Matsi Modise

Ms Matsi Modise is the Chairperson of the Technology Innovation Agency. She is the Founding CEO of Furaha Afrika Holdings with experience including entrepreneurship, technology (HR and Fintech), innovation, policy advocacy, governance, skills development, venture capital and Enterprise Supplier Development. Ms Modise is strong in company governance as an independent director, trustee, and advisor of local, continental and global organisations in various industries (global logistics, gaming, fintech, financial services, academia, venture capital and private equity). Ms Modise leads the SA Startup Act Movement calling for policy reforms that will enable SA startups to thrive.

Blade Nzimande

Cathy Smith

Cathy was appointed Managing Director of SAP Africa in March 2018. She is the first-ever female executive of an emerging markets market unit in SAP’s history. Cathy started her career in the insurance industry as an application developer. She also spent three years in the UK, consolidating her expertise, and held a number of executive roles for European and global markets, specialising in the outsourcing services business. Overall, she has more than 25 years’ experience in the IT industry, working for major industry players like IBM and Cisco. She joined Cisco in 2015, and as Managing Director, led Cisco’s go-to-market sales and digital transformation strategies for subSaharan Africa. Prior to her tenure at Cisco, Cathy spent 23 years with IBM, where she held various leadership roles in IT service delivery, HR and sales.

Ofentse Mokwena

Ofentse Mokwena is the head of Policy at Uber SA. In this role, Ofentse is responsible for the management of the company’s public policy strategy, regulatory requirements, engagements with senior regulatory stakeholders, and local organisations and government in SA. Prior to this role, Ofentse was the Strategic Projects Lead, for Uber SSA where his role focused on building strategy, collaboration and execution on initiatives related to the Future of Work ecosystem. Ofentse has been with Uber since October 2021 and previously worked as a lecturer in transport economics at the North-West University: advising on provincial and national transport economic regulation decisions, thought leadership on transport issues and fostering relationships with stakeholders in passenger and freight sectors.

Born Ga-Rankuwa, South Africa, with a passion for building people and places, he has an MPhil in Transport Studies from the University of Cape Town, and is a PhD candidate.

Mmathebe Zvobwo

Mmathebe is an investment professional, entrepreneurship scholar, and accomplished executive successful at leading teams through change, strategic corporate renewal through innovation, and investing in new value propositions. She is a multi-talented leader with a solid career history in information technology and telecommunications, financial services, and retail. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant registered with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and holds a Masters in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation from Wits Business School. Mmathebe is a versatile executive offering a 12-year track record of overseeing and managing strategy, execution, and investment in entrepreneurs to meet business objectives.

Patrick Krappie

Patrick Krappie is the Acting CEO of the Technology Innovation Agency, having served in various senior management and executive roles in the agency. Mr. Krappie has a strong management background, having held senior positions in government institutions specialising in economic policy and negotiations. He holds an Honours degree in economics and has vast international working experience in England and Switzerland serving as a diplomat for 8 years representing South Africa as a negotiator in the World Trade Organisation, World Intellectual Property Organisation, and the United Nation Conference for Trade and Development. He was involved in the establishment of the TIA, facilitating the merger of seven entities of the Department of Science and Innovation.

Christine Strutt

Christine is a leading brand protection expert and partner at Von Seidels who works with both startups and some of the world’s most dominant players in the digital media, e-commerce and online services sectors.

She has been recognised in the Mail & Guardian’s “Top 200 Young South Africans” and in Managing IP Magazine’s international “Top 250 Women in IP”, having featured annually on its “IP Stars” list since 2014. Christine is a past-president and -director of Brightest Young Minds, a youth-driven incubator for social entrepreneurship. She currently serves on the International Trademark Association’s Internet Committee.

Christine has been described as “approachable and energetic” and cannot resist pausing to smell the new idea.

Michael van Straaten

Guido Schwartz

James Patterson

Ketso Gordhan

Ketso is the CEO of the SA SME Fund. He has considerable experience in the private equity and impact investing space, both as an investor and fund manager.

Since joining the SA SME Fund in September 2018, Ketso has been responsible for the strategic repositioning of the SA SME Fund, specifically the focus on supporting SMEs through investing in Fund Managers that focus on venture capital, growth capital and impact investing and an industry-leading mandate that 50% of all funds deployed by the SA SME are into Black African businesses.

Prior to joining the SA SME Fund, Ketso held the following positions:

• Commonwealth Development Corporation (2014-2016) – Head of Africa.
• PPC Cement (2012-2014) – Chief Executive Officer.
• The Presidency, Government of South Africa (2009-2010) – Advisor.
• FirstRand Financial Services Group (2000 -2009) – Head of Private Equity.

In addition to the expertise above, Ketso was the first post-apartheid Director General in the Ministry of Transport; the City Manager for the City of Johannesburg during 1999-2000; and an advisor to the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency in 2009-2010. In the latter role, he sought to develop and institute performance outcome metrics and targets for all government ministries.
Ketso is passionate about impact investing and manages a personal investment portfolio with a focus on education in SA and Rwanda. Ketso also served as Africa advisor to the Omidyar Network.
Previous Advisory Board/ Board positions: Ketso has served on numerous private sector, foundation and non-profit boards.

Qualifications: BA (Politics and Sociology), M.Phil. (Development Studies)

Sacheen Kala

Sacheen Kala is the current head of the founders factory Africa partnership at Standard Bank Group where he guides the deal-making process between the Founders Factory portfolio business and the relevant SBG business unit through exerting influence, without line authority. Prior to this role, Sacheen has worked as the digitisation lead pioneering innovation pilots with various teams.

Saidah Nash Carter

Titi Akinola

Prof Mthunzi Mdwaba

Mthunzi is the CEO of TZoro IBC & TZoro Strategic Advisory, Chairman of Productivity SA, Co-Founder & Chairman of SANA (South African Norwegian Association) & Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Thuja Holdings (Pty) Ltd, a parallel universe ecosystem designed to be an innovative and disruptive employment creation company. In 2022 he had the DG role for NEDLAC Tripartite and SADC Tripartite Candidate for the ILO (International Labour Organisation), till the election on the 25th of March 2022. The ILO is a UN (United Nations) Tripartite Specialised Agency with 187 Member countries.