MENTORS
ABIGAIL KHULUSE
INDEPENDENT | NON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Abigail is a multi-faceted entrepreneur and business leader. As an entrepreneur, she founded Tushiyah in 2008 with the ambitious objective of growing SMEs, corporations, and the economy. Over the last decade, putting planning into practice has been a central theme for this exciting period of exponential growth. She has since transitioned out of Tushiyah and is pioneering township-centric solutions to facilitate economic inclusion for township businesses and youth.
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Abigail is also a seasoned business director have served both as an executive and non-executive director in various companies and sectors. She was awarded SACBW Business Woman of the Year in 2014, CCBC Small Enterprise of the Year in 2015, and Conscious Companies Finalist in 2018.
AFRIKA MHLOPHE
PASTOR & AUTHOR | PRESSING MATTERS
Afrika Mhlophe is a gifted teacher of the Bible and ministers on various platforms in South Africa and abroad. He runs and facilitates workshops and seminars for companies focusing on leadership, diversity, wellness, time management, etc. He hosts a TV and radio program called Pressing Matters, which deals with contentious and contemporary issues from a biblical perspective. He is a sought-after speaker and thinker who has addressed thousands of men at Mighty Men Conferences throughout South Africa. He is the author of four books, including the South African best-seller Freed by God But Imprisoned By Culture. Afrika is a PhD candidate with Trinity College.
ANDRE HAASBROEK
COO | IN2FOOD GROUP
Andre is currently the joint Chief Operations Officer at In2Food, a national food producer. In 2003 he joined his father and built Nibbly Bits into a national food producer mainly supplying Woolworths . In 2016 he sold the business to In2Food, where he is currently employed. Andre has an interest in the growth hurdles experienced by fast growing businesses as well as the resulting change in organisational culture.
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Andre completed his accounting degree at Stellenbosch University and articles at PwC. He joined Vriesenhof Wine Farm and was responsible for administration and wine exports. Thereafter he worked as a financial manager, firstly at Nulaid Eggs and then at Pioneer Foods Milling Division, before starting Nibbly Bits.
Andre has various investments in smaller business ventures where he serves as a non executive director, and is also on the board of two NGOs in the Drakenstein area, namely NORSA and Valley of Abundance.
ASHTON FOURIE
FOUNDER & CEO | 5-2-50
Ashton is the founder of 5-2-50, a business focused on helping businesses that have been running for a few years, with a staff complement of at least 5 people, to grow to at least 50 people. He is passionate about helping to build businesses with a commitment to seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Ashton believes that there is a Workplace Revival underway and that God is doing unprecedented work in restoring the true blessing and design of work through the church in the workplace.
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He started his career as an office cleaner in a cardboard factory, from where he followed a winding path through insurance, IT operations, restaurants, and studying Organisation Development through UNISA. He spent 9 years in China, during which time he completed a Master’s degree in Managing and Leading Innovation and Change (MALIC). He returned to South Africa in July 2017 with his wife, Lily, and their two children in response to a sense that God was calling them to come back and contribute to the building of kingdom-focused businesses focused on eradicating poverty in Africa.
BRANDON PASCHAL
Deputy Director of Spinout Companies and Funds | Stellenbosch University
Head | SU LaunchLab
Brandon is the Deputy Director of Spinout Companies and Funds at Stellenbosch University, managing their growing portfolio of 30+ companies. He is also the head of SU LaunchLab, Africa’s leading university incubator and leads student entrepreneurship initiatives at SU. In 2004, when Brandon first moved to SA, Brandon helped launch Campus Outreach SA (a student ministry out of the US). After seven years, he moved into technology entrepreneurship.
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He was part of a software consultancy before joining the founding team of Stellenbosch University LaunchLab, where he has worked with dozens of entrepreneurs and teams. He is also the co-founder of AgriGenesis Ventures, an agritech venture studio working with agriculture industry bodies to commercialise their R&D.
CHRIS DU TOIT
CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR | CUSTOM CAPITAL
Chris is passionate about raising up the next generation of entrepreneurs. He is driven by the dream that he and others can be instrumental in shaping and defining the future. His professional life bears testimony to a firm belief in the brick-by-brick principle of consistently doing the basics well. He started as a collations clerk at a bank. In 10 years, he rose from salesman to managing director of Canon SA. In 2001, he ventured into a now-thriving partnership with his brother, Pierre. In 2011 they were approached by Mercantile Bank Limited to partner on building a billion-rand portfolio, which they sold to Mercantile bank in 2016 and embarked on a R1.6 Billion mixed use development partnering the Multiply Group.
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In 2017 they relaunched their asset finance business aimed predominantly to small to medium sized enterprises. Chris attributes his success to some of the guiding principles and lessons he has learned: perseverance, honesty, understanding the value of people, sacrifice, consistency, working smart, and having fun. Chris is married to Wanda, who is a dynamic and creative entrepreneur. They have two daughters, and a 22-year-old son. Topping the list of his interests are good food, red wine, and travel, especially to international cities.
CHRISTINE VAN NIEKERK
ENTREPRENEUR, ADVISOR & ARTIST | CHRISTINE MEINTJES
Christine van Niekerk (Meintjes) is a dynamic, creative entrepreneur whose journey embodies innovation, passion, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. With a foundation in visual communication, she quickly became one of South Africa’s most acclaimed photographers, breaking barriers as the first female ambassador for Nikon Southern Africa before turning 30. Her keen eye for opportunity led her to co-found two of the most impactful ventures in the creative business realm in South Africa.
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The first being the country’s largest lifestyle blogs, cultivating a community united by an appreciation for aesthetics. Following the blog’s successful acquisition, Christine’s entrepreneurial spirit drove her to co-found The Local Edit, a curated e-commerce brand showcasing South African independent designers. Christine’s passion for storytelling found a new outlet in “Behind The Edit,” a podcast where she engages in insightful conversations with makers, exploring their inspirations and creative processes.
After guiding The Local Edit through its foundational phase —building the brand and positioning it for growth—she stepped down as CEO and business partner to persue other entrepreneurial ventures.
CRAIG COOMBE
Co-founder | Multiply Group & Imbewu Capital Partners
Craig Coombe has sent is working career in Private Equity and Venture Capital investing. He is a co-founder of the Multiply Group and Imbewu Capital Partners and has been instrumental in investments and on boards of BCX, SBS Tanks, Reebok South Africa, Aka Capital, Seattle Solutions, Bo’s Hire & Sales, Custom Capital Finance, Crossfin Holdings, Umhlanga Arch Developments and International Facilities Services Limited (Mau). Craig believes strongly in leadership and is a passionate supporter of entrepreneurs and the incredible important role that they play in solving the needs and challenges in society in a sustainable manner. Craig lives in Franschhoek with his wife Lauren and has 2 adult children.
DARIN OWEN
CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN | BLU SKY INVESTMENTS
Darin is a successful entrepreneur and has been involved in a range of industries throughout his career. Business interests and investments include clothing manufacture and distribution, homeware, property, technology, and business development. Business investments are both local, in South Africa, and international. Darin is currently executive chairman of 3 companies and sits on the board of 8 companies, both locally and internationally. Darin is also on the founding boards of 2 local non-profit organisations.
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Darin thrives on his international relationships and finds himself challenged, rebuked and constantly encouraged by other like-minded people globally who share the same Kingdom principles. He loves to meet up with these people and together share ideas and strategies.
Darin currently resides in Salt Rock, South Africa, with his wonderful wife Paula and their three magnificent children, namely Savannah, Joshua and Kristin.
DEBBIE PARKER
Head of Fund | Astron Energy Development Fund
Debbie Parker is Head of Fund for the Astron Energy Development Fund (AEDF) based in Cape Town, South Africa. The AEDF’s vision is to bring about sustainable change and prosperity for small businesses in the fuel and lubricants value chain and to offer programs for high school students and unemployed youth to empower the next generation of employees and business owners. Debbie has a passion for creating opportunities for small businesses and unemployed youth that will lead to sustainable economic independence and business growth that will create future jobs.
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Previously Debbie was employed by Chevron South Africa (now Astron Energy) for 18 years in various Finance roles in Upstream, Downstream and Corporate HQ in the United States of America, Indonesia and South Africa. Over her career, her roles have been responsible for Process Optimisation, Strategy, Business Planning, Compliance and Global Projects execution. Her last permanent role was that of the Refinery Finance Manager at Astron Energy’s Milnerton refinery. She volunteers at Westlake United Church Trust NGO and is a member of the organising team for “Women of the Valley”, an annual Christian women’s conference.
Debbie is a registered Chartered Accountant in South Africa and graduated from the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Science and post graduate degree in Accounting in 1997 and 1998, respectively.
HANNALIE BARÃO
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR | INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICE AT EXPERTTECH
Hannalie’s enduring passion is to serve and guide leaders in discovering their true identity, purpose and calling. Her workshops and coaching sessions are engaging and guide leaders to a deeper understanding of their personalities, thoughts and behaviours, unleashing their God-given talents and abilities to both influence and inspire personal, team and organisational success. As a founding member and director of EXPERTTECH, an Organisational Development Specialist and Leadership Coach, Hannalie has an extensive track record of facilitating and coaching leadership development locally, internationally, and across a diverse range of industries.
HARDUS ZEVENSTER
CEO | BLOUDRUK GROUP
Hardus is an entrepreneur at heart and launched his first major venture in 1994. He is the CEO of Bloudruk Group based in Cape Town, which holds most of its asset holdings in media companies. It was founded in 2012, and its specialities are Advertising, Business Growth, Media Awareness and Marketing. Hardus consults and helps various grassroots organisations in an effort to grow the Kingdom of Christ on earth and help uplift South Africa, the place where he believes we were called to make a difference.
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Bloudruk Group consist of the following entities – which includes two of the largest radio stations – Radio Tygerberg 104FM in Cape Town and GROOTfm 90.5 in Pretoria, a leading TV program on kykNET called Die Groot Ontbyt, a media agency called BDM.Media including BDM.Digital, Downtown Entertainment, 104 Concerts and a news agency called Bulletin, just to name a few.
Hardus is actively involved in the community and founded the Voortrekker Road Corridor Improvement District, the largest CID in South Africa. He is also a trustee of the Shalom Trust – a religious organisation founded and lead by Angus Buchan who is involved in reaching out to communities, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, building relationships, uplifting people, and giving hope.
JOHAN DU PREEZ
FOUNDER | SAAD INVESTMENTS & TREE OF LIFE FOUNDATION
Johan, who obtained the degree M. Pharm from the University of Pretoria and an MBA from National University in San Diego, California, is the founder of SAAD Investment Holdings and the Tree of Life Foundation. He began his career in California, USA, where he specialised in the turnaround of large retail pharmacies for American Drug Stores, a retail group that owned more than 700 stores. He then moved on to managed healthcare, specifically medical insurance and risk management, and was part of a core team that created national prescription benefit manager RxAmerica.
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On his return to South Africa he was instrumental in the turnaround of Sanlam Health, where he served as CEO from 1999 to 2001, led Glacier by Sanlam and headed the start-up of the financing company Quince Capital. He subsequently acted as the CEO of the then JSE listed pharmaceutical company Cipla Medpro South Africa and, during this time, concluded a R4.5bn transaction with Cipla India that saw the delisting of Cipla Medpro. During his involvement with the Sanlam group he served on the Executive committees of Sanlam Life and Sanlam Investment Management.
JOHN YIP
FACILITATOR | INTERNATIONAL SPORT LEADERSHIP SCHOOL (ISLS)
John serves as the facilitator of ISLS – a global initiative that has equipped 623 emerging leaders from 132 countries. His passion lies in advancing strategic Kingdom expansion and nurturing young leaders by catalysing and multiplying Gospel movements. He is part of a global sports coalition active in 242 of 252 countries, islands, and territories, reaching 3,344 of 5,392 cities. In 2024, this movement engaged and discipled 6.15 million sportspeople, families, and individuals through sports, games, and fitness, made possible by the development of 147,200 local leaders.
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John also leads Whole Life Coaching – a platform that equips coaches to serve as father figures on and off the field. This initiative offers open-source resources in multiple languages, tailored for various sports and cultures. He is also the co-owner of Coffee Magazine’s 2024 Best New Café – a delightful and unexpected adventure in caffeine and community.
Professionally, John has held leadership roles in both the corporate and non-profit sectors, including a multinational technology firm. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and is certified as a Behavioural Consultant, Leadership Coach, and Futures Thinking Consultant. He is currently working – albeit slowly – towards completing his M.A. in Missiology.
John and his wife, Wan Yi, live in Stellenbosch, where they enjoy the ongoing adventure of raising their teenage daughters, Emma and Ellie. Together, they serve as elders in their local church.
KERI-LEIGH PASCHAL
Executive Director | Ziwani
Keri-Leigh Paschal is the Executive Director of Ziwani Community NPC. Ziwani is a community of Christian business leaders who partner to live out their calling in the marketplace in unique contexts on the African continent. Ziwani was forged out of the belief that business leaders can fundamentally shape our marketplace and transform society through biblically aligned business practices. Keri held a leadership position in Mergon for 11 years. Prior to that she held marketing and development roles in both London and South Africa.
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Keri completed her post-graduate studies in Biochemistry at the University of Pretoria, where she specialised in HIV research, and subsequently qualified as an educator. Kerialso initiated and led a national drive to raise awareness for autism in South Africa. She was the recipient of the 2020 Accenture Rising Star Award for service to the public and private sectors. The awards aim to recognise inspirational young leaders in South Africa.
Keri and her husband live in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
MALCOLM BOYD
FOUNDER | THIRD SECTOR INSIGHTS
PAST CHAIRMAN | WORLD VISION SOUTH AFRICA
Malcolm is the Founder, Managing Trustee, and CEO of Third Sector Insights NPT, a social enterprise focused on shining the light into the board rooms of non-profit and social impact organisations. He recently transitioned off the board of World Vision South Africa after ten years of service, the last three of which were in the role of Board Chair. WVSA is a global Christian relief, development, and advocacy organisation, dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. He is widely known by the South African SME support fraternity, especially for his role as founding Chief Executive Officer of NAMAC Trust.
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Malcolm understands the intrinsic components of a social enterprise and the critical role this plays in the ‘third sector’. More especially, through his years engaging with SME’s he has gained invaluable knowledge and wisdom with respect to enterprise development and social entrepreneurship.
His exposure to both for profit and non-profit organisations has allowed him to develop a greater understanding of the differences and similarities that exist between them and to apply this knowledge in these fields. He has a passion for excellence in the non-profit sector with particular focus onto Board Leadership, Corporate Governance, Executive Management as well as measuring the impact of interventions in this sector. Malcolm lectures at Stellenbosch University Business School and presents the governance module for the USB-ED NPO Management programme. He has been a panel member for the review of the project presentations by the Senior Management Development Programme (USB-ED SMDP) students. In addition, he facilitates the one-day co-branded TSI and Institute of Directors in Southern Africa’s (IoDSA) one day programme on NPO Governance. He was a founding member of the World Institute for Governance of Non-Profit Organisations (WIGNPO).
During his many years as a consultant in the field of business development, he has been director of numerous non-profit organisations in South Africa. His experience ranges from owning his own consulting business, to being a director of a leading information supply company, to management consulting on performance improvement programmes with some of the large corporations in South Africa. Over the past twenty-eight years he has developed extensive corporate, executive, governance, general management, project management and leadership skills as well as a participatory approach to dealing with business at all levels, domestically and internationally.
Malcolm holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Newport University (USA) and has completed postgraduate studies at Harvard Business School in the area of Governing for Non-profit Excellence and Strategic Perspectives in Non-profit Management; both were resident studies at Harvard’s Boston Campus. He completed the Management Advancement Programme at Wits Business School, Johannesburg South Africa. He is a graduate and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa. Malcolm holds a certificate from the University of Cape Town in Coaching to excellence, plus he holds a post graduate certificate in the psychology of leadership from Cornell University. He qualified as a certified sustainability assurance practitioner through the University of Stellenbosch Graduate School.
MARNUS KLOPPER
REGIONAL MANAGER: AFRICAN & THE MIDDLE EAST | CHRISTIAN VISION
With a background in consulting and philanthropy, Marnus Klopper has spent the past 15 years engaging across cultures and continents. Now serving as a regional director at Christian Vision, a global evangelism ministry, he brings strategic insight to shape global teams who seek to share the gospel with those who have never heard. Passionate about bridging divides—whether cultural, contextual, or relational—he is committed to fostering a Kingdom-centered approach to leadership and organisational development. Marnus is a husband and a father of three vibrant daughters and continues to be formed by the uncomfortable yet transformative journey of surrender, obedience, and hope.
MICHELLE HARDING
FOUNDER | LEGACY WATER SOLUTIONS
CO-FOUNDER | IN2ENERGY & SOLH2O
Michelle Harding has more than 30 years of experience in key sectors locally and internationally. Before founding Legacy Water Solutions, she held GM and Director positions at some of the leading corporates in manufacturing, mining, construction, and agriculture. As Legacy Water Solutions gained momentum in line with the Food-Water-Energy nexus, she co-founded In2Energy and SolH2O (Water & Energy) in 2020.
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Michelle is enthusiastic about finding and implementing business opportunities to help the continent grow to its full potential. She is also passionate about the importance of the next generation. Michelle is a devoted Christian, and her family is an essential part of her life. She is married to John and has two married sons with children.
NEIL HART
EXECUTIVE HEAD | MERGON FOUNDATION
Neil is an entrepreneur with a heart for God. He was the founder and CEO of Boomtown for 26 years; today one of the top brand agencies in South Africa. In 2014 he took over leadership of All Nations Church. Together with his wife Mandi, they established All Nations Churches in 20 countries worldwide, including the Middle East, Africa, India and Indonesia. Neil is currently the Executive Head for the Mergon Foundation, which allocates financial and human capital to ministries expanding God’s kingdom across Africa and the Middle East.
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He has a deep interest in leadership and creativity, loves being in nature, playing the guitar and is an exhibited artist. He lives in Stellenbosch with his family and is part of All Peoples Church in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch.
NTHABISENG LEGOETE
FOUNDER & CEO | QUALI DOC
Dr. Nthabiseng Legoete is an accomplished entrepreneur and medical practitioner. She is the founder and CEO of Quali Doc Holdings, an organisation focused on democratising access to primary healthcare in underserved and neglected communities. Through Quali Doc, she conceptualised and managed a network of brick-and-mortar, technology-enabled primary healthcare clinics. These were aptly named Quali Health clinics. They collectively serviced between 400-500 patients a day with pristine levels of quality and significantly reduced waiting times.
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Quali Doc has also developed a platform that enables disadvantaged communities to access home-based primary healthcare and screening via community health care workers. This has considerably eased the burden of seeking healthcare in the most vulnerable communities by removing the need to commute to local clinics.
Through a strategic and impactful partnership with the Gates Foundation, the organisation has launched a product called Doc on T@pp, which allows two-way healthcare communication between medical practitioners and communities via voice notes, texts, pictures, and videos. The consulting arm of the business works with primary healthcare clinics and endeavours to optimise their processes as a precursor to the adoption of technology in the form of digital health records and complementary devices. She has over 19 years of clinical experience and has explored the healthcare industry from public, private, and pharmaceutical perspectives.
PHILIP GELDENHUYS
CO-FOUNDER | SILVERTREE EDUCATION
Philip has co-founded and led several ventures focusing on psycho-social services to children and youth, affordable high schools, entrepreneurship development, and, most recently, faith-based tertiary education. He holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Stellenbosch University and a PhD in Social Development from the University of Cape Town. He was also a Visiting Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, in the USA. Philip and his wife, Reé, live in Paarl, South Africa, and have three children.
PIETER WASSERFALL
FOUNDER & CEO | SIX33 GROUP
Pieter is the Managing Director of the SIX33 Group – a private equity firm with investments in Agriculture, Financial Services, Logistics and Property. He is a qualified Actuary with 10 years’ experience working predominantly in the Financial Services industry. Before starting the SIX33 Group he worked as a strategy consultant for Accenture on various projects across Africa, Europe and North-America.
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In 2013 he founded PICSA – a disruptive financial services startup that is now a member of the AFGRI group of companies. Pieter and his wife Estelle share a heart for building God’s kingdom which is why they founded the Aslan Trust in 2014 to reach vulnerable and orphaned children in Africa.
TOMMY O’KENNEDY
DIRECTOR | HALFTIME SOUTH AFRICA
Tommy O’Kennedy is the first full-time director of Halftime South Africa. He started his career as a teacher and was involved as seminar leader and facilitator for Leadership Development and Management Development programmes for many years. He started his own business as entrepreneurship and management consultant and also taught in Business Management and Entrepreneurship at CPUT and Leadership Development at Stellenbosch University.
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After reading the book “Halftime” in 1998, Tommy desired to live a life of significance and in the middle of 2009, after a number of years in the academic and business world, Tommy was asked to become the first full-time director of Halftime South Africa. He felt that he could realise his dream to inspire business and professional leaders to embrace their calling to live a life of significance.
WYNAND SMIT
FOUNDER & CEO | INOVO
Wynand Smit, the CEO of INOVO, has worked in the Software as a Service (SaaS) industry for over 15 years. Along with his wife Liesl and his two kids, he spends many holidays connecting with nature at game parks or camping at scenic locations around the country. From creating his own self-sustaining fruit and vegetable garden to incubating new business opportunities, he is never short of starting new projects and devising creative ways to bring his ideas to life.