Speakers

Dawn Robertson is a creative economy and urban innovation leader with extensive experience across culture, heritage, tourism and city development. She currently serves as Creative Catalyst at Jozi My Jozi, a movement focused on revitalising Johannesburg through collaboration across public, private and community sectors. Dawn leads initiatives that connect tourism, creative enterprise, investment and inclusive urban development, including #JoziMyJoziWalks, which uses heritage, food, art and local entrepreneurship to reshape perceptions of the city. Previously, she served as CEO of Constitution Hill and led the Gauteng Tourism Authority. She also managed the CreateSA initiative and contributed to the Gauteng 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Task Team. Her work centres on place-led transformation, civic pride and inclusive urban economies.

Lonwabo Mavuso is a strategist specialising in Africa’s cultural and creative industries, with more than a decade of experience across the non-profit, government and private sectors. He is the co-founding Executive Director of Andani.Africa, where he leads research and advisory work focused on the growth of creative economies. His expertise spans public-private partnerships, creative industry investment, cultural policy, market research and cultural tourism. Lonwabo has led projects across South Africa and wider Africa for organisations including the European Union, British Council, Goethe-Institut and Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. His previous leadership roles include Business and Arts South Africa, South African Tourism and Wits University’s Drama for Life Department. He is also a co-founder of the Bafundi Film and TV Festival.

Ninel Lara Musson is a creative industries executive and strategist with more than two decades of experience across Africa’s cultural and creative industries, spanning music, design, enterprise and the wider creative economy. Her career combines deep sector expertise with significant commercial experience across African markets.

As Managing Director of CLOUT SA, Ninel leads work focused on expanding markets for African design and strengthening its commercial reach locally and internationally. As one of the Founders of Creative Capital, Ninel is passionate at creating platforms that focus on connecting culture, commerce and capital to help African creative value move into stronger businesses, ownership and long-term economic opportunity.

Her broader experience includes working with leading development finance institutions and prominent African businesses on strategy, partnerships and growth across the continent. With deep roots in the music industry as the co-founder of an award winning independent record label, noticing critical gaps in industry knowledge, skills development and business readiness, Ninel founded Music Business Lab, Africa’s first learning platform for Music Business skills and eco-system development.

Beth Arendse is a creative economy leader, social innovator and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience across arts, business and innovation. She is Chief Executive Officer of Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), where she is leading a strategic phase focused on positioning the arts as both a cultural force and an investable sector contributing to inclusive economic growth. Beth holds an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation from the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, alongside qualifications in music communication and jazz studies. She is the founder of initiatives including the Tshwane School of Music, SA Creative Industries Incubator and Music Business Lab. Beth has also served on the Presidential Commission for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the National Advisory Council on Innovation.

Jackie May is the founder, director and editor of Twyg, a media and culture platform championing sustainable and regenerative fashion and textile systems. She founded the Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards in 2019 and Africa Textile Talks in 2021, and co-founded the Refashion Lab, which supports textile waste recycling and circular design. Since 2022, she has curated the annual pan-African Confections x Collections fashion showcase at Mount Nelson in Cape Town. Jackie previously worked across South Africa’s mainstream media, including as editor of Marie Claire South Africa and Cape editor of The Times. She holds an MA in Philosophy from the University of London and an MPhil in Sustainable Development from Stellenbosch University, where her research focused on cotton farming in South Africa. Her work connects media, culture, fashion and sustainability.

Henry Mathys is Strategic Programme Lead in the Office of the CEO at the V&A Waterfront, one of Africa’s leading tourism and destination developments. His experience spans strategy development, inclusive economic development, shared value and corporate transformation. In his current role, Henry leads the development and implementation of cross-functional strategies across tourism, creative industries, digital and data transformation, and the oceans economy. His work focuses on identifying opportunities where business, innovation and inclusive economic development can intersect to create long-term value. Through his role at the V&A Waterfront, Henry contributes to thinking around how major destinations can operate as platforms for entrepreneurship, creativity, investment and sustainable urban development.

Johanna Kouzmine-Karavaïeff is an international expert in creative economy policy and governance, with more than 20 years’ experience across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. She advises governments, multilaterals and institutions on governance, policy, institutional reform and ecosystem development. Her recent work includes advising on Kuwait’s Creative Industries Law and contributing to an African Development Bank study of cultural and creative policy and regulatory frameworks across five African countries. She has also collaborated with UN agencies and the European Commission. Johanna is a founding partner of Africa Creatives Alliance and author of The Delivery Gap – Governance Pathways for the Creative Economy.

Dr Mariapaola McGurk is a specialist in the creative and cultural industries, innovation, entrepreneurship and digital transformation, with more than 20 years of experience across academia, business and the creative sector. She holds a PhD in Digital Transformation, an Executive MBA and a BA Honours in Visual Arts. Her work explores how creativity, innovation and systems thinking can support organisational and economic development.

Based in Aotearoa New Zealand, Mariapaola is Programme Lead for the Master of Business Innovation and Leadership at Whitecliffe College and a Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg. She brings extensive experience in teaching, programme development, research and industry engagement, with a focus on connecting creative thinking with practical leadership and meaningful organisational change. Her work explores how creative approaches can strengthen organisations and contribute to more innovative economies.

Luthando Vuba is a financial services executive and Executive Head of International Trade at Standard Bank Group. He oversees the international trade business across 15 African markets, working across Business & Commercial Banking to provide trade finance and market-access solutions. His experience spans retail and business banking, Africa-China trade, cross-border commerce and strategic economic partnerships. He brings insight into the financial infrastructure, market access and commercial relationships needed to support African businesses expanding across markets. Luthando holds an MBA from the African Leadership University School of Business.

Sara Blecher is an award-winning filmmaker with more than 25 years of experience bringing overlooked histories and marginalised voices to audiences through film and television. Her work includes Otelo Burning, Ayanda, Surfing Soweto and the Netflix series Senzo: Murder of a Soccer Star. Through Real Eyes Films, which she co-founded, Sara has developed a practice centred on storytelling, access and representation. She also founded the Archive Innovation Hub, which explores how AI and immersive technology can enable ethical, participant-validated approaches to reconstructing visual memory where traditional archives do not exist. Sara is a pioneering intimacy coordinator in South Africa and founding chair of Sisters Working in Film & Television (SWIFT), contributing to the development of more inclusive and ethical creative industries.

Avril Joffe holds the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Entrepreneurship and Policy at the Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand. An economic sociologist working at the intersection of academia and practice, she contributes to postgraduate teaching and provides advisory services to cultural agencies, governments and organisations across Africa and the Global South. Avril is IFACCA’s Globus Fellowship Lead, an active member of the Global Creative Economy Council, UNESCO’s Expert Facility on Cultural Policy and Governance, and the International Cultural Relations Research Alliance. She is currently working on CulturAI, a four-year Horizon Europe project examining the impact of AI on creative labour, and co-convening Designing Futures, an international cultural leadership programme at Wits. Her work connects cultural policy, entrepreneurship and creative economy development.

Marie Lora-Mungai advises development finance institutions, funds, banks and governments on investing in Africa’s creative and sports industries. Her clients have included Proparco, IFC, Afreximbank, the African Development Bank and UNESCO, alongside corporates such as Warner Bros. and Netflix. She brings an operator’s perspective to creative economy finance, having built creative businesses across Africa between 2008 and 2018. These included Buni Media, a Kenyan production studio behind award-winning political satire, and Buni.tv, one of Africa’s early video-on-demand platforms, acquired by TRACE in 2016. Marie is the author of Creative Cash Flow: Mastering Money, Business and Growth in the African Creative Economy and writes HUSTLE & FLOW, a business newsletter with more than 12,000 subscribers.

Farai Ncube is an arts, culture and creative economy leader with around 10 years of experience in programme design, strategy, partnership development and team leadership. She currently oversees work across 16 African countries as Arts and Culture Director at the British Council. Farai has led programmes and partnerships focused on strengthening Africa’s cultural and creative economies through leadership, ecosystem development and institutional support. Her work includes Film Lab Africa, Creative DNA – Fashion, Music Connects, Moving Images – Visual Arts and Culture Grows – Heritage, connecting African practitioners with international markets, expertise and opportunities. She is also a commissioner of the Insights Out Africa research programme and Festival Connect Fund. Her work is driven by a commitment to plural narratives, inclusive growth and stronger opportunities for young people and women practitioners.

Molemo Moiloa is a Johannesburg-based creative practitioner, researcher and community organiser working across art, culture, technology and collective practice. As Co-director of Andani.Africa, she works on creative economy insights and data analytics, including the development of technological and analytical approaches to understanding the creative economy. She is one half of MADEYOULOOK and co-leads Open Restitution Africa and The Ungovernable. Her multidisciplinary practice brings together creative research, data, technology and community-based approaches to heritage, knowledge and cultural systems.

Dr Mohamed Abdel Dayem is Founder and Managing Director of Creative People Consulting, a London- and Cairo-based creative economy strategy and cultural policy consultancy, and Director of Strategy at Daoud Education. He previously served as Assistant Minister for Investment and Development at Egypt’s Ministry of Culture, where he led the development of Egypt’s first Creative Economy Policy. With nearly three decades of experience across arts management, cultural policy and creative economy consulting, Mohamed lectures in Marketing, Strategic Planning and Creative Entrepreneurship at Paris ESLSCA Business School and Cairo University. He holds a DBA from ESLSCA and hosts Qalam & Mic, a podcast focused on Arab arts and culture. He has also trained creative entrepreneurs across Egypt, Cyprus, Italy and Jordan.

Dr Marielle Barrow Maignan is a cultural strategist, ecosystem architect and curator focused on building enabling environments for creative industries. She is CEO of Caribbean InTransit, a global arts education and ecosystem company, and leads the Caribbean InTransit Consortium, a network spanning more than 10 companies across the Caribbean and Africa and 23 Caribbean countries. She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Caribbean InTransit Arts Journal and co-founded Synapse.Zone, a creative technology platform. Dr Barrow Maignan previously served as Curator and Coordinator for CARIFESTA X in Barbados and as inaugural Coordinator of the Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund at the Caribbean Development Bank. Her work spans policy, funding mechanisms, ecosystem mapping, data intelligence, institutional strengthening and accelerator development for artists and creative enterprises.

Dr Susan O. Keitumetse is an international expert in cultural heritage and sustainability, with a multidisciplinary background spanning archaeology, environmental science, education, heritage and museums. She holds an MPhil in Heritage and Museums and a PhD in Archaeological Heritage and Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge. Her work explores the relationship between cultural heritage and nature conservation, with a focus on how African communities’ interactions with their landscapes can generate new conservation narratives and opportunities for cultural innovation. Since 2009, she has worked with UNESCO in various capacities, including as a consultant, juror, expert and facilitator for cultural heritage programmes. She is the author of African Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management: Theory and Practice from Southern Africa.

Ama Ofeibea Tetteh is Founder and Lead Consultant at Chapter54, a consultancy focused on African creative economies. With a background in graphics and communications, research and programme management, she brings two decades of experience connecting cultural insight with artistic and operational strategy. Her previous roles include Head of Graphics and Archive at Adjaye Associates, Researcher at Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy and West Africa Arts Programme Manager for the British Council. Ama also consults for CCA Lagos’s Àsìkò Art School. She holds qualifications from Central Saint Martins, Goldsmiths College and SOAS and has recently commenced a tenure as a Visiting Fellow and Creative in Residence at the London School of Economics. Her practice is driven by curiosity, creativity and connection.

Michelle currently heads the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa, following the completion of an MPhil in Corporate Strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. She previously served as CEO of Business and Arts South Africa (NPC) for 11 years, stepping down in 2019. She also hosted the weekend breakfast shows on national radio station SAFM 104–107 for nearly three decades, leaving the station at the end of 2025. A renowned facilitator and speaker, Michelle has presented at conferences and events nationally and internationally. In 2016, she was awarded the Order of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France for her contribution to culture and the arts. In 2021, she was awarded the Order of Chevalier National du Mérite by the Government of France for her contribution to strengthening cultural relations between France and South Africa. Michelle has served three terms as a non-executive director on the Board of SA Tourism. She currently serves on the boards of the National Arts Festival and Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), is a Trustee of the Indlulamithi Scenarios Trust and chairs the Friends of IFAS Committee in support of the French Government.

Dr Itayi Mutsonziwa is a research and data analytics executive with more than two decades of experience in market research, statistical analysis, impact evaluation and strategic consulting. As CEO and Co-Founder of Sigma Kairos Research and Consulting, she leads research and advisory work that helps organisations use evidence and data to inform strategy and decision-making. Her expertise spans quantitative and qualitative research, sampling and data weighting, statistical modelling, monitoring and evaluation, project management and stakeholder engagement. Dr Mutsonziwa holds a PhD from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria, an MSc in Mathematical Statistics from the University of the Witwatersrand and a BSc Honours in Statistics.

Tumi Moroeng is a creative social entrepreneur, facilitator and policy practitioner working at the intersection of creative and cultural industries, youth empowerment and social innovation. With more than 10 years’ experience, she has designed and delivered learning, work-readiness and community interventions with young people, creatives, institutions and organisations. Her work focuses on strengthening the role of creatives and young people in policymaking, public participation and systems change. She has worked with organisations including Youth Capital, Makers Valley Collective, BASA and the British Council.

Ngaire Blankenberg is a Johannesburg-based cultural strategist, museum leader and founder of the Institute for Creative Repair. Her work spans arts, heritage, storytelling and cultural infrastructure, with a focus on building more inclusive, resilient and connected cities. She previously served as Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC, and has led or advised museum, heritage and cultural destination initiatives across 35 cities and towns on five continents. Through the Institute for Creative Repair and Creative Repair Studio, she explores culture as civic infrastructure and its role in urban regeneration, local identity and more equitable futures.

Sthembiso Dlamini is a senior economic development, investment promotion and tourism executive. As Group CEO of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency, he leads work across investment facilitation, trade, strategic partnerships, infrastructure-led development and inclusive growth. Previously, he served as CEO of the Gauteng Tourism Authority and as COO and Acting CEO of South African Tourism. His experience spans tourism, investment and economic development, with a focus on strengthening the connections between trade, enterprise, jobs and inclusive economic growth.

George Gachara is a Kenyan investor, entrepreneur and creative economy strategist working at the intersection of culture, capital and enterprise development. As Founder and Chair of HEVA Fund, he has spent more than a decade developing investment models and mobilising capital for creative businesses across Africa, including film, music, fashion and digital media. His work focuses on building financial infrastructure that can move the creative economy beyond fragmented project funding towards investable, scalable and enduring enterprises. He also serves on the board of CANEX Creations Inc., an Afreximbank/FEDA initiative focused on commercialising and scaling African creative intellectual property.

Professor Eschar Mizrachi is a plant molecular biologist and researcher at the University of Pretoria, specialising in genomics, evolution and indigenous Southern African plants. His work explores the relationship between biodiversity, the bioeconomy and the creative economy. He challenges narrow, utilitarian approaches to biodiversity, highlighting the importance of cultural representation and the ways in which nature can contribute to broader social, cultural and economic value. His perspective brings scientific, cultural and economic questions into the same conversation.

Toni Gumede is a reputation management and stakeholder relations professional with more than 12 years’ experience developing and managing multi-stakeholder collaborations across public entities, government departments and corporate South Africa. Her experience spans infrastructure development, energy and investment promotion across domestic and international contexts. She has led stakeholder engagement, reputation management, corporate social responsibility and strategic communication initiatives. Toni holds a BSocSc in Management Development from the University of the Free State and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Development Studies.

Lesley is an international process facilitator specialising in innovation leadership, strategy, multi-stakeholder collaboration and cultural diplomacy. With more than two decades of experience across 40 countries, she works with leaders, governments, universities and coalitions to navigate complex challenges and build collaborative approaches to change. An alumna of the Obama Leaders Program, she moderated a dialogue on Nelson Mandela’s legacy with President Barack Obama and Graça Machel. She founded Africa’s first Impact Hub and was the founding CEO of Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct. She is also a TEDx speaker, a Chevalier de l’Ordre national du mérite of France, and chairs the Power Grids Education Trust.

Sven is a designer, maker and grower working at the intersection of industrial design and mycology. His practice combines prototyping, material experimentation and the cultivation of mycelium to explore new possibilities for sustainable design. His current work focuses on cultivation and fermentation, using fungi and microbes to develop biomaterials for applications including packaging, textiles, food systems, soil regeneration and environmental remediation. As Co-founder of Afrifungi, he also extends this work through workshops and training for creative practitioners. His practice brings together craft, iteration and biology, treating living systems as creative collaborators in sustainable design.

Adwoa Ankoma is a South African lawyer and public policy professional working at the intersection of technology, creative industries and regulation. As Director of Policy and Research at Electric South, she leads policy and research focused on emerging questions around creative practice and technologies, including AI and immersive media. Her work includes convening multidisciplinary conversations on AI governance, researching the policy conditions shaping Africa’s emerging creative technology ecosystem and developing principles for AI governance informed by creative practice. She has also worked across the audiovisual and technology sectors, including as Legal, Policy and Compliance Manager at the National Film and Video Foundation, Tech Law & Policy Fellow at the Wikimedia Foundation and Government Relations and Public Policy Lead for TikTok across the SADC region. Adwoa holds an LLM in Entertainment, Media and Tech Law and Policy from UCLA as a Fulbright Scholar, as well as degrees in law and mathematics from Rhodes University.

Asanda Lusaseni, known professionally as Msaki, is a South African composer, singer and songwriter whose practice sits at the intersection of music and visual art. A South African Music Award (SAMA) winner, she contributed as a writer, composer and artist to Black Coffee’s Grammy Award-winning album. Msaki trained in fine art, graphic design, film photography and curation at Rhodes University, Leeds University, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and East London Technikon. Her multidisciplinary practice brings together music, songwriting, music production, installation, performance and visual expression. This approach was reflected in the launch of her album Of Love in Protest at Nirox Sculpture Park in Johannesburg in 2022, and the presentation of Ndiyozilanda at the National Arts Festival in 2023. She was named the 2022 Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year for Music and has also represented South Africa at the Venice Biennale. Beyond her work as an artist, Msaki is increasingly focused on building structures and opportunities that enable creative practice to grow, connect and create lasting value. Her approach is grounded in a philosophy of “build as you grow, lift as you rise”, reflecting a broader commitment to collective growth and the development of the creative ecosystem.

Nizenande Machi is a dynamic Leadership and Change Practitioner dedicated to advancing African talent and enterprise. Through her company, Karani Leadership, and her co-founded initiative, Lucha Lunako, she creates frameworks that empower young African professionals, especially in leadership and entrepreneurship. Nizenande’s extensive work spans strategy development and change management for executive teams and boards across sectors, aiming to drive economic participation and transformation. As an educator with experience designing programs for global MBA students, she prioritizes cultivating environments where individuals and teams align and thrive. Her accolades include the Graça Machel Trust’s 2024 Excellence Award in Women Creating Wealth.

Michael Balkind is a South African creative technologist, cultural entrepreneur and leader in agentic AI. He founded JHB Live, one of South Africa’s early online communities, as well as SodaWorld and Soda Labs, connecting technology, culture and community.

His work spans AI-powered systems, immersive platforms and urban intelligence tools, helping organisations understand emerging technologies and turn ambitious ideas into practical experiences and opportunities for people and communities.

His work has been featured by the BBC and MIT, with immersive experiences selected for Venice Immersive. He also contributes technology and cultural insight through collaborations and workshops with government, universities and business.

Professor Christo Doherty leads interdisciplinary innovation platforms connecting African creative practice with advanced technologies and scientific research. Based at the University of the Witwatersrand and working through the Wits Innovation Centre, he designs programmes that bring artists, engineers and researchers together to generate new knowledge, cultural production and innovation.

His flagship initiatives include AI & African Music artist-in-lab residencies and Arts Research Africa, positioning Africa as a site of original contribution to global conversations on AI, creativity and innovation.

His work brings together academic research, creative experimentation and real-world prototyping, with a focus on public impact, talent development and cross-sector collaboration.

Phiona Okumu is Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa at Spotify, where she leads music strategy across one of the world’s most dynamic and culturally influential music markets.

With more than seven years at Spotify, first as Artist and Label Partnerships Manager for South Africa before stepping into her current role, Phiona has played a role in strengthening the infrastructure through which African music reaches audiences around the world.

Her work is centred on artist development, storytelling and creating opportunities for African music to travel further. She has been closely involved in the global growth and visibility of genres including Afrobeats, Amapiano and Afrohouse, helping connect African artists and their work to wider international audiences.

Linda is a passionate leader with a strong background in media, arts management and programme delivery. Over the course of her career with the British Council, she has led and supported transformative initiatives across South Africa and the region, building partnerships that connect people, ideas and opportunities.

As Deputy Country Director, Linda leads strategic portfolios across Education and Arts & Culture, working to strengthen collaboration and create opportunities for learning, creativity and meaningful social impact. Her work sits at the intersection of culture, education and international collaboration, with a focus on programmes that contribute to a more connected and inclusive creative ecosystem.

Innocent Mabusela is the Chief Executive Officer and a Board member of Jozi My Jozi, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the revitalisation of Johannesburg through collaboration between government, civil society, the private sector and communities.

With over 27 years of experience spanning the mining and non-profit sectors, Innocent is a seasoned leader in corporate affairs, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable impact. His experience include managing the implementation of beneficiation projects and overseeing asset retirement processes in the mining sector.

He has worked extensively across South Africa, the United Kingdom and Canada, bringing a strong ability to navigate complex government, business and community environments to deliver sustainable and inclusive outcomes.

Prior to his appointment as CEO, Innocent served as Communications and Stakeholder Manager at Jozi My Jozi, where he played a key role in advancing collaborative initiatives to revitalise the city.

Innocent is also a Trustee of the Ponahalo De Beers Trust and holds a Master of Business Administration from the North-West University.