Theme: Pathfinders and Connectors

The theme for 2020 is Pathfinders and Connectors. We showcase speakers from South Africa and the African Continent who represent women’s political, economic, and civic illumination. Pathfinders are people who go ahead and discover or show others a path or way. These pathfinders debunk the notion of African women only as empowerment candidates and showcases them as economic drivers, powerhouses and as the 21st Century face and voice of an integrated and developed Africa.

Online
Online event
Online, Gauteng, Online
South Africa

Basetsana Kumalo

Entrepreneur, Director, TV Producer, Investor, Philanthropist & Author

An impressive track record of starting and managing businesses over the past 20 years. A household name in TV production and the driving force behind well known shows including Top Billing, Pasella, Date My Family, Our Perfect Wedding, Diski Divas just to mention a few. She has had a trailblazing career in TV production with an established track record of creating reality programs bespoke to South Africa. She is co-founder ConnectTV and the Executive Chairperson at Tswelopele Productions. Basetsana’s entrepreneurial streak is not limited to the TV industry, having diverse business interests covering real estate, mining and media. • Co-owner Travel with Flair a reputable executive travel agency she started with her sister 20 years ago. • She founded Uzalile Investments a dually listed JSE and Australian Stock Exchange ((ASX) woman owned coal mining company. • CEO of Basetsana Woman Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd which has interests in various sectors of our economy including government

Dudu Msomi

Strategy Facilitator, Corporate Governance and Leadership Expert, Diversity & Inclusion Strategist and Facilitator, Keynote & Guest Speaker and Writer

Dudu Msomi is the Founder and CEO of Busara Leadership Partners, a research-orientated strategic advisory and consulting company whose expertise is to facilitate the development and effectiveness of leaders to achieve their desired goals. Busara Leadership Partners is a boutique firm of new generation individuals steeped in qualifications, experience and capabilities that are driven by performing and achieving measurable results and making a difference in everything their do operating virtually since their establishment in 2009. Clients are across diverse sectors and life stages and include multinational and local organisations. She is a board member of the South African Reserve Bank. Msomi is a Strategy Facilitator, Corporate Governance and Leadership Expert, Diversity & Inclusion Strategist and Facilitator, Keynote & Guest Speaker and Writer. She designs and delivers bespoke leadership, board and entrepreneurs development programmes.

Katy Katopodis

News Director at Newzroom Afrika, Director at Nala Media, & the Gauteng Convener of the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef)

Considered one of the country’s most respected journalists and editors, Katerina (Katy) Katopodis has crafted an impressive journalism career spanning over 20 years in the South African Media industry. Her remarkably versatile leadership style has equipped Katy to create cutting-edge newsrooms unmatched elsewhere else in South Africa, with interactive and integrated broadcast, digital and social media reach. Boasting an impressive network, Katy’s public appearances over the years have included giving speeches on a wide range of topics of a professional and personal nature, as well as being host and MC at numerous high-profile functions. Excelling at organisation and forward-planning, she has run her career with the same adroitness that she has the newsroom – appropriately delegating, expertly tracking and guiding her teams’ breaking news reporting, and deftly transforming risks into opportunities.

Lerato Mataboge

Deputy Director-General at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition

Lerato Mataboge is the Deputy Director-General, Department of Trade, Industry and Competition: Republic of South Africa. Previously, Acting CEO of Trade Africa, an initiative of the DTI aimed at increasing the levels of intra-Africa trade and intra-Africa investments. She previously held the position of Chief Director for Africa at the DTI. In June 2011, she completed her term as South Africa’s Chief Economic Representative to the United States of America (USA), based in Washington D.C. Lerato holds a BA (Law and International Relations) degree as well as an Honors degree in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Lerato also holds certificates in trade negotiations, bilateral investment treaty negotiations as well as project management; awarded by the European Institute of Public Administration in the Netherlands and WTO/UNCTAD, respectively. Lerato is an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow for the African Leadership and a Chevening Scholar.

Lesley Donna Williams

Chief Executive Officer at Tshimologong Precinct

With over 20 years international experience, Lesley's specialist skills include process and dialogue facilitation, change management, innovation and stakeholder engagement. She breaks barriers by creating common ground between corporates, government, international developments agencies and entrepreneurs to work together. Lesley has worked across diverse industries including academia, mining, banking, animation and energy. A career highlight was moderating a dialogue on Nelson Mandela’s legacy and the Future of Africa between President Barack Obama and Graca Machel in Washington DC in 2019. She is CEO of Wits University’s Tshimologong Precinct that aims to realise African digital innovation for global markets. Lesley is founder of Lesley Donna Williams Consulting and in 2010 launched the first Impact Hub in Africa in Johannesburg - now one of over 100 around the world. She has served on the global Association Board and consulted to numerous teams in launching hubs.

Matshepo Msibi

Managing Director Moloko Grace Advisory

Matshepo Msibi is the Executive Director at Moloko-Grace Advisory, a consultancy and Advisory firm that implements programmes in Strategy, Affirmative Procurement, Enterprise Development, Financial Inclusion, Programme Management and Women Economic Empowerment (Sexual harassment and Gender Based Violence) with a special focus on women and youth. She is a consultant for UN Women and the Presidency in South Africa working on a project to empower women owned businesses (victims of GBVF) to participate in public procurement opportunities. She was the National Consultant for the International Trade Centre (ITC) working on the SheTrades Outlook platform that aims to connect 3 million women entrepreneurs to international markets. She was the Executive Director for the Businesswomen’s Association of SA, and has considerable invaluable executive and senior management experience across sectors. She has numerous post graduate qualifications in Leadership, Transformation and Project Management.

Scholastica Sylvan Kimaryo

Global Thought Leader & Specialist, International Development & Governance

Ms. Kimaryo holds an MSc in Social Policy, Planning and Participation in developing countries from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is internationally certified as an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Coach, Primordial Sound Meditation and Chair Yoga Instructor from the Chopra Center University in California. Ms Scholastica has 31 years of experience within the United Nations System serving in leadership positions spanning from UNICEF – Representative to South Africa and Liberia, UNDP Resident Representative and Coordinator of the United Nations System in Lesotho and South Africa and UNDP’s Deputy Regional Director for Africa, responsible for 22 countries in East and Southern Africa. Currently, she is the Vice President of the Ayurveda Foundation, South Africa and Founder and CEO of Maadili Leadership Development and Lifestyle Coaching and Kilimanjaro Conscious Leadership Academy.

Thabisile Phumo

Head: Stakeholder Relations at Sibanye-Stillwater

Thabisile has a career spanning over two decades in the public and private sector specialising in corporate communications, social development, media relations, stakeholder engagement, curriculum development and training. She has served in various roles at Anglo American Platinum, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, University of South Africa, Centre for Public Relations and Communications and the Commission for Gender Equality.

Yogavelli Nambiar

Chief Executive Officer at the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation.

Yogavelli joined the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation in October 2017 as its Chief Executive Officer. Previously she was the Founding Director of the Entrepreneurship Development Academy at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), the business school of the University of Pretoria, where she led the school’s entrepreneurship efforts. She started the Academy in 2014 to offer scholarship-based education and support to entrepreneurs of start-up, micro and small enterprises who were previously marginalised or underserved, leading to it being commended by Cabinet and achieving other sectoral awards. During this time, she lectured on the Social Entrepreneurship Programme, teaching different business models that can be used to create social change. Prior to that she was Country Director of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative and a Founder-Director of the Enterprise Development Council of South Africa.

Yolanda Dyantyi

Activist

Yolanda Dyantyi is a feminist from Johannesburg who is currently based in Soweto. She is an excluded student from the university currently known as Rhodes, in Grahamstown, where she was one of the women who led the anti-rape protests in 2016. The protests aim/ed at calling for systemic change to the institutionalized rape culture on campus and the perpetual violence against minority groups, mostly being women. She is currently serving my lifetime ban from the academy where she was doing her third and final year in BA degree double majoring in Politics & International Relations and Drama studies.