Professor Jonathan Jansen
Jonathan Jansen is Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. He is currently
President of the South African Academy of Science and the Knight-Hennessey Fellow at Stanford University (2020).
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, Cleveland State University and the University of Cape Town.
In 2013, he was awarded the Education Africa Lifetime Achiever Award in New York, the Spendlove Award from the Universityof California for his contributions to tolerance, democracy and human rights, and the largest book award from the British Academy for the Social Sciences and Humanities for his book, Knowledge in the Blood (Stanford University Press).
His most recent books include two edited collections, South African Schooling: The enigma of inequality (with Nic Spaull as co- editor, Springer 2019) and Decolonization in universities: The politics of knowledge (Wits 2019). Books in production for 2020 include the edited Faultlines: A primer on race, science and society (with co-editor, Cyrill Walters, SUNMEDIA) and Who gets in and why: the politics of admissions in South Africa’s elite schools (with Samantha Kriger, UCT Press).
Neeraj Vij
Neeraj Vij joined AfDB in late 2009 and is currently engaged as Regional Sector Manager – Industry, Agriculture & Human Development managing the Southern Africa operations. In this capacity, he coordinates Bank’s investments for both public and private sectors.
Earlier, Neeraj worked as Chief Investment Officer in the Industry & Trade Department and was the coordinator for business development for private sector operations for Southern African countries.
Neeraj is a mechanical engineer by background in addition to qualifications in business management. He is also a certified Financial Risk Manager. He has been a career banker with 20 years of experience across different streams of wholesale finance markets. He has worked across emerging markets in Asia and Africa.
Vusi Thembekwayo
Vusi Thembekwayo is a Global Business Speaker, private equity Managing Partner at Watermark Afrika, CEO of pan-African impact investment firm MyGrowthFund Venture Capital & convenor of leading research boutique IC Knowledge Bureau
Ranked number 1 in public speaking at the age of 17, Vusi went on to receive third place in the world at the English-Speaking Union International Competition.
He delivered his first professional talk in 2002 and over the past 15years he has been gracing the global stage with his humour, charisma and thought-provoking content.
His debut book, the Magna Carta of Exponential was launched in Barcelona, Spain in 2017. It sold 6,000 copies on the day of launch.
His follow-up book, Vusi – lessons from a Black Dragons is a multi-award best-seller available on audible & Kindle.
Vusi Thembekwayo is making waves internationally as a thought-provoking young business leader from the continent with many ideas on solving economic issues in Africa. His mission is to change the African narrative by challenging the mindset and approach towards achieving economic freedom.
Vusi has been the catalyst for change in businesses across the globe through expertise in strategy, leadership, and sales. New York, London, Paris, Lagos, Jersey, Guernsey, Rio de Janeiro, Dar es Salaam, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Colombo, Nairobi, Kampala, San Francisco, and another 21 global cities have all experienced Vusi.
Regine Le Roux
Founder & Managing Director
Academic Qualifications: M.Com (Communication Management), University of Pretoria 2003.
Regine is a corporate reputation specialist. She completed her Communication Management Honours degree Cum Laude at the University of Pretoria in 2001, and completed her MCom within a year. Regine founded Reputation Matters in 2005.
Regine developed the Repudometer®, which is one of the first tools that has been developed to quantify an organisation’s reputation. Regine is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa (IoDSA) and sits on the advisory committee for the Western Cape.
Regine is the author of: Reputation Matters, Building blocks to becoming the business people want to do business with and writes a monthly column for Leadership Magazine.
Bennie Van Rooy
Taking over the reins from Spiro Georgopoulos, who oversaw the transition and repositioning of the South African Bank of Athens into Grobank, Bennie brings extensive experience as a previous Head of Capital and Balance Sheet Management in Group Treasury at Absa Bank, Group Financial Director and CEO of Consumer Finance of the JD Group and more recently, Chief Financial Officer (and Acting CEO) at the State-owned Land Bank, to one of South Africa’s most innovative banks.
“My mandate is to support the implementation and expansion of Grobank’s strategy as the premier banking partner across the food and agriculture value chain in South Africa,” says van Rooy. “At the same time, I am committed to the ongoing growth of our business and alliance banking offerings, which remain core to the future strategy of Grobank”.
“It is an exciting time in financial services as well as in the agricultural sectors in our country, and Grobank is set to take advantage of available technology, such as fintech, digital, and agtech among others to support and provide solutions to our current and future clients, while maintaining our close personal relationships with farmers and agri-businesses.”
Chris Venter, CEO of AFGRI Group Holdings (AGH), a shareholder of Grobank, indicated that, “As shareholders of Grobank that is part of the greater AGH group, we are pleased that Bennie has chosen to be part of the Grobank journey and our mandate to support food and agri-businesses. Bennie is fully committed to our passion of enabling food and job security across the continent. We are privileged to have Bennie on board as his financial acumen, business sense, values and dedication towards each position he has held previously have been of the highest order.”
Grobank is uniquely positioned to provide solutions, expertise and banking services as a result of the insights gained through our existing clients, alliance and industry relationships. “Combining the existing banking expertise in our business, with the thorough agricultural and food value chain knowledge of our strategic shareholders, creates a unique opportunity to deliver new and innovative solutions to agriculture and other sectors. I am delighted to join the Grobank family and look forward to exploring new opportunities that will make a meaningful difference to our existing and new clients,” van Rooy adds.
Mbali Nwoko
Mbali Nwoko is an award winning commercial farmer, entrepreneur, speaker and columnist. She is the CEO of Green Terrace which is an
agribusiness based in Boksburg, Johannesburg that farms high value crops namely; baby marrows, green peppers and green beans and supplies to leading retailers, food processing companies and the fresh produce markets across South Africa.
In 2018,Mbali was included by Mail & Guardian as Top 100 Women Changing Africa.
Mbali has been featured on a number of radio interviews and publications such as: True Love Magazine, Drum Magazine, Farmers Weekly and NuFarmer Africa.
Mbali has been a two time finalist for the 702 Small Business Awards with Sage One in 2014 and 2017.
Mbali has been a self funded entrepreneur for the last 6 years.
Shiv Vikram Khemka
Shiv is Vice-Chairman of SUN Group, a 120-year-old family enterprise comprised of both operating and investment companies. SUN Group is active in Asset Management (Private Equity, Venture Capital and Real Estate), Natural Resources (Oil & Gas and Mining), Green Infrastructure (Renewable Energy and Electric Mobility), and High Technology (Aerospace, Communications and Electronics). The group has been active in various regions around the world, including India, Latin America, West Africa, the Middle East, Russia, Central and South-East Asia, Japan, and China.
SUN Group has raised and managed over US $8 billion of third-party capital through its sponsored private equity, real estate and venture funds. Shiv led the Group’s activities in Latin America from 1985-1990 and then in the former Soviet Union until 2015. In 1992, he founded SUN Brewing (later SUN InterBrew), which is today the largest brewer in Russia and Ukraine. It was acquired by AB InBev in 2004 at a valuation of
approximately $4bn.
He has also led the Group’s investments in the Mining sector in Russia, Kazakhstan, India, and various African countries. Today, the Group owns a stake in one of Russia’s 8 largest gold mines, Kluchevskoye, in partnership with China National Gold. The mine is in the Far Eastern region of Russia on the border with China and Mongolia. He was recently asked to join the Board of the Far East Mining Company (FEMCO), which is a subsidiary of the Far East Investment Agency in Russia, to help develop mining opportunities in Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District.
Shiv has also led the Group’s investments in Oil & Gas, investing in Russia and several other countries in Africa, Asia, and North America. Today, the Group operates a producing Nigerian onshore asset in partnership with the Indian State-owned Oil companies, Indian Oil Corporation and Oil India Limited.
Shiv is Chairman of the Indian representation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Business Council, a member of the BRICS Business Council and member of the Russian Prime Minister’s Foreign Investment Advisory Council. He also sits on the National and International Councils of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and is also a member of the Young Presidents Organisation’s Inter-Continental (YPO-IC) chapter.
He served on the Board of Overseers of the Wharton School for over a decade and is currently on the board of the Lauder Institute and the Centre for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) at the University of Pennsylvania. Shiv serves on Yale University’s President’s Council on International Activities and the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Global Council. He has also been a member of the President’s Leadership Council at Brown University and the advisory board of Stanford University’s Philanthropy and Civil Society Centre.
Shiv is Chairman of the Global Education & Leadership Foundation (tGELF), an education initiative committed to nurturing young leadership potential around the world, which today reaches over 3 million young people across 14 countries. He is also Chairman of the Aikido Aikikai Foundation of India, serves on the Board of Governors of Junior Achievement Worldwide and is a Trustee of the Foundation Leadership Council at United World College (South East Asia).
The Khemka family foundations have helped establish several significant institutions in India and abroad including the Indian School of Business, the Public Health Foundation of India, the Skolkovo Business School in Russia, and Brookings India.
In 1997, the World Economic Forum elected Shiv a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” (GLT/YGL). He has also been awarded Wharton’s “Wharton India Alumni Award,” their “Outstanding Contribution to Education Prize,” and Tufts University’s “Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award.” Shiv studied at Eton College, earned a BA in economics from Brown, an MBA/MA with distinction from the Wharton School of Business and the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He speaks seven languages including Russian and Portuguese.
Willie Hofmeyr
Willie Hofmeyr is one of the 4 Deputy National Directors of Public Prosecutions in the National Prosecuting Authority.
He established the Asset Forfeiture Unit in the NPA in 1999 and headed it until August 2015. He was recently reinstated in this position.
The AFU grew from just 3 staff members to over 150 and became a formidable force in the fight against crime and corruption, freezing about R15 billion in over 5 200 cases, and forfeiting R5 billion over 4 500 finalised cases.
He has served on several international expert groups on asset forfeiture and corruption for the United Nations, Commonwealth and other international bodies.
Willie was also Head of the Special Investigating Unit from 2001 to 2011. It grew it from 67 to over 500 staff making a significant impact on corruption.
Much of the growth was funded by innovative partnerships with large state institutions that had significant corruption problems such as Social Development, Housing, Local Government, and Transport.
He was a Member of Parliament for the ANC from 1994 to 1999 where he played an important role in drafting the new Constitution and Bill of Rights, and many of the tough new laws to combat crime and corruption.
He was active in the leadership of the early trade union movement in the 1970s, and later worked for the UDF and ANC.
Prior to 1994 he worked as a student actuary and as a human rights lawyer in Cape Town,
He was restricted and banned for 5 years in 1976, and was arrested about 20 times. He was detained without trial for 2 weeks and later for 7 months.
Mikhael Missakabo
Mikhael has been an educator for more than 30 years at secondary as well as post-secondary level in a variety of capacities. Specialized in philosophy of science as well as science education, he has taught courses on teaching sciences in minority contexts. His main research interests lie in the area of knowledge development and management.
Tola Babalola
Tola Babalola is a digital strategist and the founder at Wildreams. Wildreams is one of the fastest growing digital agencies in Lagos, Nigeria with a footprint in Accra. The company’s focus is driving growth in the consumer engagement industry with leading technology, digital solutions and products, consumer engagement models and solutions that help brands connect more profitably with humans.
Wildreams is also leading the way in digital transformation in the financial services sector. Working with leading financial service providers in Nigeria to implement company wide digital transformation. Wildreams provides full service digital solutions and initiatives for some very reputable organizations in and out of Nigeria. A few of these are; adidas West Africa (Nigeria and Ghana), Reebok Ghana, Glo mobile (2015/2016), Huawei Mobile (2016), Diamond Bank, Brian Munro, Gruppo Campari, Barton & Gustier, Access Bank, Honeywell Flourmills.
Tola Babalola has over 10 years of experience in digital marketing and 13 years in the design and brand industry. He’s an alumnus of the Harvard executive program CORe, Oxford Fintech Program, NYFA, and holds a BSc in computer science at Lagos State University.
Terry Booysen
In 2004, Terry co-founded CGF Research Institute (‘CGF’) where he is an Executive Director and shareholder of the company. As the company’s Chief Executive Officer, guided by Terry’s expertise, CGF specialises in all forms of corporate governance research which in turn reinforces many of the company’s broad-ranging corporate governance consulting services.
CGF is firmly established in South Africa and the continent at large, and the company’s flagship products, namely the Corporate Governance Body of Knowledge® and the Corporate Governance Framework® is underpinned by the company’s renowned governance research, most of which is externally peer reviewed and approved by subject-matter experts found within the audit, legal and similar specialist fraternities.
Terry is an accredited podium speaker and regularly presents to business and government leadership through seminars and key-note addresses on GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance) covering the Corporate, SME and Government sectors. He has published numerous GRC articles, addresses CEO forums and regularly serves as an independent judge for national business awards. He is also a regular guest on national television and radio talk shows, and is considered a subject matter specialist in corporate governance.
Terry has chaired numerous GRC events, as well as also being appointed as a strategic partner to international events such as the ICGN 2007, World Climate Summit 2011, the MDG Review 2012 Summit and the Southern African Compliance Awards 2014.
In 2013 Terry was recognised by the Worldwide Who’s Who® organisation for his business accomplishments and knowledge within the arena of corporate governance. In 2014, he was named the SADC regional winner and SA country winner in the SME Sector by the international Titans-Building Nations Awards. Through these recognitions, Terry forms part of an extensive international network comprised of diverse and talented professionals, helping members to develop strong personal brands in order to distinguish themselves from others in their respective industries.
Terry previously served as an Honorary Patron of the Proudly South African ~ CGF School Governance Annual Awards and was also a member of the Institute of Bankers Leselo Appeals Panel. He is a regular guest lecturer at various universities, business schools and business forums.
Prior to CGF, Terry held various executive positions in the banking and IT business sectors over a period of 18 years, having also attained his MMP, AMP and EDP during this period.
Prof. Catherina Schenck
CURRENT POSITION:
DST/NRF/CSIR Chair in Waste and Society
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
1. January 2012 April 2018: Professor and HOD in the Department of Social Work, University of the Western Cape.
2. January 2007- December 2011:
Professor at the Dept. of Social Work at the University of South Africa (UNISA)
2. January 2004 – December 2007:
Associate Professor at the Dept. of Social Work at the University of South Africa
3. January 2000 – December 2003:
Senior lecturer at the Dept. of Social Work at the University of South Africa
4. January 1987- December 1999:
Lecturer at the Department of Social Work at the University of South Africa.
5. 1981-1986:
Lecturer at the Dept. of Social Work at the University of Pretoria
6. 1979-1980:
Senior Social Worker and Supervisor at Sterkfontein Mental Hospital
7. 1975-1979:
Fieldworker, reconstruction social worker, supervisor and student supervisor at CMR Pretoria (Church Welfare agency)
FORMAL QUALIFICATIONS
- DPhil University of South Africa (1999)
- MA (SS) Mental Health University of South Africa (1981)
- MA (SW) University of Pretoria (1980)
- BA (SW) Hons. University of Pretoria (1976)
- BA (SW) University of Pretoria (1974)
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:
I have published over 70 article in peer reviewed journals in South Africa and internationally.
Several (11) Books and Book chapters have been edited and written.
I have supervised and co- supervised over 50 Master and PhD students as well acted as examiner for PhD and Masters students
Research in Waste .
Since 2009 my colleagues and I started with research on the waste pickers in South Africa which led to researching broader aspects in the Waste sector until I was awarded the DST/NRF/CSIR Research Chair in Waste and Society.
Tshepo Matseba
Tshepo Matseba is the Head of Brand and Reputation at a South African financial services brand.
He is the former Corporate Reputation Strategist at M&C Saatchi Abel. Matseba is the former President of the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA).
He hold a number of roles including Chairman at Reputation 1st, a boutique strategic communication and reputation management consultancy. In addition, he is the Business Editor of The Afropolitan magazine and Editor in Chief of The Official NEPAD Yearbook. He was the Head of Marketing and Communication at Liberty Corporate.
Matseba has over 16 years expertise across marketing communicatios, he served in a range os industries including higher education, financial services, telecommunications, and information communication (ICT) in Africa and the Middle East for a number of brands including Discovery, Huawei, Momentum, MTN and UNISA’s Graduate School of Business Leadership.
He holds the APR status, which is internationally recognised in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia through the Global Alliance of Public Relations and Communication Management Associations (GA).
Matseba is the chairman of the judging panel for the Brand Summit and Awards South Africa and a regular speaker at the Gordon Institute of Business Science.
Bongiwe Mlangeni
Bongiwe Mlangeni is executive director of the Social Justice Initiative (SJI), a non-profit that mobilises resources for human rights and social justice programmes in South Africa. Previously, Bongiwe served as the communications director for the Graça Machel Trust and was the deputy director of Corruption Watch. She began her career in journalism in 1994.
She has worked for leading print and broadcast media houses, mainly covering socio-economic and women’s rights issues in Southern Africa. In 2004, she transitioned from journalism into the field of communications and has consulted for various international organisations.
She holds a Masters of Management degree from the Wits School of Governance and has completed postgraduate studies at the Wits Business School and the London School of Economics. She is a fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Mandisa Kalako-Williams
Mandisa Kalako-Williams has experience in Corporate Social Investment oversight, disaster management, fundraising organisational governance, gender and diversity management in the corporate, government and non-governmental sector. She has a para-medical background, having trained as a nurse, qualified as a Diagnostic Radiographer (1975) and a Blood Transfusion Technician (1978). She also holds a National Diploma in Public Relations (Damelin, 1980) and is a certified Trainer in Advanced Customer Relationship Management (1998).
Internationally, she has served on numerous committees and working groups to develop the Strategy for Violence Prevention in the International Federation of the Red Cross and has participated in UN and WHO sessions and discussions on the subject.
Community Development – Health
In the 1980’s, Mandisa was one of the founder members of the SADC group of Southern African National Service Organisations (SANASO) against the spread of HIV and AIDS, and has worked in the SA Deputy President’s team on HIV and AIDS campaigns – facilitating collaboration during the Khomanani Campaign, the Spoornet and Government’s AIDS Awareness trains and the observance of World AIDS Day.
In community development she has worked in oversight roles for the Community Based Health initiatives of the SA Red Cross: TB, HIV/AIDS, Disease Outbreaks (Cholera, Flu Pandemic), Psycho-Social Support for People Living with HIV and AIDS, Natural Disasters – floods, drought- and conflict prevention – Xenophobic attacks, urban violence.
Other
In 2017 she was engaged briefly as CEO of Girl Guides South Africa, to craft the 2017 – 2019 Strategy, in line with that of the organisation’s mother body, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)
She was one of the first women to serve on the SA Rugby Union’s President’s Council, as part of the organization’s transformation process during 2007, and had previously been on the Border Rugby Union’s Council as a representative of Spoornet for three years.
She has carried out evaluation and monitoring assignments for programmes in Health, Disaster Management, Donor Partnerships and Communications in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya, Lesotho, Sweden and Norway.
She has represented both the SA Red Cross and International Federation, and presented papers on such topics as: The Effects of Climate Change on Vulnerable Communities; The Role and plight of Women during and after Disasters; HIV and Orphaned Children in our Communities; The Mainstreaming of Gender Considerations in Disaster Relief Operations.
Craig Kensley
Ebrahim Fakir
Awarded the Ruth First Fellowship for 2014 at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg – Ebrahim Fakir is currently the Director of Programs at the Auwal Socio Economic Research Institute (ASRI) and was part time lecturer at the WITS School of Governance at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg for 2018. He was until October 2016, the head the Political Parties and Parliamentary Program at EISA [2009-2016].
He was an editorial advisor to the independent start-up media house “Daily Vox” & regularly contributes analysis, opinion and comment articles to the Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times and News 24, amongst others. He regularly appears in the electronic broadcast media as an analyst and commentator.
Formerly Senior Researcher and Analyst at the Centre for Policy Studies in Johannesburg [2003-2009], he worked at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) [1998-2003] at both IDASA’s Pretoria and Cape Town offices and he also worked at the first democratic Parliament of the Republic of South Africa (1996-1998) in the Legislation and Oversight Division. Before that, he was junior lecturer in English Literature at the then University of Durban-Westville (1994-1996).
He writes in the popular press as well as academic and policy journals on politics, development, and the state. He is used as a commentator and facilitator by the domestic and international media, business and other organisations.
He read for a degree in English Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg where he was elected on to the Students Representative Council. He was visiting fellow at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex (2005/2006) and was a Draper Hills Summer Fellow at the Centre for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University, for 2011.
Saul Molobi
I’m the founding CEO of Brandhill Africa (Pty) Ltd – a nation brand and public diplomacy agency – with experience in trade & investment promotion and destination marketing. My interest in the conference is that the dissertation I’m currently working on for my DBA studies with the University of Northampton speaks to what your summit seeks to deal with. My topic is on how a country’s national brand impacts on consumer decision making (dissecting the country of origin effect). The “nation” in this instance is elongated to cover Africa as a whole.
My MSc dissertation, acquired through the University of Liverpool critiqued the role played by a country’s nation brand on investor decision making – looking on how perceptions of Italian investors impacted on their decisions pertaining to South Africa, Kenya and Mozambique. I also hold a Post-Graduate Diploma from the IMM Graduate School of Marketing – my research report critiqued how Polokwane’s city brand equity benefited from the 2010 FIFA World Cup as one of the hosting cities. My presentation skills are polished a bit as I also posses an MA in Dramatic Art from Wits University.
I’m a former South Africa’s Consul-Général to Milan, Italy, from March 2012 to end June 2016. Most recently till June 30, I was a Group Executive for Trade, Investment and Regulatory Enablement at the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA). In a nutshell, I’ve been in the public service for the past twenty years in this space.
Crispian Olver
Crispian is a public policy expert and social activist with a particular interest in local government and urban governance. He was a senior manager within the post-apartheid government, initially in charge of planning for the RDP programme (1994 – 1996), after which he was responsible for managing the local government system in South Africa. In this role he crafted the key local government legislation that regulates the system to this day. His stint in government culminated as Director General of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (1999 – 2005).
He has subsequently worked on local and international projects, including work on distressed municipalities in South Africa. This has taken him up close to the mechanics by which municipalities get governed and the way that good governance can be eroded, which has given him ample material for writing up his experiences.
His first book titled ‘How to Steal a City’ (2017) documented patronage based systems in Nelson Mandela Bay and how the metro was captured by factional interests. His next book, ‘A House Divided’, to be released in October 2019, documents the nature of the relationship between the City of Cape Town and landed property interests, and how this fuelled the factional split in the DA.
Crispian is a medical doctor by training and holds BSc (Med) (1983), Psychology Honours (1984) and MBChB (1988) degrees from UCT. He is currently registered for a PhD at WITS in the Politics Department, and is a research fellow at the Public Affairs Research Institute.
Jon-Hans Coetzer
Jon-Hans Coetzer serves as the Chief Academic Office of the EU Business School Group.
He has over 18 years of experience as a senior academic leader in higher education specializing in Hospitality, Tourism and Business Management Studies. He served as Chief Academic Officer of Glion Institute of Higher Education, Academic Dean of IHTTI, Neuchâtel, as Academic Dean of the European University’s Swiss Campuses and he served as a member of the strategic management team. He has an established record of working with a variety of higher education partners including private and public universities in the United Kingdom and in the United States.
Jon-Hans has specific areas of expertise that include faculty development; effective learning design and high-impact educational practices; strategic planning; international education management; enrolment management; strategic partnership and research; accreditation; and strategic crisis management.
His research interests focus on the human-centred organizational development and instructional design for adult education.
Jon-Hans serves since 2016 as a member of the board of the World Communication Forum Association.
Dr. Gábor Hegyi
Dr. Gábor Hegyi is founding Managing Director of Capital Communications, a leading Budapest-based corporate, branding, financial and business communications agency. Gábor is also Committee Member and former co-Chair of the World Communications Forum.
Gábor founded Capital in 1996 with the backing of the UK’s Dewe Rogerson (now Citigate Dewe Rogerson). In 2011, Capital completed its buyout from Citigate Dewe Rogerson, and is now a leading independent agency, with over 20 years of accumulated experience. Capital Communications was the first agency in Hungary to specialize in corporate and financial communications and investor relations services, for clients including listed companies, the Budapest Stock Exchange, banks and other multinational firms. The company now offers a wide range of communications services, including branding, financial, corporate, business-to-business and technology communications, M&A and transaction communications, online and social media relations, investor relations, reputation management and brand-building, crisis communications and public affairs.
Gábor has advised numerous Hungarian, CEE, Asian and European companies and MNCs, and led numerous significant communications campaigns, many of them pioneering projects for their regions and markets. These have included domestic and international stock exchange flotations for some of Hungary’s largest companies; launch campaigns for leading multinationals entering the Hungarian market; some of Central Europe’s largest M&A transactions; reputation and brand-building exercises.
Between 1993 and 1996 he was deputy managing director and head of financial and corporate communications at STAR PR/Worldcom Hungary. In 1991 he helped to set up the Public Relations Department of the Budapest Stock Exchange, serving as marketing adviser from 1992 to 1993.
Gábor spent some of his formative teenage years at international school in Beijing. He graduated from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest and completed his doctorate degree in marketing at the Budapest University of Economic Sciences, now Corvinus University of Budapest. Gábor taught marketing at Corvinus University of Budapest, and also frequently lectures on branding and communications at schools, universities, conferences and professional associations internationally.
Gábor received the prestigious PRO PR Award, conferred by the leading SEE communications conference, the PRO.PR Conference, for his contribution to the development of the PR profession.
As a committed environmentalist and active marine sports enthusiast, Gábor is an active supporter of the Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation on Croatia’s Adriatic Sea coast, and has been conducting CSR activities for Blue World for almost two decades.
Maxim Behar
Maxim Behar is a leading Public Relations expert, Founder, Chief Executive and Chairman of the Board of Directors of M3 Communications Group, Inc. – a leading company in the field of Public and Media relations in Bulgaria, part of Hill+Knowlton Strategies.
He was also President of ICCO (International Communications Consultancy Organization) – the largest and most influential global organization of Public Relations professionals and practitioners until the end of 2017. In 2016 he was appointed to the Advisory Board of the first Museum of Public Relations – in New York and became the first Bulgarian ever included in the prominent annual Global Power Book of the renowned British weekly PR Week. Same year African Public Relations Association appointed Mr. Behar as Ambassador for Europe and Honorary Fellow of the Association.
Maxim Behar is also Honorary Consul General of Republic of Seychelles to Bulgaria.
Maxim Behar uses his wide experience and strong presence in many countries all over the world in his daily PR and international business activities.
He is currently Chairman of the Board of World Communications Forum in Switzerland, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of For Our Children Foundation, Vice-President of The Atlantic Club in Bulgaria, Member of the executive Committee of James Michel Foundation in Seychelles and many more.
Maxim Behar is a dreamer and a hard worker with a dynamic personality. He was part of many Distinguished Lectures like World Communications Forum, Davos, Switzerland; Northwestern University, Chicago, USA; John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, University of Milan, Yerevan State University, Moscow Economic University, MIRBIS Business School in Moscow; American University in Bulgaria; South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria and others.
Mr. Behar is engaged in the social and cultural life of the country. Maxim is also a practitioner and a believer in the idea of a more ethical world. He serves on the Board of several organisations including Junior Achievement Bulgaria (2001 – 2012). Before that he served as Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Association of PR agencies (2009-2011), and is now a Member of the Board.
Maxim’s latest book “Generation F” reached #4 of sales on Amazon and his previous books “111 Rules on Facebook” and “Secondary Instinct” were also considered best sellers in the country.
Maxim graduated in Engineering Economics and earned an Advanced degree in International Economic Relations from the Prague Economics University. After that he has completed other prestigious courses as “Thought Patterns for High Performance”, trained personally by legendary Lou Tice at Pacific Institute in Seattle. He graduated also full practitioners program in Public Relations in many PR companies all over US, organized by US Agency for International Development and “Full Corporate Program of Japanese Style of Management” in Yokohama Kenshu Center. While he was studying he began his career as a journalist in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Poland and this shaped his future career. He remained active in journalism until 1995 ending as Managing Editor of Standard Daily in Sofia.
Mr. Behar is a polyglot fluent in Bulgarian, English, Czech, Polish and Russian.
One of his favorite rules in life is: If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough! He play drums, golf, jumps with parachute and adores rock music.
Damon J. Batiste
Damon is currently the Founder, President and Cultural Ambassador for New Orleans South Africa Connection, NOSACONN INC & NOSACONN TMC – The Movement Continues / LC3, applying his extensive forty-five years of leadership, background, networking contacts, entertainment business experience and training to create opportunities for different communities both locally and internationally.
His roles include being Producer and Director of Festive Events in United States and Global Initiatives for the enhancement Education, Music, Art, Film, Fashion, Special Needs, Aid’s Awareness, Economic Development to help establish Cultural & Educational Exchange Programs and Government Relations, Sponsorship and Community Outreach across the World.
Ashraf Garda
Ashraf Garda is the founder of Champion South Africa , a nation building movement with the vision to move South Africa from a mid -table nation to a Champion Nation
He is an accomplished , authoritative , inspiring Programme Director and MC and is also highly skilled as a conference facilitator and moderator and now webinar moderator He inspires excellence with his keynote talk titled “Champion People Build Champion Nations ” –
He is the host of The Ashraf Garda Show which can be accessed via YouTube , Apple Podcast and Spotify
Ashraf Garda has had a successful career as a talk show on SAfm Radio , and before that as host of the Special Assignment TV Show on SABC 3 . During the 2010 FIFA World Cup he provided regular analysis on CNN , Al Jazeera and CBC Canada.
He can be followed on all social media platforms and on LinkedIn @AshrafGarda
Maurice Mate
Holder of Media Technology Practitioner certificate from Elizabethtown College (USA) and Polytechnic of Namibia. Completed his Management Advanced Programme at WITS Business School in 1996.
Maurice has 32 years’ experience in Radio broadcasting. His journey in broadcasting saw his stint in the newsroom, radio magazine programming and media technology. Apart from heading the Channel Africa business as acting station manager, Maurice is responsible for all technical transmission production and website at Channel Africa.
One of his star projects is that of a programme titled ‘SADC Calling’. The programme informed the SADC citizens of the regional projects and programmes that affect their lives. It was funded through the SADC Secretariat’s Information 21 Project. Maurice was the contact person of the project at Channel Africa and expertly saw the inception and distribution of the programme in the SADC region.
Maurice has travelled extensively in the SADC region and visited East and West Africa with an interest in understanding how radio is valued as a household necessity.
Maurice’s dream is to see Channel Africa lead in the architect of the prosperous Africa through the easy access of information thereby create dialogue among citizens of Africa. He believes this can be done by offering them a radio platform for engagement. This is a dream he wishes cannot be deferred.
Tomi Moyan
A Pan-Africanist and an Afro Optimist. He’s one of the Co-Director of Zest Media (a Branding, Advertising and Communications agency) in South Africa. He is currently the Executive Chief Editor of Compatriot Magazine; a Publication of Zest Media. The Magazine is positioned as the First Pan-African Magazine with an Afrocentric narrative with a voice for positive African news/stories and business information in Sociology-economics, Thought-leadership, Business and Lifestyle (currently distributed in 4 countries namely South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya).
Tomi Moyan’s work in the continent is geared towards seeing a better Africa and believes Africa has what it takes (both human and natural resources) to deal with and find solutions to her problem.
If you’re not positive about solution driven conversations, don’t speak to this guy!