OUR MENTORS
Our community of industry-leading mentors is committed to equipping the next generation of entrepreneurs – to build world-class ventures that influence culture and create a meaningful impact throughout Africa.
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 has been in ministry since 1998 and has been Good News Community Church in Port Elizabeth’s leading pastor since 2002. He ministers on various platforms in South Africa and abroad, including being a regular speaker at the Mighty Men Conferences (MMC). Afrika’s main focus revolves around calling Christians to bring Kingdom influence into every domain of life. For this reason, he has ventured to speak and write on complex subjects such as racism, corruption, and idolatry (among others). Afrika is married to Lindelwa, and their family reside in Gqeberha with their two children.
ALMERO STRAUSS
DIRECTOR | MERGON GROUP
NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN | URBANISE
Almero is a director and has been an executive member of the Mergon Group’s investment team since 2008. Almero looks after and represents Mergon on the Boards of Infotech (one of South Africa’s oldest IT companies), FREI (a Mobile Virtual Network Enabler), Renewable Energy Holdings (the foremost independent developer and long-term investor in the hydropower sector in South Africa), and Mertech Marine (a world leader in the recovery, dismantling and recycling of out-of-service deep sea telecommunication cables).
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After starting his career as an electronic engineer, Almero also obtained pre and postgraduate accountancy qualifications from the University of Cape Town before launching his career in strategy and management consulting with leading international firms Bain & Company and Deloitte in South Africa and the USA. Almero was also a founding member of Decipher Consulting, a South African niche consulting firm, where he was an executive director of the business.He is also the Non-Executive Chairman of Urbanise.com, an ASX listed cloud software business for facilities, asset and strata management.
ANDRE HAASBROEK
COO | IN2FOOD GROUP
Andre is currently the joint Chief Operations Officer at In2Food, a national food producer. 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. 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.
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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. Andre has an interest in the growth hurdles experienced by fast growing businesses as well as the resulting change in organisational culture.
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.
BEN SCHOEMAN
FOUNDER & CEO| BUSINESS GAME CHANGERS
Ben is a veteran private equity investor & proven high-growth entrepreneur. After years of extensive academic training, Ben gained valuable experience as a commercial banker before serving on the executive committee of Every Nation (PBO) for 7 years. In 2012, he then co-founded and pioneered E3 Energy Group of Companies, famous for its 40X growth over 6 years. In 2017, Ben launched Business Game Changers to provide Africa’s business executives with the strategic means to see their innovations unlock real value and growth.
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While serving at Every Nation, Ben was responsible for coordinating all start-up and pioneering operations, plus fundraising and financial management of a multimillion-rand budget, co-creating and then executing the vision and strategies of the organisation and involving volunteer leaders and members on the university campus and community projects and forging collaborative relationships. He managed 120 staff.
In 2017, Ben founded Business Game Changers with the goal of helping 1500 businesses by 2030 scale 10X and create 100,000 sustainable jobs.
Ben lives in Stellenbosch and is happily married to Adi, a pharmacist, clinical research associate & consultant. They are the proud parents of three beautiful children. Ben’s family believe they exist to honour God by ultimately obeying Matthew 28:19-20.
BERTIE LOURENS
FOUNDER & CEO | WASTEPLAN
Bertie Lourens is the founder and CEO of WastePlan, a South African Waste Management Company that was started in Cape Town in 2004. WastePlan specializes in waste reduction, employs over 2500 staff and services nearly 800 clients in various industries in most of the major cities in South Africa. They currently recycle over 80% of all the waste they manage across all clients and have recently helped some clients achieve Zero Waste Certification. Bertie lives in Pretoria with his wife and their 4 kids.
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God owns 51% of WastePlan and the company actively works at breaking the poverty cycle in South Africa. They invest in education programs that give disadvantaged adults and children the best chance to achieve success.
WastePlan’ s purpose statement is “Uplifting lives by turning waste into opportunities” and as such WastePlan continues to innovate to find different ways of waste reduction and upliftment of people.
BOSHOFF GROBLER
CHAIRMAN | HEAL OUR LAND
Boshoff is a corporate, social, and spiritual entrepreneur.
He was a corporate entrepreneur for over twenty years, building new businesses within FirstRand, the largest financial services group on the African continent. These businesses compete in the investment banking and investment management industries. He was part of the team that built the multi-award-winning Debt Capital Markets business at Rand Merchant Bank.
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Boshoff was also the founder and CEO of Ashburton Investments, FirstRand’s investment management arm. Boshoff was also a member of FirstRand’s Executive Management Committee.
Boshoff is also a social entrepreneur, having established hospitality and outdoor adventure businesses. Boshoff co-founded and owned Phahama Lodge, a wild-life conference and leadership development centre in Gauteng. He is also a co-founder of the Adventure Institute, the first outdoor adventure university in South Africa, aimed at fostering job creation in South Africa’s nascent outdoor adventure industry.
As a spiritual entrepreneur, Boshoff has been part of many teams planting churches and establishing other ministries globally. He is Chairman of the Heal Our Land disaster response fund, formed during the 2021 unrest in Kwa Zulu Natal and Gauteng. He is also Chairman of the NXTMove, a global movement focussed on turning the trajectory
of Christianity in the next generation.
Boshoff is also an activator. As a preacher, speaker, writer, coach, and consultant, Boshoff loves encouraging others to be the change their worlds need.
He holds a BCom (Law) and LLB degree from the University of Pretoria and a Master of Law (LLM) degree from the University of Johannesburg. He also holds an Executive Master in Change (EMC) from INSEAD Business School in France.
Boshoff loves breeding and riding Arabian horses, travelling, staying fit, and reading. Boshoff is married to Blyde. They have three children: Andreas, Nina, and Miko.
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.
CHAMP THEKISO
CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | THE THEKVEST GROUP
Words that describe Champ Thekiso include: paradigm-shifter, leader, strategist, experienced director, entrepreneur, investor, and chartered accountant. He worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Entrepreneurial Advisory Division (EAD), which focused on auditing SMMEs. After PwC, he has been growing SMMEs through The Thekvest Group, a business development expertise. He has a wealth of experience in growing dormant companies to high performing socio-economic ventures.
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Over and above his technical and financial knowledge, Champ has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement, local procurement, economic transformation and social performance within the resources sector. He has been an advisor on several Employee Share Schemes, BEE transactions and BEE advisories for JSE listed and unlisted companies. He serviced clients such as Impala Platinum, Anglo Platinum, Shanduka Resources, Sephaku Cement, John Taolo Gaetsewe Developmental Trust, SIOC-CDT, and Modikwa Platinum, to name the few in the socio-economic transformation capacity.
CHERYL JACOB
HEAD OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP | E SQUARED
FOUNDER & MD | REASONATE
Cheryl Jacob has been the Head of Social Entrepreneurship at E Squared since 2019. She is responsible for social impact investments in Public Benefit Organisations. She has over 15 years of experience in International Development, working with civil society organisations across the global south. Cheryl is a Certified leadership coach and trainer with the John Maxwell Team and has spent the past 5 years as a consultant, providing coaching, training, and capacity-building initiatives for the Global Fund, Obama Foundation and Government, amongst others.
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Cheryl is also the Founder and Managing Director of REASONATE, an Associate at Womaniko – Transforming Spaces & Author of “The Treasure Within” and “Catapult”.
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 has partnered his brother for 25 years in the alternative lending space and together they have built successful portfolio’s. 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.
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For 28 years Chris has been married to Wanda, who is a dynamic and creative entrepreneur. They have two daughters, aged 30 and a 27 year-old son. Topping the list of his interests are good food, red wine, and travel.
CHRISTINE VAN NIEKERK
CO-FOUNDER | THE LOCAL EDIT
Christine is the co-founder and CEO of The Local Edit, an innovative e-commerce store where consumers can discover and shop a curated collection of South African brands. She has 20 years of experience in visual communication, online media and digital content creation, which has shaped her ability to see simplicity in complex structures through design constructs. She’s passionate about innovation, and her natural ability to creatively solve problems and connect dots helps her to bring structure, process and simplicity to businesses.
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Christine is extremely passionate about entrepreneurial journeys and hosts a podcast called Behind The Edit, where she facilitates honest and raw conversations between creative entrepreneurs.
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.
DAVID BLANKS
FOUNDER & CEO | AVOLANDS
David is a passionate avocado entrepreneur and an ardent ambassador for agribusiness development. He believes that the free market and small business development is the only credible means to long-term prosperity for all South Africans. Prior to farming, David worked as a consulting project manager in commercial and development agriculture throughout Africa. He is a dedicated family man and when he is not working, you will find him motorbiking in the bush with his two sons or riding his mountain bike in the forests surrounding his farm.
GERRIT HEYMANS
Non-Executive Chairman | POPUP UPLIFTMENT
CFO | CREATION CAPITAL
Gerrit is a Chartered Accountant with experience in logistics, manufacturing, financial services and skills development. Gerrit is the CFO of Creation Capital, an asset manager which specialises in private credit. He is the Non-Executive Chairman of POPUP Upliftment, a non-profit company, which focuses on providing skills and enterprise development training to unemployed youth. POPUP has trained more than 10,000 people up to the end of 2022.
GLADWYN LEEUW
Chief Investment Officer | E SQUARED INVESTMENTS
Gladwyn has multi-dimensional expertise and experience as an Investment Professional, having served various sectors in senior leadership and executive positions within large corporates, MNCs, and SMEs; being a lecturer of entrepreneurship; an investor; and a founder himself. He is the Chief Investment Officer at E Squared Investments, a South African Impact Investment Fund. Before E2, he served as a General Partner at Kingson Capital.
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Gladwyn started his career as an Investment Manager at Anglo-American’s Enterprise and Supplier Development arm, Zimele. Afterward, he joined the Senior Executive team of one of South Africa’s largest international BPO’s, CCI South Africa. Gladwyn holds a Master of Management degree in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation, a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration Management, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economic Studies and International Relations.
GUGU MOLOI
FOUNDER & MD | BETHEL ESTATE
Gugu is a seasoned business leader who has worked in leadership positions in both the public and the private sector. She turned major companies losses into thriving businesses and is very vocal about her dependence on God in the workplace. She is now the managing director of Bethel Farm, a commercial farming operation in Kwazulu-Natal, which she is building with her children.
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.
IPI THIBEDI
CEO | WEBER SHANDWICK
Ipi is the CEO of Weber Shandwick, a global strategic, communications, and consulting firm. Ipi’s strength lies in solidifying multi-market client relationships in Africa and managing and expanding the agency’s growing network across the regional operation. She has specific expertise in C-suite advisory council and transitions. Her focus areas include organisational change management, sustainability, corporate and public affairs.
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Her experience further includes working at blue-chip companies such as Deloitte and Altron, where she specialised in strategic business planning, innovation, corporate affairs and 360 marketing. She has also worked with Non-Profit Organisations in North America, Asia and Africa.
Ipi is a board member and director of PRCA UK Ltd and is listed as such at London Companies House. She also serves as a board member of Nahana Communications Group. She has further served on other boards and as a judge at some of the industry’s largest awards, which span across the African continent.
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.
JOHANN SNYMAN
PRINCIPAL: PRIVATE EQUITY | SAAD INVESTMENTS
After an early career in financial management, Johann entered the world of dealmaking and structured finance when he joined FNB Business as a Leveraged Finance dealmaker in 2011. In 2014 he became the head of FNB Business’ New Business Acquisitions team in the Western Cape: a role in which he managed a small, niche team of specialist dealmakers. Johann joined Cape Town-based private equity firm SAAD Investment Holdings in 2016.
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He is intimately involved across the full spectrum of the business’ private equity initiatives, from deal origination phase to post-transaction value creation. He serves as a non-executive director on the Boards of various SAAD investee companies operating in the technology, financial services, and contact centre industries.
He is married to the love of his life, Tara, and is a proud father of two bright-eyed and bushy-tailed boys: Aren and Jonathan.
JOHN YIP
FACILITATOR | INTERNATIONAL SPORT LEADERSHIP SCHOOL (ISLS)
John is the facilitator of the ISLS – an initiative that has trained 600 emerging leaders from 140 countries. His purpose is to enhance strategic Kingdom expansion processes and to develop emerging leaders through the means of catalyzing and multiplying Gospel movements. He is the co-facilitator for a global sports coalition with partners in 240 countries, islands, and territories. Millions of sports people are reached and discipled through sports, games, and fitness because of leader and team development for 100,000 leaders each year.
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John facilitates Ubabalo Whole Life Coaching – an initiative to equip coaches to be fathers on the sports field. Ubabalo has exploded to over 140 countries with 10,000 coaches trained annually and open source resources available for multiple sports in multiple languages. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and is a Certified Behavioural Consultant, Executive Coach, and Futures Thinking consultant. John is married to Wan Yi and they have embraced the adventure of parenting their daughters Emma and Ellie. They love serving young couples and young families to discover their purpose within God’s mission.
JONATHAN ROBINSON
FOUNDER | BEAN THERE FAIR TRADE COFFEE
Jonathan began his working career in the IT industry with IBM and Dimension Data. After a year abroad in 2002, he joined the Starfish Foundation. He followed his desire to impact the future generations of South Africa by helping to create a brighter future for orphaned and vulnerable children. In 2005 he combined his passion for Africa with his love for coffee and established the Bean There Coffee Company.
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Bean There is South Africa’s first roaster of certified Fairtrade coffee and works with small-scale farmers in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, and DR Congo. Their model of Direct Fair Trade and investment in agronomy training programs has significantly impacted producer communities across East Africa. Jonathan believes that business can positively impact people and the planet while still being profitable.
KERI-LEIGH PASCHAL
EXECUTIVE HEAD | MERGON INTEGRATE
Keri-Leigh Paschal, Executive Head of Mergon Integrate, heads Ziwani, a community of Christian business leaders who partner to live out their calling in the African marketplace. Formerly leading Nation Builder for 9 years, Keri, a 2020 Accenture Rising Star Award recipient, believes business leaders can shape the marketplace for societal transformation. Holding an MBA from Henley Business School, she brings expertise from marketing and development.
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Keri and her husband Brandon are avid travellers who enjoy the many outdoor sports that Cape Town has to offer.
LAURIE NELL
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | EN GEDI
Laurie founded En Gedi and serves as its Executive Director. Her passion is to serve and encourage business leaders and ministry leaders, and God has used her experience in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors to apply those gifts around the world. Laurie is married to Daniel Nell, an investor and corporate advisor, and they live in Johannesburg where they serve as personal advisors and “biggest fans” of their two adult children Devon and Kelly.
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Laurie has worked as a manager with Master Sports and as Executive Director of her family’s foundation, Master Works Foundation before founding En Gedi, a non-profit. She currently is a director of Lion’s Crown Global Investments and serves on the advisory council of Life Plus, an education group in China, while also ministering locally.
LERATO THEKISO
CO-FOUNDER & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR | THE THEKVEST GROUP
Lerato is an admitted attorney and avid entrepreneur. Together with her husband, Champ Thekiso, they founded The Thekvest Group, which focuses on economic inclusion through advisory solutions. They see themselves as bridge-builders. For the past ten years, they have led the Unleashed Leadership Development Foundation, a non-profit that exists to unleash the potential of Africa’s people. Lerato is an experienced non-executive director and serves as chairperson in two trusts that address South Africa’s socio-economic challenges.
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Lerato is a proud alumni of the prestigious Fortune: Most Powerful Women flagship partnership with Vital Voices and the U.S State Department. She is passionate about using her influence to make a meaningful difference in the world.
LOUWTJIE VENTER
FINANCIAL DIRECTOR | SIX33 GROUP
Louwtjie is a Director of the SIX33 Group – a private equity firm with investments in
agriculture, property and other startups. He studied at Stellenbosch University and is a qualified chartered management accountant. He has a heart to assist business owners steward that which has been entrusted to them, which is why he co-founded Finovate Group – a group of companies that provide professional corporate advisory services in taxation, accounting, business consulting, human resources and marketing. He serves on various boards and enjoys working with people in team format.
LUVUYO RANI
FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR | SILULO ULUTHO TECHNOLOGIES
Luvuyo Rani is an award-winning entrepreneur, and founder and managing director of Silulo Ulutho Technologies, a Cape Town based IT services company. The story of Silulo began in 2004 when Rani, a teacher in Khayelitsha, saw teachers struggling with the new computer technology that was being introduced into classrooms. He started his business from the boot of his car, buying old computers, refurbishing them and selling the gadgets. Today, Silulo has 46 stores in townships and rural areas in the Western, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, 220 full-time staff members, and 21 franchises.
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Rani gradually set up internet cafes in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, while establishing one-stop ICT (information and communication technology) centres offering internet access, training, sales, repairs and mobile support. By 2008, they had perfected this model and started to expand. Today Rani is an award-winning social enterpreneur with a top-floor office in the city and a business that is helping thousands of South Africans succeed.
He is still driven primarily by the desire to empower township and rural communities by connecting them to the world of technology. Several awards and accolades have accrued over the years, including the national Productivity Award and the Endeavour Global Entrepreneur award. Luvuyo Rani was featured in Forbes Magazine’s March issue in 2014 and he was the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the year in 2016. Luvuyo was named one of the 2014 JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World ( JCI TOYP) recipients in the category of business, economic, and/or entrepreneurial accomplishment.
One of strengths of the business has been the entrepreneurial spirit that has kept it one step ahead. As the internet became more accessible and smartphones entered the market, for example, the company adapted its business model to offer more training courses and partner with other companies. Silulo has become a known brand and this has opened doors. At the same time the business has been helping to secure loans for individuals to open franchises, mentoring young entrepreneurs and creating networks for others to succeed. In 2018, the Silulo Business Incubation Hub was opened in Mitchells Plain, to assist young entrepreneurs in setting up and launching their business.
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.
MARTIN KUSCUS
COACH & BUSINESS LEADER | MARCUS KUSCUS
Before starting his private ventures, Martin spent 17 years in health care services, was the former MEC of Finance in the North West Provincial Government, on the Council for International Standards Organization (ISO), and was the CEO of the South African Bureau of Standards. He has served on various boards (including that of a UN Global Compact initiative), has been the Mineworker’s Provident Fund Chairman, and is a Non-Executive Director for multiple companies, including the Netcare Group.
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In 2004 the President of South Africa even assigned Martin to the Finance and Fiscal Commission, where he gained vast learning experiences in public policy analysis and intergovernmental fiscal relations.
Given his strategic insights and vast learning experiences, he became a trusted coach and mentor to many governmental, corporate and church leaders. He is also a public speaker and has published a book (Credibility Matters). He has been married to his lovely wife Elizabeth, with whom he has three children and two grandchildren.
MARLON PARKER
FOUNDER | RLABS
Marlon Parker is deeply committed to community, technology, and innovation, which has shaped his career and led to the creation of RLabs, a social enterprise that has reached over 60 million people in 24 countries. Recognised by Quartz as a leading African Innovator in 2017 and named among the 100 World Class South Africans, Parker has also earned accolades as an honorary faculty member at the International School of Digital Transformation, an adjunct faculty at the UCT Graduate School of Business, a non-resident fellow at New York University, and a member of the GITEX Impact Council.
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His contributions to social entrepreneurship have garnered him prestigious titles such as a WEF Young Global Leader, a Schwab Foundation Social Innovation Fellow, a Dangote Fellow, and an Ashoka Fellow. Most recently, Parker has launched RLabs Capital, which focuses on investing in and managing a portfolio of scalable technology and impact-driven companies founded by underrepresented entrepreneurs.
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.
PAUL SOPER
RETIRED CPA
Paul is a retired CPA (Certified Public Accountant) from the United States. He volunteers for a number of Christian organisations, most of which work in developing countries. Paul spent twenty years as an auditor and consultant for EY and ten years as Partner with IMA Consulting. This healthcare consulting firm provides professional services to hospitals and health systems throughout the United States. He retired in 2019, one year after the sale of IMA Consulting to a private equity firm. He lives in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, has been married to his wife Sue for over thirty years and has three grown 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.
RORISANG TSHABALALA
FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE | CHAPTER ONE INNOVATION
Rorisang is the Chief Executive and Founder of Chapter One Innovation. He leads the firm in its mission to be the platform off which market winners, industry leaders and world changers are launched, both the organisational systems and the people that work on them. Rorisang is a classical corporate strategist specialising in business model and innovation strategy. He holds a MBA (specialising in social innovation and entrepreneurship) from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Financial Accounting, Auditing and Taxation from the University of Pretoria.
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Rorisang is also an adjunct member of faculty at Duke University CE, delivering a portfolio of corporate education programmes. He is an African Leadership Institute / Oxford University Desmond Tutu Fellow, an Africa Leadership Initiative / Aspen Global Leadership Network (YALI) Fellow and a Bertha Foundation Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fellow. Amongst Rorisang’s hidden talent are that he is both a retired politician and a retired radio show host.
RUDZANI MULOIWA
PROFESSOR & HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PAEDIATRICS & CHILD HEALTH | UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN & RED CROSS WAR MEMORIAL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Rudzani Muloiwa has been a Professor and Head of the Department of Paediatrics & Child Health at UCT and the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town since the end of 2020. He is the current co-director of the Vaccines for Africa Initiative (VACFA), located within the Faculty of Health Sciences at UCT. Rudzani serves as Deputy Chair of the South Africa National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (NAGI) and member of the Regional Immunisation Technical Advisory Group for the World Health Organisation’s Region for Africa.
Sheldon Tatchell
FOUNDER & CEO | LEGENDS BARBERSHOP
Sheldon Tatchell is the founder and owner of Legends Barbershop, a brand that has quickly become luminary among South Africans. From humble beginnings back in 2011, on a stoep in Eldorado Park to 66 stores later employing over 400 staff members across the SADC region, the journey and the vision continues.
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2014 was a watershed year for Legends Barber Shop since it represented its rebirth and the year in which the concept really took off. Sheldon decided to go solo in the business and, even though Standard Bank still employed him on a full-time basis, opened the first fully-fledged Legends Barber Shop in Crystal Mall in Eldorado Park. By September of the same year, the shop’s success allowed him to resign from his day job and in July 2015, he opened a second branch in Florida on the West Rand.
STEPHAN PRETORIUS
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR | AGES GROUP
FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN | TOUCHING AFRICA DEVELOPMENT TRUST
Stephan, a student of the Word, a author, and natural scientist, resides in Potchefstroom from where he is involved in family, business, and community development projects. He is married to Christa, and they have a family of 4 children with their spouses, and 9 grandchildren. He has 40 years’ experience, has obtain a PhD in Geo-Environmental Management and is the founder of the AGES Group of companies and businesses with a focus on geo-environmental engineering solutions and management in the water and natural resource sector.
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With a Kingdom-vision focus, he is also the founder of Touching Africa as a network of businesses that share the dream to make a difference and heal the land through the implementation of various programs and projects.
TINUS KITS
CEO & CO-FOUNDER | VISION MEAT GROUP
Tinus is the co-founder and CEO of the Vision Meat Group. Within this group, they manage the entire meat industry’s value chain, from the farm to the end customer at butcheries and fast-food restaurants. A pivotal segment of the group includes a Non-Profit Organization dedicated to uplifting the local community. Tinus is a highly motivated individual with a strong focus on his family and local church. He also invests in various businesses, supporting and mentoring younger entrepreneurs with whom he partners.
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.
WILLEM MEYER
Managing Partner | Family Tree Farms Africa
Willem serves as the Managing Partner of Family Tree Farms Africa, a division of Family Tree Farms headquartered in the US. With operations extending across California, Mexico, Peru, and now South Africa, Family Tree Farms is a vertically integrated agribusiness that directly markets its premium farm produce through its own network of marketing offices worldwide. With a multifaceted background spanning academia, entrepreneurship, and executive leadership, Willem remains steadfast in his pursuit of fostering positive change and sustainable development within the global agribusiness arena.
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Before assuming his role at Family Tree Farms Africa, Willem co-founded Campitor Investments, a venture dedicated to investment holdings within the food, beverage, and agribusiness sectors. In 2015, he spearheaded the launch of the African Agribusiness Knowledge and Innovation Leadership Initiative during his tenure in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This initiative, conducted in collaboration with faculties at MIT and Harvard, propelled research into African agribusiness models, leveraging Willem’s firsthand experiences in investment and operational realms across the continent.
Preceding this, Willem was a PSG Group’s Private Equity team member, pivotal in establishing and listing South Africa’s Zeder Investments in 2006. His leadership tenure as CEO of Agrivision Africa, a Zambian farming enterprise under Zeder’s umbrella, provided invaluable insights into steering large-scale African agribusiness operations towards sustainable growth.
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.