Zweli Mkhize is the Chancellor of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is the Treasurer-General of African National Congress. He was the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Province until August 2013. He is a South African doctor, legislator and politician.

Akhona Mahlati has a B.Com degree in Marketing and Business Management from the University of Natal, Durban, along with a strategic marketing certificate (A-Z of Strategic Brand Management) from the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. Above these qualifications, he has also supplemented his knowledge and experience with a plethora of various leadership and business related courses, conferences, interventions and programmes which have broadened both his education and his skills set. His businesses, Ewe Sana! Marketing and Communications and Business Fit, are the two businesses which mainly keep Akhona out of trouble.

Zinhle Sokhela is the Executive Chairperson and CEO for Masana and Arise Trading Trusts. She holds an MBA from MANCOSA and has been in business for more than 25 years. She is the former President of Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business, and part of her involvement in other organisations includes that of being a member of UKZN Council, Deputy Chair of Council for Umgungundlovu TVET College, Deputy Chair of the Board for Umgungundlovu Economic Development Agency, Chairperson of Safe City Msunduzi Pty Ltd and was the Chairperson of the Board for Dihlase Engineering Pty Ltd. Zinhle was awarded by South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry as “Business Woman of the Year 2010”. In 2003, she was awarded the “Mayoral Award” for her outstanding leadership, performance and contribution in economic development. Zinhle is a member of the Institute of Directors South Africa.

Aart Verrips has been the Managing Director of RBI Technical Solutions International since 2013. Before that he was the Managing Director of Innovative Inspection Services KZN, He is a qualified IPE Inspector as well as a Competent Person in Pressure vessels. He also holds a Diploma as an International Inspector In Welding. He has 25 years’ experience in the Industry and is the AHI Chairman for KZN as well as Vice Chairman of the provincial Council of AHI. Aart is an Active member and president of Durban South Business Chamber.

Darlene is a tech innovator and serial entrepreneur. She is the founder of the award winning online accounting software SMEasy as well as Finfind, an online access to finance solution for entrepreneurs recently launched by the Minister of Small Business Development. Darlene won SA Innovation Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2010 and has also been recognised by Swiss-based Stars Group as a future Global Leader. Darlene believes that technology should play a leading role in the fight against poverty in Africa. She has been invited to speak in Zurich and London on harnessing technology for Social Change. Darlene works alongside Government, Business and Civil Society to address youth unemployment and to develop small businesses in South Africa. Her life motto is “to live an extraordinary life you must resist an ordinary approach”.

Matthew has been a journalist for the last dozen years, starting at The Mercury newspaper while still a journalism student at the Durban University of Technology. He moved through the ranks at the Durban-based publication to become its Local Government Reporter. He then moved on to the Sunday Tribune newspaper before taking up a senior reporter position at the Sunday Times’ Durban office in 2012. In the beginning of 2017 he was appointed Durban Bureau news editor, where he is responsible for content for the daily The Times newspaper, for the Sunday Times and for the Tiso Blackstar group’s online publications, including TimesLIVE and SowetanLIVE.

Edith Vries is the DG of the Department of Small Business Development. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science, an Honours Degree in Psychiatric Social Work and a Masters Social Science specialising in Clinical Social Work. Vries is a fellow of the South Africa Harvard Fellowship Programme and of the Wits-Harvard Senior Executive Programme. She is a Gestalt practitioner and ultimately served as Acting Vice-Rector: Student Affairs at UWC. Vries has been Executive Director at the Independent Development Trust and Director-General of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Slindile Khanyile is a versatile journalist with experience in field reporting, producing radio current affairs shows, sports writing, financial journalism, copy editing, proof reading, launching newspapers and newsroom management. She is currently the editor of iSolezwe, a Zulu daily title. She was appointed to this position beginning of November 2016. Her primary mandate is to drive the paper’s growth strategy including its sister weekend papers, iSolezwe ngoMgqibelo and iSolezwe ngeSonto.

PhD & M Sc (Economics) London School of Economics, UK MA (International Economics) Wits University (first-class and recipient of a Merit award), BA (Wits University). Thabi is our Economic Strategist, reporting to the Chief Investment Officer. She provides important input into the work of our Macro Desk (multi asset and fixed income teams).

Isaac is an Economist in the Group Economic Unit, Nedbank Group. He was previously with Standard Bank Ltd’s Group Economics Division – Africa Desk, and Investment Solutions Ltd’s Market and Economic research unit. He holds degrees in Economics from the University of North West and the University of South Africa and is studying towards a Masters in Development Finance with the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. His research interests include sovereign risk analysis and the development of capital markets in developing economies. He is a regular commentator in the print and electronic media.

Dante Mashile is Regional Head of Absa Marketing and Corporate Relations in KZN. He is a public policy analyst specializing in telecommunications, local government and trade and industry. He is an Accredited Public Relations Practitioner, an international professional status conferred by Public Relations Institute for Southern Africa (PRISA). Dante has over 18 years’ experience in the marketing, communication and public affairs, stakeholder relationship management disciplines. In 2009, he joined Absa/Barclays Group as Group Government Relations Manager. He has worked in both the public and private sectors. He has a Bachelor of Arts, National Diploma in Journalism and Graduate Diploma in Telecoms and Information Policy. He is a member of Reputation Institute and PRISA. Dante has a Certificate in Project Management from the Fontys University of Professional Education in Netherlands. He is currently reading for a Masters in Development Studies at University of Kwazulu-Natal, Howard College.