management (IPM) with the CEO’s Special Award for being the 2018 Young Leader of the Year through her various distinguishable contributions in her respective field. She was also acknowledged by the SADC Top 100, The Young Independents (TYI) in 2018 and by the Mail & Guardian as one of the 200 Young South Africans in 2019. She also received an honourary award from the Golden Key International Honour Society, both in 2019 and in 2020, for her continuous contributions in the education sector and society at large. 

More recently, she was recognised as a finalist in two categories at the 10th Gender Mainstreaming Awards by Accenture in 2022, namely, the positive role model in Gauteng category and the General Services Sector category. She was also a finalist in the Education category of the Woman of Stature Awards in 2023. With several other feats and accolades on her belt, the future looks luminous for the young rising powerhouse

Watch Prof Saurombe's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud 

Richard Perez is the founding director of the Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika at the University of Cape Town, which leverages the globally funded Hasso Plattner Foundation d.school network of both Potsdam, Germany and Stanford, United States. 

Richard’s expertise and experience combines human centered design with business thinking, management and strategy. His area of specialisation is adopting a design led mindset as a driver of innovation and strategic leadership; and he advises organisations (private and public) in both South Africa, the Africa region including the likes of the World Bank and United Nations Foundation.

Prior to founding the d-school, Richard spent three years as a Director at the City of Cape Town where, in a first for a public administration in South Africa, he pioneered design as a strategy and management tool to advance the creation of effective human-centred solutions. 

Leading a transversal City administration team who were responsible for embedding a culture of design-led innovation, Richard introduced design thinking to unlock collaboration, creative thinking and innovation in response to the needs of local citizens across the socio-economic spectrum. 

Before his City administration experience, Richard spent 10 years as a partner and director in the award-winning Cape Town based product design agency …XYZ Design, where he managed and developed an extensive and varied portfolio of consumer focused products, services and user-centered research in emerging markets for local and international organizations. 

Richard is currently a board member of the Montebello Design Center in Cape Town, a member of the SAP Africa Academic Board and a Steering Committee member of the Seoul Design Awards.

Richard’s education includes a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Cape Town, a Masters in Innovation Design Engineering from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College of Science and Technology (London) and an Executive MBA (awarded with distinction) from the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, where his research topic focused on the inter-relationships between constraints and creativity.

Richard is currently undertaking his PhD where his research focus is on how we best prepare those involved in leadership to be more effective in today's complex world and what might such a leadership learning experience be.

Watch Richard's Interview on YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud

As head of one of South Africa’s most iconic asset management companies, Derrick has a deep commitment to ensuring that STANLIB Asset Management makes a positive contribution to society’s development goals, while helping investors to protect and grow their financial futures and dreams.

Since his appointment as STANLIB’s Chief Executive Officer in May 2017, Derrick has spearheaded a new direction for the business, focused on implementing technology to improve investment and back-office efficiencies, forging links with international partners to extend the group’s offering to its clients, and rationalising the suite of funds to appeal to a changing market. Under his leadership, STANLIB is aiming to become the most progressive asset manager in the country. This is setting the scene for long-term growth.

Derrick started his career in the asset management industry at Old Mutual Investment Group. During the course of his career, he has held senior positions including: Executive Director: Marketing and Distribution, Executive Director: Alternative Investments, Corporate Finance Analyst and Portfolio Manager, and Head: Alternative Investments. His broad experience has given him a deep understanding of investment management, corporate finance and general management in the financial services sector.

As part of his contribution to nation-building, Derrick is involved in non-profit entities which are mainly focused on education and social housing. He has served as a director of various companies in financial services, food, toll roads and diversified investment holdings sectors and as a member and chair of various investment committees dealing with mainly non-public investments.

He is a keen runner, who has completed 15 Comrades & 15 Two Oceans Ultramarathons; and over 40 standard marathons. Derrick owns a substantial jazz music collection and in his spare time reads mainly financial, Christian and leadership books. He supports Orlando Pirates and Arsenal Football Clubs.

STANLIB, which is part of the Standard Bank and Liberty Group, is a specialist investment manager, administering over R600 billion in assets under management. It possesses depth of expertise across investment disciplines – from absolute return and fixed income to listed property, balanced, equity and alternatives; spanning active and passive management, single and multi-manager offerings. It is able to offer its clients both pooled and segregated investment solutions across a broad choice of traditional and alternative asset classes. 

Watch Derrick's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud  

Alk Brand joined the Westfalia Fruit Group as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in January 2020. Alk’s focus throughout his career has been on business growth and creating operational efficiencies with an in-depth knowledge of agriculture through his global exposure to international markets for more than 20 years. 

As the custodian of Westfalia Fruit’s legacy, purpose, and values, and of the objectives of all stakeholders over five continents of the globe, Alk has driven an integrated model that has inspired growth in various areas of the business. 

The multinational Westfalia Fruit Group is a leading supplier of fresh and processed produce to international markets, offering a diverse range of quality fruit and related products via its vertically integrated supply chain. 

As a frontrunner in the avocado industry, Westfalia grows, sources, ripens, packs, processes and markets accredited avocados across the globe throughout the year. Westfalia grows fruit in all major origins in the Americas and Africa and sources from partner orchards, giving Westfalia the most diverse avocado-growing footprint in the world.

Having made great strides in enhancing the way in which the organisation operates, Alk has promoted a cohesive and inclusive approach to all aspects of the business – from commercial and operational activities to human resources, business systems and communications. 

Alk has in-depth experience in the agricultural sector and has operated in a broad array of global markets. During his 20 years in the UK, he has served in various industry bodies, including being aboard member of the European Breakfast Cereal Association. Alk was previously the Managing Director of Richardson Milling (UK) Ltd, which is part of the Canadian agri-leader Richardson International, responsible for manufacturing grain-based ingredients sold and distributed in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Far East and Asia. Here, Alk was responsible for creating a strong presence in growing markets such as India, the UAE and market penetration as far as the Philippines. 

Prior to joining Richardson Milling (UK) Ltd, Alk worked for Pioneer Foods in various management capacities. Alk started up its business in the UK in 2001, first as a joint venture with Australia’s Sanitarium Health Foods. 

Under his management, Pioneer Foods later acquired the entire shareholding of this venture. Alk holds a BEcon (Honours), an MBA from Stellenbosch University, and a Certificate in Management and Leadership (London School of Business and Finance – with distinction). Alk, through the Institute of Directors (IOD) is qualified as a Chartered Company Director. 

Watch Alk's Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Craig was born in Zimbabwe, junior-schooled in Melbourne, Australia and educated at KwaZulu Natal’s Michaelhouse. Craig’s early career started at Ernst & Young and at ABSA Bank. 

Later, through joining an offshore brokerage, he worked in the Middle East and Asia, and rose to some of the top positions in the financial world. 

More recently, he was the Regional Manager, Africa at one of the largest independent offshore financial consultancies worldwide. 

Craig successfully built the Africa Division from an undeveloped entity to a true African success story with over 200 advisors and 14 offices across the continent, thereby attracting over R12.5 billion worth in new assets and adding over 3500 new clients.  

He started the Carrick group of companies in 2014 with the belief that clients deserve better. Individuals, families and organizations require the best information in order to make sound financial decisions to create a clear road map to achieve lasting growth and financial security. 

Carrick is regarded as one of the fastest growing brokerages on the African continent.  

A philanthropist at heart, Craig is co-founder of Signature of Hope Trust and a generous donor to many Non-Profit Organizations (NGOs).  

Things he’s interested in: Craig and his wife Di enjoy living life to the full. At weekends you’ll often find them indulging in their love of nature, wildlife and fishing. 

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

Pride Maunatlala is a South African marketing executive and businesswoman who currently leads the marketing strategy at TFG for the Foschini Division -

A team that houses brands championing female inclusivity and inspiring women to find their space in the economy. 

She is a one of a kind brand architect with almost 20 years of experience in multiple industries including Retail, FMCG, Financial services, Advertising and Public Sector. 

Her work is centered on the strength of brands though purpose and employee advocacy. 

Through her MBA degree from Gordon Institute of Business, she published a research paper in the Journal of Brand Management focusing on organisations’ ability to achieve competitiveness through employee endorsement. 

Pride advocates for the development of female professionals and entrepreneurs as a mentor, advisor and contributor to Future Females and SheSays Cape Town. 

She is an alumni at the Zanele Mbeki Fellowship for Female Leadership in Africa. With the future of marketing and advertising constantly evolving and expanding, 

Pride’s contribution to industry is as advisory member for Vega School CPT and CMO Council Africa Region. She is also a jury member for the Financial Mail AdFocus awards, geared for driving excellence in advertising. 

Listen to Pride's interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Tim is an experienced CEO, with a track record for supporting business development activity across a number of professional service firms and commercial trade organisations. 

Specialisms include, executive coaching and performance management, succession planning, organisational restructuring, change management and process improvement. 

Following an MBA with the University of Liverpool during a corporate career, Tim furthered his skills by completing an immersive coaching program to become a Strategic Interventionist – when he visited The Centre for Strategic Intervention, California in 2015 (the company has since rebranded as the coachinginstitue.com).

Working through a variety of operational roles across the transport sector, Tim worked on lean management and six-sigma processes, before eventually leaving corporate London to establish his own business consultancy and performance management practice in 2016. 

He was later appointed as a Director Consultant for the globally renowned business networking group, BNI and has established an extensive following of business contacts since that time. 

Tim enjoys public speaking and likes to cover forward thinking topics such as technology, innovation and developing market trends. 

He has honed his skills working with business owners and their multi-disciplinary teams, across multiple industries during the past 6 years. From his work with companies, Tim created the 5PX Executive Coaching System “5 Paths to Excellence” – with a view to helping businesses establish:

• Document Excellence
• Operational Excellence
• Customer Service Excellence
• Marketing Excellence
• Innovation Excellence

Tim is always open minded and alert for the next opportunity, with one eye fixed on potential market disruption. In his spare time he likes to play sports, namely squash or tennis with his family, and occasionally golf when he finds the time.

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Jono Kruger was born and educated in East London. He played rugby professionally for 5 years for the Border Bulldogs. 

During this time he started an NPO called Champions Development Trust that used sport as a vehicle for change. This venture has now developed into the TFL Academy which assists in rolling out rugby clinics in the greater Mdantsane and Buffalo City area, while its long-term vision is to start a rugby academy to nurture the incredible talent in the area. 

Jono has also served in ministry for a period of 10 years while still engaging in this community development. He has an honours in Theology and a Post Graduate Degree in Education. 

He is currently a teacher at Selborne College, East London, where he founded Tries for Lives in 2017. Jono is married to his beautiful wife, Sarah, and has four special children. 

Chris Kingsley is a passionate high school educator, who has taught for the past 17 years, more recently at Hilton College for over a decade. 

He is married to Ali who is herself an educator, but now heads up the Amathuba Foundation, an organisation that provides opportunities for disadvantaged high school students. 

They share a heart for initiatives such as this having been involved in programmes of this kind over the years in the various schools where they have taught. 

Chris grew up in the Eastern Cape and completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English, while furthering his studies by completing an Honours in Education Management and Law. Living with significance, bringing about change, doing something about the inequality and poverty crisis in South Africa have always been something that Chris has been passionate about. 

Through the Sport for Lives movement, Chris can fulfil many of these heart’s desires. Chris and Ali have two beautiful children who are equally as excited about Sport for Lives as they are! 

Watch Jono's & Chris' Interview on Vimeo, YouTube and SoundCloud

Executive Director, with 24 years in-depth technical, practical and business leadership experience in the Building and Construction, Pulp & Paper, Petrochemical, Mining and Retail consumer goods Industries. 

Having completed an MBA with proven abilities in MNC environments, strategic planning, marketing and business analysis, supported by tenacity, flexibility and business change management expertise. 

Successful implementation of M&A strategies. A transformation leader and marketing expert, specialising in driving profitable growth in competitive sectors through proactive brand management, customer engagement and business development. 

Renowned as an effective leader capable of training and developing teams to enable them to fulfil their potential and add value to the business. 

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

Sajeed Sacranie is a seasoned venture capitalist and business developer. His experience spans financial services, telecommunications, media, technology, sports, real estate and professional services. 

His diverse background uniquely positions him to “connect the dots differently”. Sajeed has a track record of launching and growing businesses in diverse sectors. He has created significant value for some of the leading brands in the world through accelerating value-creation by: 

• Challenging the Status Quo;
• Identifying areas of High Potential Growth; and
• Leading Startups and Launching Growth Strategies by designing and implementing high potential, win/win partnership strategies.  

Sajeed is currently involved in venture capital advisory and investment activities which include: 

• Partnering with large corporates in launching new ventures through a proprietary corporate venturing methodology designed to help corporates create ecosystems and launch sustainable ventures that meet ROI hurdles. Central to this is addressing the South African imperative of Enterprise Development so that it can fulfil its role as an engine for entrepreneurial growth.

• Leveraging Legaltech deployed in professional services firms and corporates to improve their service effectiveness by using AI and machine learning. This service is being used by a number of leading South African law firms and will lead to the creation of managed services businesses in the knowledge management space. 

• Establishing ecosystems of partners in the IOT space and leveraging these to provide smart services in the Real Estate, Mining and Health sectors.

• Advising on dispute resolution. Sajeed’s experience in aligning strategic and commercial interests has meant that he has been the lead advisor in the resolution of disputes where claims have exceeded R1 billion.  The majority of these have been in the telecommunications, media and technology sectors.  He has successfully navigated the parties to out of court settlements in 80% of these.

Key Milestones:

Over the last 3 years Sajeed has been the lead innovation advisor for Deloitte (South Africa) BPO service line.  In this capacity,  he conceptualised and launched Smart Real Estate as a Service and oversaw the collaboration between Deloitte and Vodacom in the IOT space. 

This innovative managed services IoT offering was a global first for both Deloitte and Vodacom in the real estate sector.  This culminated in March 2018 when he advised the BPO service line in its carve-out from Deloitte which subsequently led to the launch of Solugrowth,.

Since 2007 Sajeed has advised Kaizer Chiefs , the football club , in the corporate venturing, commercial and investment strategy. During his tenure the value of the Kaizer Chiefs brand has risen from R100m to almost  R1 billion, his strategic and commercial advice has been integral to this brand growth. More specifically he founded Kaizer Chiefs Ventures the investment vehicle mandated to take the Kaizer Chiefs brand  “beyond the 90 minutes”.  

Through this vehicle he has strategically repositioned  Kaizer Chiefs Insurance, a joint venture with Hollard and in 2013 founded Kaizer Chiefs Mobile, a fan-connectivity offering in partnership with Vodacom.  Kaizer Chiefs has today become one of the most valuable brands in South Africa, and a premier African sports brand on the back of one of the most successful commercial sports rights platforms in Africa.  (Note Sajeed is not responsible for the Clubs current form on the field  :-)

In 2003, after 22 years in England, Sajeed could no longer resist the call back to Africa. He moved to South Africa, representing the emerging interests of the Virgin Group there.  In this capacity he led the launch and became the founding CEO of Virgin Mobile South Africa (VMSA), the first and largest MVNO in Africa.

Between 1998 and 2006, he advised the Virgin Group in a number of strategic areas and was the New Ventures Advisor to Virgin Management and Richard Branson, advising on startups, key divestments and strategic business development. 

Prior to this, Sajeed was Barings, the premier merchant bank of its time. In 1995, he played a key role in the rescue of Barings which led to the 300 year old merchant bank being acquired by ING the Dutch Bank He then led the strategy for the Equity Sales and Trading division helping to create one of the most successful emerging markets equity sales franchises.  Sajeed trained as a CA with KPMG in London.

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

BONUS: The Future Leader Outlook - What Sajeed has to say about Future Leader Development: Listen on Soundcloud, Youtube and Vimeo

Executive Head for Distribution Services at Discovery Insure, responsible for distribution nationally across personal and business insurance; previously also Head of Claims, Procurement, Strategic Projects, Intermediary Services, and Business Development at various periods.

A strong believer in the value of insurance and its positive impact on society, and actively involved in the insurance market as an Executive Councillor and Immediate Past President of the Insurance Institute of Gauteng, as well as being a founding member and first Chairman of the Insurance Young Guns.

Received top student awards at Wits Business School for both the MAP Programme (Executive Education) as well as their Masters programme (with specialisation in Strategic Marketing).

A proud South African who lives between Cape Town and Johannesburg, an avid gym enthusiast, a dreamer, father of twins, always striving for better results, and inspired by the enormous possibilities the global community has to offer. 

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

 Passionate South African, wife, daughter, sister, mother of 2 sons (aged 19 and 23), voracious reader, collaborator, lover of challenge & change, fiercely loyal to the notion of the power of single actions enabling quantum changes, reluctant gym-goer, erstwhile boxer, speaker of some Greek, learner, teacher, mentor, mentee and deep believer in the power of brands and humans.

Heidi was previously Executive Manager, Group Marketing, Loyalty & Strategic Partnerships at Comair taking care of kulula.com, British Airways, SLOW lounges, Daddy’s Deals, kulula credit card, jetsetters and Executive Club. 

Before that she was Deputy CEO & Marketing Director at research house Ipsos Markinor, after some time in the pharmaceutical industry following a BSc degree in nursing at Wits.

Heidi is a Member of Vega Brand School National Advisory Council and Advisor and friend to Umuzi Photo Club (youth activism & upliftment). She served for 7 years as a Board member and Deputy Chairman of the Marketing Association of South Africa and as Board member of ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations). She has judged the Association for Communication & Advertising’s APEX awards, the FM AdFocus awards and the AMASA Roger Garlick Innovation in Media award. She is a partner at Halo – The Brand Led Communications Agency.

Heidi joined Hollard in May 2013 and her role at Hollard includes all group brand activities including marketing and communications, internal comms and culture, digital marketing and e-commerce and sponsorship as well as being Exco champion for the group’s Customer Centricity and Loyalty initiatives.

She believes in sprinkles and chocolate cake, and that it takes a village to raise a brand.

Listen to Heidi's interview on audio

or watch the slides as you listen here