Entelect | CEO

Shashi Hansjee in the Chief Executive Officer of Entelect, a South African software engineering and services business. Since he was appointed head of Entelect in 2010, the company has experienced exceptional growth from a personnel and financial perspectives and is now one of the largest software organisations in the country.

Shashi graduated from Wits University in 2004 with a Masters in Engineering and is passionate about creating a place where SA’s best software talent can thrive and grow as well as proving to the world that while our talent pool may be relatively small, it is truly world class. Under Shashi, Entelect has become a company renowned for its culture of learning and growth and has won numerous Best Company To Work For awards. He is also the IITPSA’s IT personality of the year for 2017.

Shashi believes that education is key to transforming the country for the better and that all of us have a role to play in that transformation, however small or large.

SmartDigital Solutions | Chief Executive

Veronica Motloutsi is the Chief Executive of SmartDigital Solutions. A licensed Internet Service Provider focusing on broadband connectivity, and IoT and data analytics capability. She is also the founder of Africa Lead with Veronica Motloutsi, a platform aimed to challenge government, funders and policy maker to create a new digital economy that will propel Africa to compete better with other markets. She is one of the leading ICT and Education Executives in South Africa, highly talented black woman who continues to make her mark in the ICT industry.

Her qualifications includes B-Tech: IT (CUT) M-Tech: BIS (TUT), PDBA (GIBS – 2008), MBA (GIBS- 2010), ASCEND(WITS 2015),VAEP (GIBS 2017)

Awards:
Nedbank Top Performer 2011, Vodacom Women in Red Award 2016; Standard Bank Top Women Awards Finalist (2017); Vodacom-GIBS Top Action Learning Project (2017), National Business Awards – Top Executive Under 40 Winner (2017), Inspiring Fifty Women in STEM (2018), Standard Bank Top Entrepreneur of the Year- Winner (2018); Top Entrepreneur of the Year – Finalist ( 2018) National Business Awards, Top Executive under 40 – Finalist (2018).

Skills:
Digital Transformation Programmes, Enterprise Architecture, ICT Strategy, ICT Governance, Customer Experience Management, Digital Banking Platforms, Convergence, Cloud, Big Data and Network Solutions, Application Management, Money Transfer, Business Analysis, Programme Management, Leadership, Strategic Management, Corporate Governance

Flow | CEO

Gil Sperling is the CEO of Flow, a proptech (“property technology”) startup revolutionising the rental space and creating an entire tenant ecosystem that helps build a community for millennial renters who are known as Generation Rent. Within the Flow app is a rewards system which Flow is using to change tenants’ behaviours’. Good tenant habits (such as paying rent on time, reporting maintenance issues etc.) will unlock a bouquet of rewards like travel and entertainment vouchers, or even discounts on rent. The better the tenant, the better deals from Flow partners in travel, mobility, entertainment and more. Sperling started his career as an engineer, and was one three founding partners of Popimedia, an ad-tech and performance marketing company which went on to be bought by French based global communications group – Publicis.

Chief Information Officer for Gijima

Mmasane Kukama is the Chief Information Officer for Gijima , which is 100% black ICT company primarily focusing on ICT services across major industries i.e. Finance, Mining , engineering and both Public and Private sector. Mmasane holds qualifications across the ICT and business sector, her 20 years of experience has allowed her to develop proficiencies ranging from application development, business analysis, managing ICT infrastructure services and ICT /business strategy in every organization, she has worked. She holds abilities to incorporate emerging IT trends, leadership skills, forward-thinking approach to problem solving and passion for attaining identified goals within an organisation.

Amongst other things, she is passionate about mentoring/coaching junior staff members in achieving
their optimal levels in the ICT industry.

Executive : Human Resources | Absa Group

Experienced Human Resources Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. Skilled in Talent Management, HR Consulting, Coaching, Employee Engagement, and Organizational Development. Strong human resources professional with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) focused in Business Administration and Management, General from Gordon Institute of Business Science.

Co-Founder – Silicon Launch Pad

Boitumelo “Tumi” Menyatswe is the dynamic Co-Founder of Silicon Launch Pad in Johannesburg, an organization that aims to support and catalyse the creation of a vibrant, sustainable tech and entrepreneurial ecosystem whilst redefining the culture for digital innovation and participation in Gauteng. As a Tech start-up founder herself, Tumi understands first-hand what it takes for entrepreneurs to grow their companies in their local context outside of well-developed entrepreneurial ecosystems such as the Silicon Valley.

Her vast experience ranges from being a project manager in international aviation, strategic management in e-commerce, business development in various emerging technology areas, to prototyping Emerging Technologies in order to supplement new platform adoption recommendations within a business’s Digital Disruption Stream.  Tumi has advised business on how to quickly translate potential opportunities into executable technology solutions utilizing existing tech-enabled platforms.

She prides herself on being an active and keen participant in the deliberate inclusion of a diverse group of participants in the digital economy.  A testament to her efforts, in September of 2017, Inspiring Fifty in cooperation with the Kingdom of the Netherlands and #CoCreateSA recognised her as one of the top fifty most “Inspiring South African Women” working in the different spheres of technology and innovation, and Fast Company listed her as one of the 20 Under 30 young South Africans empowering change in 2018.

Tumi believes that being strategic and intentional about what one aims to achieve, focusing on opportunities for collaboration and growth, putting the customer first and achieving personal mastery makes for successful businesses and entrepreneurs. 

Head of MSC & CMM, Ericsson MMEA

Mathapelo Mzizi is the Head of Managed Services Campaigns and Customer Marketing Manager at Ericsson for Ericsson Middle East and Africa (MMEA). She has more than 10 years’ experience in leading organizations and people in a global environment with specific expertise in the customer experience, marketing, change leadership and innovation. She’s part of the Ericsson South Africa advisory board member to drive positive change in the company.

Mathapelo is a One Young World Ambassador, a UK-based charity and a preeminent global forum that gathers the brightest young leaders from around the world, empowering them to make lasting connections to create positive change.

She is an enthusiast human being fueled by a constant drive for innovation, human equality, internet for all and leveraging the unlimited power of technology to solve the socio-economic issues and business opportunities.

HULT PRIZE Dubai Intra competition winners 2018, an annual, year-long competition that crowd-sources ideas from MBA and university students to solve a pressing social issue around topics such as food security, water access, energy, and education.

Mathapelo is an Executive MBA student at Ashridge/HULT Business School in the United Arab Emirates. Also, co-founder for an energy peer to peer startup company Genr8. Shortlisted by Entrepreneur Magazine as 10 Startups to look out for. She’s a social entrepreneur, technology for good advocate and technology enthusiast.

Director – Head of Custom Applications at APPSolve (Pty) Ltd

The entrepreneurial and technology bug bit me at an early age. In 1986, when I was 16, my father bought one of the first home personal computers on the market and I took the opportunity to learn the software languages available at the time. I loved the idea getting to know and understand new innovations and being ahead of the pack. Plus I have always suffered from FOMO (fear of missing out). While still attending school, I started developing custom applications for friends and family and the rest is history. Software development came easy to me and my life since then has emulated the same problem-solving logic that computers run on.

After finishing high school in 1988, I joined Anglo American and since then, have built solid experience in all areas of software development. I established my own software company in 1998.  During this time, I built numerous industry software solutions for the agricultural and logistics sector. After 10 years, I sold the business to  a listed South African IT company. From there, I headed up the project management office for the EMEA region for a global telecommunications and real estate company. I have managed numerous ERP and custom application projects in Africa and Europe.  I love building teams and inspiring them to work together to achieve unimaginable successful results. I joined APPSolve (Pty) Ltd, a South African IT consultancy company in 2014, and am responsible for new business development in the custom applications space. Two of my custom applications have won international awards.  I work with an incredible team of people. Without good people and a good team behind you, you are setup for failure. No one can achieve success on their own.

I am passionate about the upliftment of women in South Africa and inspiring the younger generation to reach for the stars. I enjoy helping new entrepreneurs with their business ventures and guiding them through those first few challenging years. Hard work and determination is all you need. I have incredibly high standards and one of my motto’s is, “if you going to do something, do it properly and with passion otherwise don’t do it at all”.

My other interest are my community. I have worked closely over the past 10 years with a children’s NGO, Ditshego House of Laughter, based in Mooiplaas, Pretoria. It gives me the greatest satisfaction to see children happy, safe, warm and fed.

On a personal note,  I am married, have two adult children and 3 huge but lovable dogs! Our large family is where our heart is.  I am also a dedicated food addict, and absolute love cooking. If I had my life over again, being a chef would definitely have been my career. I love bringing people together with food. It is my favourite delight. I have a Facebook page where I share all my food adventures.

He soon progressed within the organisation, eventually taking on the role of General Manager and becoming a member of the Executive Committee before leaving to co-found redPanda Software in 2009. Gareth brings strategic business acumen to the redPanda Software team as Group CEO. His detailed understanding of and ability to identify process efficiencies allows him to guide business and software development to achieve the best results.

With a love for the magic that happens when technology and business meet, Gareth’s drive as redPanda Software’s CEO is to make software development and support easy and predictable for enterprise businesses, and change the landscape of custom software development for the global retail industry.

Aurecon | Director of Innovation & Transformation

Director for Innovation and Transformation at Aurecon and the Community Liaison Africa for the World Design Organisation.

Abbas is a registered professional engineer and holds qualifications across the engineering, business and futures fields.  He is passionate about developing Afrikan solutions and has conceptualised the Afrikan Design Innovation narrative, which encourages engineers, architects, planners, designers and allied professionals to embrace transdisciplinary and participatory ethnographic tools in their quest for more creative and innovative Afrikan solutions.

redPanda Software’s | CEO

Gareth has 25 years of experience within the IT industry and holds an MBA from the University of Cape Town. He has a passion for business, and began his first business while still at school. Having gained experience as an IT Technician, Service Delivery Manager and Team Lead, Gareth joined the Lewis Group as a Project Manager in 2001.

He soon progressed within the organisation, eventually taking on the role of General Manager and becoming a member of the Executive Committee before leaving to co-found redPanda Software in 2009. Gareth brings strategic business acumen to the redPanda Software team as Group CEO. His detailed understanding of and ability to identify process efficiencies allows him to guide business and software development to achieve the best results.

With a love for the magic that happens when technology and business meet, Gareth’s drive as redPanda Software’s CEO is to make software development and support easy and predictable for enterprise businesses, and change the landscape of custom software development for the global retail industry.