ABOUT BRAND SOUTH AFRICA
Brand South Africa is the official marketing and reputation management agency of South Africa, with a mandate to manage the Nation Brand’s reputation in order to improve its global competitiveness.
Working with multiple and diverse stakeholders and harnessing the country’s assets, Brand South Africa’s international objective is to pro-actively position South Africa as an attractive investment destination; and domestically, to drive nation brand advocacy and active citizenship.
Ultimately, Brand South Africa’s vision is to deliver “A Nation Brand that inspires its people and is admired globally.”
NATION BRAND FORUM
Launched in 2016, the Nation Brand Forum (NBF) is Brand South Africa’s flagship annual forum to mobilise, engage and collaborate with diverse stakeholders to shape a coherent agenda for a compelling nation brand image, reputation and competitiveness.
The 6th Nation Brand Forum theme, “Grow with South Africa | An inclusive partnership to rebuild the economy and drive the nation’s competitiveness” is anchored on facilitating collaborative partnerships and solutions to re-build the economy and position South Africa as an attractive investment destination.
The Forum brings together diverse stakeholders to formulate strategic socio-economic solutions to rebuild the economy, create jobs, alleviate inequality and poverty, and strengthen the nation brand’s reputation and competitiveness.
NATION BRAND FORUM 2022 PROGRAMME
YOUTH ECONOMIC
SYMPOSIUM
NATION BRANDS
ROUNDTABLE
INTERNATIONAL
MEDIA ROUNDTABLE
MAIN
PLENARY
Nation Brand Forum 2022
Johannesburg
4 – 6 October 2022
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
MAIN
PLENARY
INTERNATIONAL
MEDIA ROUNDTABLE
NATION BRANDS
ROUNDTABLE
YOUTH ECONOMIC
SYMPOSIUM
Nation Brand Forum 2022
Johannesburg
4 – 6 October 2022
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
YOUTH ECONOMIC
SYMPOSIUM
Day 1
NATION BRANDS
ROUNDTABLE
INTERNATIONAL
MEDIA ROUNDTABLE
Day 2
MAIN
PLENARY
Day 3
Nation Brand Forum 2022
Johannesburg
4 – 6 October 2022
The Forum will be staged across the Sandton Convention Center (SCC), (Emoyeni) and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, three institutions that represent South Africa’s competitive, constitutional and democratic brand.
The Forum is designed to be a robust, action-driven three days invitation-only event comprising of a youth symposium on the first day, international media roundtable and an African Nation Brand Stakeholders Roundtable side-event on the 2nd day.
Also included will be high profile open plenaries from the private sector focusing on key drivers of trade, investment and sustainability, as well as spotlight sessions that highlight how to leverage the AfCFTA opportunities, Nation Branding and Youth-led Economic Growth opportunities.
04 OCTOBER 2022
DAY 1
EVENT DETAILS
YOUTH ECONOMIC SYMPOSIUM
A World Bank study (South Africa Economic Update: South Africa’s Labour Market Can Benefit from Young Entrepreneurs, Self-Employment, 2021), indicates that the youth are vital to South Africa’s economic recovery and youth entrepreneurs are “one of the country’s best hopes of solving the jobs crisis”. The World Bank study also shows that if South Africa was to match the self-employment rate of its peer countries (Mexico, Brazil and Turkey), it could potentially half the unemployment rates.
The Youth Symposium to engage youth in developing ‘a youth-led socio-economic blueprint’ for supporting emerging brands locally and globally, alleviating joblessness and catalysing entrepreneurship. The facilitated and interactive Symposium will focus on Skills Development, Access to Employment Opportunities, Entrepreneurship, Funding and building the nation brand.
The intended outcome is a youth-led approach and contribution to socio-economic policy decision-making and economic growth.
DAY 1
PROGRAMME
04 October 2022
Time
Item
08:00 - 08:45
Arrival & Registration
09:00 - 09:15
Welcome
09:15 - 09:30
Opening Keynote Address
09:30 - 10:15
Panel:
– Lekau Sehoana (Drip)
– Sheldon Tatchel (Legends)
– Tshepo Mohlala (Tshepo Jeans)
– Mbali Sebapu (Hermosa Flor Cosmetics)
9:30 - 12:30
Youth Economic Symposium:
– Entrepreneurship
– Jobs
– Skills
– Funding
12:30 - 13:15
Youth Economic Symposium Blueprint Consolidation and Handover
13:15 - 13:30
Closing Keynote Address– Minister of Small Business
05 OCTOBER 2022
DAY 2
EVENT DETAILS
NATION BRANDS ROUNDTABLE
Nation branding involves positioning a country or place as an attractive destination for tourists, investors and talent seekers. Several fellow African countries, like South Africa, have one form or another of a ‘nation branding’ government agency tasked with promoting the nation brand as an attractive place to invest in, visit and drive its competitiveness.
Brand South Africa will host a side event of ‘Nation Branding’ Stakeholders from fellow African nations to share best practices and lessons on driving investment, tourism and competitiveness, and to explore mutually beneficial collaborations within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to deepen the economic integration of Africa and shaping a positive African narrative.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ROUNDTABLE
Media has a catalytic impact on shaping the image and reputation of nations, and can affect its perception, brand value, trust and goodwill. South Africa has one of the most diverse, dynamic and open media environments for both local and international media.
The media roundtable side event, with local, regional and foreign correspondents in South Africa will explore the key enablers and disablers for contributing to building a winning South African nation brand.
DAY 2
PROGRAMME
05 October 2022
Time
Item
08:00 - 08:45
Arrival & Registration
09:00 - 09:15
Welcome
09:15 - 09:30
Keynote Address
09:30 - 12:30
Nation Brands Roundtable
Nelson Mandela Foundation
12:30 - 13:00
Closing Keynote Address
12:30 - 13:30
Lunch
14:00 - 16:00
International Media Roundtable
Nelson Mandela Foundation
16:00 - 16:30
Wrap up & Closing remarks
06 OCTOBER 2022
DAY 3
EVENT DETAILS
MAIN PLENARY
A 2022 study by Bloom Consulting on South Africa’s international reputation has established that trade and investment, tourism and talent are the key strategic drivers of South Africa’s nation brand competitiveness. Leading and emerging South African corporations continue to play significant roles in driving the economy, and enabling trade and investment within and across borders.
On a global scale, South Africa retains its reputation as an attractive investment destination. For instance, in the automotive sector, major international businesses such as Toyota, which has been trading in South Africa for over 60 years has pledged to invest over R12 billion in the next 10 years in manufacturing facilities in South Africa, and Netflix, pledged almost a billion rand towards the South African creative industry at the recent 4th South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC). These investments into the South African economy by international companies cement the confidence that international investors have in South Africa’s as an attractive investment destination.
It is in this context that the main plenaries on 6 October 2022 will be focused on mobilising and leveraging partnerships with local and non-South African businesses to inspire collaborations and explore policy and other interventions and solutions that will drive and enable economic growth.
DAY 3
PROGRAMME
SANDTON CONVENTION CENTRE
06 October 2022
Time
Item
08:00 - 08:45
Arrival & Registration
09:00 - 09:10
Welcome
09:10 - 09:30
Keynote Address
09:30 - 10:00
Spotlight – AfCFTA
10:00 - 11:30
Plenary 1 – Corporate South Africa
11:30 - 12:00
Spotlight – Competitiveness and Nation Branding
12:00 - 13:30
Plenary 2 – International Corporate
Lunch
14:15 - 14:45
Spotlight – Youth Economic Symposium Reflections
14:45 - 16:00
Plenary 3 – Youth Enterprises
16:00 - 16:30
Wrap up & Closing remarks
17:30 - 20:00
Cocktail
SPEAKERS
Dr. Alistair Mokoena
Google South Africa
Dr. Alistair Mokoena, a proud father of two, is the Country Director for Google South Africa. He is a qualified Chartered Marketer with 25 years corporate experience. His academic qualifications include; Bcomm, LLB, MDP, MBA and PhD in Business Administration. Alistair was a Brand Manager at Unilever, Senior Brand Manager at Tiger Brands, Marketing Manager SABMiller, and Marketing Director at Mondelez and Absa bank respectively.
In addition to marketing leadership roles, Alistair ran a number of leading multi-national advertising agencies in South, namely: he was Managing Director of FCB Advertising Agency and Group Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy South Africa where he presided over Ogilvy’s record-setting award wins. Alistair has received many industry awards over the years including the runner-up in Marklives’ Most Admired Agency Leader of the year in 2017 and Global Brands’ Best Advertising and Marketing Leader in South Africa in 2019.
Dr Alistair Mokoena previously served on a number of Marketing and Advertising industry bodies in the following capacities: Deputy Chairman of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), Chairman of the Integrated Advertising Bureau (IAB) and a Member of the Advertising Regulatory Board’s Final Appeal Committee. He currently serves on the Advisory Boards of the University of Johannesburg’s Institute for Intelligent Systems, the Joburg Business School and the North West University Business School. Alistair was recently appointed onto the University of Johannesburg Council from January 2023 to December 2027.
Alistair is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the Joburg Business School and an Extraordinary Professor of Practice at the North-West University Business School. He’s an external examiner for Botho University in Botswana and a post-graduate supervisor at Vega School of Advertising. Alistair has published articles in academic journals, contributed chapters to books and delivered papers at international academic conferences.
He coaches young professionals, mentors Small Micro and Medium Enterprises and is a regular guest speaker at international business schools and at industry events.
Ashraf Gardah
Champion South Africa
Ashraf Garda is the founder of Champion South Africa, a nation building movement with a singular powerful vision to build South Africa into a Champion Nation. This is done by embarking on strategic connections with people and organisations that focus on champion thinking, champion networking and champion interventions. Champion South Africa’s vision is built on the mantra of “Champion People Build Champion Nations “
His purpose in life is to champion people and he links that purpose to his work at Champion South Africa which at its core builds the people needed to build a champion nation.
Bronwyn Nielsen
Nielson Network
Nielsen as the executive director to the group in 2012. Her role of executive director involves setting the content agenda for all the companies within the ABN Group (this includes CNBC Africa, Forbes Africa – ABN Publishing, ABN Pictures, ABN Digital and ABN Productions), as well as working closely with senior management on all strategic growth opportunities
As one of the first faces to join the channel, Nielsen comes with over fifteen years in the South African broadcasting industry with numerous accolades to her name including the 2006 Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year. She is best known for her weekday evening program Business Tonight, wrapping up the days business news and speaking to some of the most influential personalities in business.
Some of her highlights at CNBC Africa include the hosting of the live CNBC Africa Debates at the World Economic Forum in Davos January 2013 – 2016, the first time that an African broadcaster was represented in the official WEF Agenda at this event, and presenting Captains of Industry, a program that features weekly interviews with top leadership of African companies.
Bronwyn has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Cape Town and has recently completed a financial course for senior executives at Harvard Business School in Boston.
Caroline Nelson
H&M South Africa
Caroline Nelson as H&M’s South Africa’s Country Manager is responsible for the overall Strategy, Sales, People, Operations, Sustainability & Expansion of H&M Southern Africa. Since joining the company fifteen years ago, she has held various positions in different locations within the H&M Group including, Head of Talent Strategy (US), and Regional Sales Manager (US), and has been in her current role as Country Manager for South Africa since 2020.
Caroline was instrumental in supporting the H&M expansion into both Columbia and New Zealand. She has a strong passion for people, strategy, sustainability, and championing local initiatives that help drive employment in South Africa.
Caroline has been a driving force for notable local brand-building initiatives such as their partnership with Neimil (H&M Home’s first local production partnership) and Yay Abe (The first local print collaboration with illustrator Russell Abrahams). Goal orientated, she is constantly on a mission to make H&M South Africa the best destination to shop and environment to work.
She has been at the forefront of steering inclusion, diversity, and equity within H&M South Africa and has supported the roll-out of the Enclave project (a project that was created to provide upskilling and employment opportunities for people with disabilities). Currently, Caroline calls Cape Town home, where H&M’s South African Head Office is based.
COLIN COLEMAN
Youth Employment Service Board
Colin Coleman is a South African businessman, academic and public figure.
Colin served as a Senior Fellow and Lecturer at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs where, in 2020, he taught a course “Doing business in Africa, the last Frontier of Global growth”.
A former partner of Goldman Sachs, he was Chief Executive Officer, Sub Saharan Africa, Goldman Sachs up until his retirement end 2019. He was head of the Goldman Sachs South Africa office from 2000. In 2008, he was named head of the Investment Banking Division for Sub-Saharan Africa. He was named managing director in 2002 and partner in 2010.
In the 1980s Colin was an anti-apartheid activist, and from 1989 deeply involved in South Africa’s constitutional transition from apartheid to democracy. He served in working groups of the multi-party talks, facilitated the International Mediation Forum and helped to negotiate the agreement to facilitate all parties’ participation in South Africa’s 1994 elections.
Colin was named one of the World Economic Forum’s “Global Leaders for Tomorrow”. He was also a recipient of Harvard Business School’s “Business Statesman Award” on behalf of the Consultative Business Movement and was named one of Euromoney’s World Top Ten “Financing leaders for the 21st Century.”
Colin is an independent non-executive member of the Board of The Foschini Group. Colin is a member of the advisory board of AriseIIP, a developer and operator of industrial ecosystems in Africa. He also served on the Steering Committee of the CEO Initiative, and is Co-Chairman of the Youth Employment Service (YES). In 2020, he served as a Senior Advisor to the political risk consultancy, Eurasia. Colin consults to a number of companies.
EUSTACE MASHIMBYE
Proudly SA
Mr. Mashimbye is a qualified Financial Accountant. He majored in Financial Accounting and Corporate Law and is currently in the process of completing his MBA studies.
He has over 15 years’ experience in Accounting and Financial Management in both the private and the public sectors, having worked for Telkom, Edcon, the Department of Trade and Industry and Proudly SA. He has also undertaken the role of Executive Manager: Corporate Services where he looked after all the support functions of the organisation. He also fulfilled the role of Acting COO for Proudly SA for a two year period.
He has served on the board of The Business Place and is currently a director on the board of the South African Savings Institute.
Fezile Dlamini
Green Scooter
As a strategic corporate communicator, Fezile has built the brand and business through unique measures of using media and leading the culture that the organisation strives for which has made it a business worth investing in. Lastly, Fezile has also led to growing the company’s assets and majorly investing over $400 000 in the business.
Green Scooter (PTY) Ltd is poised to become a leader and innovator in this industry, with local and global market potential in terms of sales and service usage.
Gugu Mfuphi
Kaya FM
Gugulethu Mfuphi is a well-versed broadcast journalist, specializing in financial markets, economic data and current affairs issues. She is a regular speaker and moderator for industry analysts, political leaders and C-suite executives from across the African continent. Mfuphi is a Senior Anchor on CNBC Africa and presenter of Kaya FM’s prime time business show, Kaya Bizz. She also serves as a Conference Chair, Panel Discussion Moderator and Program Director, at various industry gatherings that impact the business and investment landscape. She is a regular participant of events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and in Africa, and moderator for high level conferences.
HAPPY NGIDI
Proudly SA
Mrs. Happy MaKhumalo Ngidi is a graduate in Communications and currently busy with her BA in International Relations. A businesswoman, social entrepreneur, budding author, motivational speaker and PR and Marketing Executive. She joined Proudly South African as the CMO in 2015 to head up the organisation’s Marketing and Communications department.
She is currently a Member of the BRICS (WBA) Women Business Alliance – South Africa, launched and championed by the Department of Business Development, who’s mandate is to unlock economic value within South Africa, the continent and BRIC countries for development, growth and sustainability of women owned businesses.
Jacques Bushang Modipane
Brand South Africa Trustee
Mr Bushang Jacques Modipane was born in the Hoedspruit District of the then Eastern Transvaal Region (Mpumalanga Province). He was part of the SA national democratic struggle from the late 1970’s until the dawn of democracy in 1994. He was the first Member of the Executive Council for Finance (MEC). He was subsequently reappointed in the same portfolio after the 1999 National Elections. He left active Politics in 2002 to venture into the Private Sector.
He was appointed Dealer Principal CCEO) for an Auto Business between 2002 and 2004. He returned to the Public Sector after his appointment as a Senior Manager (Secretary/CEO) of the Mpumalanga Provincial House of Traditional Leaders until 2012. He left the House of Traditional Leaders in 2012. He was subsequently appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency in September 2012. He left the Public Sector in 2015.
He is currently managing his own companies, Premier City Link (Pty) Ltd and Moema Investments CC. He is currently serving as one of the Trustees of Brand South Africa Trust and as a Board member of Siyaqubeka Forestry (PTY) Ltd.
JAN WEGELIN
MarkData
Jan Wegelin is the Managing Director of MarkData (Pty) Ltd. After almost 30 years Jan has gained significant experience across social, economic and behavioural science research across 22 markets and five continents. He is a multi-award-winning researcher which includes big data analysis and for coordinating the development of entrepreneurial mindsets, with College of Charleston, which won the GEN Compass Award for Research Champions in Istanbul, 2018.
Jan is the lead researcher of the Brand South Africa Domestic Perceptions Research Programme for the past six years and won the Best Overall Paper and the Kantar Innovation Awards at the 2018 SAMRA Conference for segmenting the South African nation into nationhood behavioural groups. He is a SAMRA Accredited Researcher since 2011 and a member of the international research organisation ESOMAR. As a classically trained market researcher, starting his career as a coder and interviewer in the early 1990’s, he is a generalist of note. Jan also helped to develop the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) framework for the market research industry.
José Filipe Torres
Bloom Consulting
For the last 21 years Mr. Torres has been advising Countries and Cities in the field of strategy and branding, working directly with heads of state, directors of National Tourism Organizations and Investment Promotion Agencies.
Mr. Torres collaborates directly with OECD and the World Economic Forum in the matters of Nation Branding and is a guest speaker in some of the most prestigious universities in USA and Europe, such as HARVARD, the New York University, the London Business School, Stockholm School of Economics and many others, being interviewed by BBC, The Economist, Forbes and Sky News.
LEKAU SEHOANA
DRIP
Lekau’s dream was born in a shack in a South African township called Ivory Park. He describes himself at the age of 21 as “drunkard, poverty stricken and hopeless”, but it was this life of hardship that inspired his empire when he was unable to attend a school function because he didn’t have shoes to wear. He credits his grandmother for teaching him how to sew, and that was the flicker he needed to ignite an idea into a bankable business. Now 33, it has taken Lekau just over 2 years to establish himself and his brand as household names in South Africa’s popular culture.
In just two years Drip footwear has opened 16 stores across the country and partnered with big brands and some of the biggest celebrities.
In 2021 He won the South African Small Business Awards national small business champion award and the Top 20 Small Business Award
Lerato Masha
Unilever
Lerato Kennelworth Masha is Sourcing Director at Unilever, at one of their biggest site in Africa and a Social Entrepeneur. He is a transformational and entrepreneurial leader, driven by his purpose to make an impact on the continent. He he founded AmAfrikan initiative with the main focus on showcasing African brands and elevating them in the space of Fashion, Art and Decor. In this endeavor, he has worked with leading local brands like Bathu, Skinny Sbus, Native Decor, in lifestyle, and Azael Langa, Ngeatjoy Ndebele, Dario Manjate in the arts. and may more. He has just established a new arts venture, Jeleni&Phindi, to promote and showcase African artists and crafts.
He has held executive positions at Nampak as divisional manufacturing director and Tinpac as an operations director, and as managing director of Jel-Phi Consulting, a business transformation advisory.
Born in Mamelodi in Pretoria, he is a trained Industrial Engineer, holds an MBA from the Stellenbosch Business School and has undertaken post-graduate executive education at the prestigious MIT in the USA.
Luthando Vuba
Standard Bank
Luthando is a Financial Services professional who heads up Africa-China Trade in Personal and Business Banking, for the Standard Bank Group.
Equipped with a MBA from ALU School of Business, Luthando’s experience spans financial services, drawing up funding models for mini-bux taxi industry, spatial planning, transport planning, urban management tools and analyses, stakeholder management and international leadership, youth development, facilitating and thought leadership. He is a skilled strategist in translating policies into implementation plans and a good driver of innovation within policy and strategy
He is also an Entrepreneur and the co-founder of Perpetu8, which is a SMME implementation consultancy, leveraging freelancers and Exponential Growth principles to grow and scale small business. He is a Mandela Washington Fellow 2015, a leadership programme developed by President Barack Obama and the United States State Department, as part of Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative.
Margareth Gustavo
Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB)
Margareth Gustavo is a communications and branding powerhouse, who is passionate about Namibia and the African continent.
With a vision to form part of Africa’s transition to global visibility and leadership, Margareth is especially keen on building nation brands.
She is passionate about changing the social, economic and psychological landscape of Namibia, through the power of brands, communication and strategy.
MBALI SEBAPU
Hermousa
Mbali Sebapu, a vibrant woman entrepreneur making waves across Africa, hails from Soshanguve, a small town north of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. And today she’s making a positive impact on women from all walks of life, as the Founder and CEO of Hermosa Flor Cosmetics. Running an authentically African beauty brand is something Mbali is extremely proud of, as her products uplift women across the continent, and enriches the South African economy
MILTON NKOSI
Journalist
Mr. Nkosi is chairman of MMN International Consulting, specialising in reputation, advisory and media. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at Africa Asia Dialogues, a small think tank.
He joined the BBC in the late 80s just before the release of Nelson Mandela. He covered all the township wars and the subsequent political negotiations that followed. He was instrumental in the publishing of the book Soweto Inside Out. He also wrote a chapter in the world acclaimed book Something to Write Home About. These two books have been sold all over the world.
He is a Trustee on the board of Warwick University’s Africa Project and has lectured at the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism.
Mimi Kalinda
Africa Communications Media Group
Mimi is the Group CEO and Co-Founder of the Africa Communications Media Group (ACG), a pan-African public relations and communications agency headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with offices in Kigali, Rwanda; Harare, Zimbabwe; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire. One of the most satisfying accomplishments of Mimi’s career is the part she played in raising $51 million for the African Union Ebola campaign.
Mimi is the Re-branding Africa Champion for Africa 2.0 and she was a finalist for the International African Woman of the Year Award at the Women4Africa Awards 2016. Mimi was featured in 2018 as a Forbes Afrique Top 40 Under 40 leader in the communications industry and a finalist of this year’s Standard Bank Top Women Awards (2019) in the Entrepreneur of the Year category. She is an Archbishop Tutu Leadership Program Fellow.
MOKY MAKURA
Africa No Filter
Moky Makura was born in Nigeria, educated in England and has lived in London, Johannesburg and Lagos. She has been a TV presenter, producer, author, publisher and a successful entrepreneur in her own right. She is currently the Executive Director of Africa No Filter, a donor collaborative focused on shifting the African narrative.
She serves on the advisory boards of three non-profits including Junior Achievement Africa and the Houtbay Partnership. Moky was recently appointed to the board of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.
Nombulelo Dilotsotlhe
UNISA
Experienced Academic with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Sales, Account Management, Financial Risk, and Business Relationship Management. Strong education professional with a Doctor of Philosophy – PhD focused in Business Science from University of the Witwatersrand.
Nontokozo Hadebe
Transnet
Ms Hadebe joined Transnet from IDC, where she was the Head of Corporate Strategy and Innovation: tasked with leading the development, implementation and monitoring of the IDC;s strategy Part of her responsibilities included leading a strategy execution office, capital budget modelling and allocation, driving innovation as well as embedding continuous improvements principles.
She has over 20 years combined experience in strategy development, strategic portfolio management and implementation of capital programmes in large enterprises with complex business processes. Nonto is a seasoned strategist known for her sharpness, analytical thinking and getting things done. She possess the experience required to deliver on complex projects, which puts her in good stead to lead the Strategy Delivery function to success.
Nonto’s qualifications, to name a few include: Masters in Business Leadership (UNISA), majoring in Corporate Strategy: Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Strategy (Said Business School, University of Oxford) and Certificate Programme in Leadership Development. (Wits University).
Phumudzo Ratshinanga
UNISA
Funny loving individual who is not afraid of Hard work. Discovered her Love for Academia and also passionate about corporate communication.
Qualifications include BA Communication Science (Unisa), BA Integrated Organisational communication (Unisa) and MA Integrated Organisational communication
Portia Bangerezako
Old Mutual Limited
Portia Bangerezako is the Head of Sustainability at Old Mutual and is responsible for embedding sustainability practice in the organisation. She has extensive experience in the management of environmental and social risk in the financial services sector.
Sabine Dall'Omo
Siemens
Sabine is Regarded as one of Africa’s most influential women in engineering, Sabine Dall’Omo has consistently put her best foot forward and broken boundaries in this male-dominated field.
She currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and board member for Siemens in South Africa, following a successful career at the company for over thirty years. She works tirelessly to push the continent forward in terms of science and technology by ensuring that innovative ideas are harnessed into tangible solutions for society. Earlier this year Sabine was appointed as the Deputy Chairperson of the NEPAD Business Foundation and as an honorary member to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e. V.; in addition to these roles Sabine has also been appointed onto the Presidential Advisory Council on Investment (PACI).
She was elected to the North-West University Faculty of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board and most recently she was re-elected as Board Member of the German-African Business Association (Afrika-Verein Deutschen Wirtschaft)
Saki Zamxaka
Gauteng Enterprise Propeller
Saki Zamxaka is a corporate and public management professional with over 15 years senior level executive management experience
Saki Zamxaka is the former CEO of Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA), the agency tasked with promoting trade and investment into the province, as well as contributing to economic growth.
He is also a lifelong photographer, a passionate champion of the arts and the owner of a covetable art collection
SHELDON TACHELL
Legends Barber
Sheldon Tatchell founder of Legends Barbershop passion for cutting hair started at the age of 14. He started his business on the stoep of his cousin’s internet café and it took him 4 months to move into his 1st shop. Currently, Legends Barbershop is operating in just over 63 shops in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Lesotho.
Since opening his company, Sheldon has continued to inspire other young stars in different South African communities to embark on business and also find their true passions and stick with them. He has hosted many Legends Barber Masterclasses where the aim is to empower aspiring barbers in franchising, entrepreneurship and specialised skill improvement.
Sithembile Ntombela
Brand South Africa
Sithembile Ntombela is the Acting CEO Brand South Africa, and has been part of the Brand South Africa team for over a decade. A prolific marketer with over 22 years of marketing experience in private and public sector and has a deep understanding of the marketing and brand environments. She has extensive classical marketing experience in FMCG, global marketing, and destination (Nation Brand) marketing.
A Chartered Marketing Executive with the mission to innovate and improve overall company performance. She is a prudent decision-maker and an inspiring leader that strives to build high Performing teams.
Sithembile completed her Marketing undergraduate qualification at Mangosuthu University of Technology in KZN. She later pursued and completed a Post Graduate National Diploma in Marketing and BPHIL Honours in Marketing through the Institute of Marketing Management (IMM) and completed a Masters in Commerce (MCOM) from MANCOSA.
She is also a member of the CMO Council Advisory Board (Sub Saharan Africa) where she continues to share her insights relating to dynamics in brand and marketing world
Siya Xuza
Galactic Energy Ventures
Siya Xuza is the Founder and CEO of Galactic Holdings; an investment holding company focused on creating global opportunities through smart energy by developing and investing in innovative solutions to address the energy needs of emerging markets. Previously, Xuza conducted research at the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems and the MIT Microsystems Technology Laboratories on microfuel cells – distributed energy that could be used to power remote and rural areas.
In 2013, his ground breaking work on micro fuel cells was published in the Journal of Electroceramics. Xuza was awarded a 2010 Fellowship to the African Leadership Network, the premier, invitation-only community of the most dynamic and influential leaders in Africa. In 2011, he served as the youngest member of the African Union – affiliated Africa 2.0 Energy Advisory Panel and was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Global Shaper. Xuza’s work has been recognised by the US First Lady Michelle Obama, the Nobel Foundation and the NASA affiliated Lincoln Laboratory which named a minor planet, “Siyaxuza (2312)”, in his honour for a first place at the 2007 Intel Science and Engineering Fair.
In 2017 he was awarded the Order of Mapungubwe, the highest honour bestowed upon a South African citizen, for his excellent contribution to scientific innovation at an early stage. Born in South Africa, Xuza holds a BSc in Engineering Sciences, from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Thandi Tobias-Pokolo
Chairperson, Brand South Africa
Ms Tobias matriculated at Phiritona Secondary school and obtained an advanced diploma in Economic Policy from the University of the Western Cape. She also attained a Certificate in Economics and Public Finance from UNISA as well as a certificate in Leadership Communication from Rhodes University. Career history:
- Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, responsible for international trade;
- Chairperson of the standing Committee on Defence between 2005 and 2007;
- Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works between 2007 and 2009;
- Whip of Standing Committee on Finance between 2017 and 2019;
- Member of Standing Committee on Public Accounts between 2004 and 2005;
- Member of Adhoc Committee on Auditor-General in 2004;
- Member of Parliament between 2004 and 2019;
- Deputy Director Youth Development DTEEA between 2001 and 2004;
- Community Based Organiser;
- Former Member ANC NEC;
- Former Member ANC Youth League NEC;
Legacy Projects
- Anti-Piracy Campaign – Buy local campaign
Motivations
- Brand South Africa
- Lure Investment
- Pursue Economic Growth
- Be a game changer
THEBE IKALAFENG
Brand Leadership
Thebe Ikalafeng is the pre-eminent global African authority in branding in Africa and foremost advocate for a brand-led African renaissance. He is the founder of Brand Leadership, the award-winning Africa-focused branding advisory firm inducted into the New York based REBRAND “Hall of Fame” for excellence in branding in 2015; Brand Africa, a brand-led initiative to re-imagine Africa’s image and competitiveness; Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands, the widely referenced survey and ranking of brands in Africa, and Africa Brand Leadership Academy (ABLA), to build the capacity and talent for Africa-focused brand leadership.
He has been named one of the ‘100 Most Influential Africans’ by New African Magazine in 2013 and 2015 and one of the 100 Most Influential Creative People of African Descent in support of the United Nations ‘International Year of the Creative Economy for Sustainable Development’ in 2021. He has been honoured with the Financial Mail AdFocus Lifetime Achievement (2021) and the Public Relations Institute of SA Lifetime Achievement (2022) awards for his contributions to marketing, branding and communications.
THEO BALOYI
Bathu Shoes
Born and bred in Pretoria, Theo is an accountant by profession, having worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers for 5 years.
In April 2015, with savings accumulated over the 5 year period spent at PwC, Theo Baloyi launched Bathu Shoes from a tiny room in Alexandra township, with the primary objective to tell an untold, proudly South African story/narrative to the world through selling uniquely designed shoes
Bathu shoes are locally manufactured in Durban , with some of the components imported from Lesotho & the East .Bathu Shoes’ long term vision is to have presence in Europe and South America , telling its’ story in these parts of the world and be recognised and identified globally as a leading African shoe brand!
TSHEPO MOHLALA
TSHEPO Jeans
Tshepo Mohlala is the founder and creative director of TSHEPO Jeans.
The Tshepo Brand is a lifestyle brand founded in South Africa. TSHEPO offers a range of bespoke and ready-to-wear denim products. The brand has established itself in the hearts and minds of ordinary South Africans. A ‘people first’ brand, Tshepo Jeans has won numerous awards, including as the overall winner of the Top Youth Owned Brand in South Africa in 2022.
Uveka Rangappa
Journalist
Uveka Rangappa is a renowned South African journalist, news anchor, TV presenter and philanthropist.
Uveka began her broadcasting career in 1996, with the SABC at Lotus FM. After 5 years, she then moved to East Coast radio, before leaving Durban entirely to pursue greener pastures in Johannesburg. In 2002 she joined Primedia Broadcasting, where she worked at 702 and 947.
Establishing herself as a television force to be reckoned with, she presented Rights and Recourse on SABC 3, and later joined then eNews Channel (now eNCA) as a weekday News Anchor. Following a return to radio at 947 and 702, she went on to host parenting show, Great Expectations, on eTV from 2011 to 2016. In that time, she returned to eNCA as a Primetime anchor and host of Food Matters as well as Health Matters. She also held the title of programming and content manager at SRN Media.
Among the highlights of her 25 -year career, Uveka notes covering post-war Iraq, reporting from in and around Baghdad for a week.
Her interviewing highlights include covering various national elections, interviewing several local and international celebrities such as Stevie Wonder, local and international politicians such as former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, ambassadors and High Commissioners, but her favourite interviews involve ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Apart from being an established television and radio anchor, she is an active philanthropist and passionately supports the Rise Against Hunger charity organisation, which distributes food to ECD centres and University students across South Africa.
Vuyelwa Nyakaza
Sukume
Vuyelwa Nyakaza is a Strategist, Speaker and a seasoned Branding Expert who is passionate about Transformative Economic Development in Africa. She is the founder and Managing Director of Sukume Consulting which is involved in Strategy, Trade & Investment and Branding. She positions African economies, businesses and brands for global competitiveness and socio-economic transformation.
Prior to founding Sukume, Vuyelwa was the Global Brand Strategist for the MTN Group working across 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East. She was also Marketing Manager at Brand South Africa responsible for leading the development of South Africa’s global brand strategy in the build up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. She worked closely with the Department of Trade and Industry to position the South African economy and promote South African exports. Vuyelwa built robust classical marketing experience managing Unilever brands in local (South Africa), regional (Africa & Middle East, Turkey) as well as international (Brazil) roles.
Yavi Madurai
YMH Group
Yavi Madurai is a Digital Transformation Strategist, Media Analyst, an advocacy activist for economic gender empowerment & technology equality.
To call it a multifaceted career is an understatement, as she now adds AfCFTA Specialist to her list of areas of specialisation, while being the Founder MD of Black Box Theory – a Digital & Tech Consultancy; Executive Director of the Pan African Business Women’s Association/ PABWA – fighting for economic gender parity in Africa; & most recently Founder-Chair of TechEqual, which has a vision to close the digital divide towards economic empowerment of the world’s poor, with a special focus on Africa & the digitalization of trade to benefit Africa’s women & youth.
Yolanda Palezweni
The Herald/ Weekend Post - Gqeberha
Yolanda Palezweni is a Political Reporter at The Herald/ Weekend Post in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. Her key objective is to change people’s perceptions of journalism and be the voice of the voiceless. Talented and immensely creative individual with a commitment to high-quality research and writing. Proven industry achievement history with more than five years of professional experience. Dedication to sound investigative research methods and a strong desire to know the truth of the matter.
GALLERY
WHAT IS THE NATION
BRAND FORUM?
The Nation Brand Forum (NBF), launched in 2016, is one of Brand SA’s flagship programmes to co-ordinate the active participation of the relevant stakeholder groups in achieving a coherent and compelling Nation Brand image, reputation and identity that best positions the country domestically & globally.
The Forum is an opportunity to engage, reflect, share experiences and knowledge in order to find ideal best practices to market and communicate the country’s image and reputation across the world. It is with this view that key stakeholders meet to build on and leverage SA’s Nation Brand strengths with the purpose of driving both social and economic growth.
How often does the Nation Brand Forum take place?
The Nation Brand Forum takes place annually. In 2022 the Nation Brand Forum will be hosted over 3 days – 4 to 6 October 2022.
What is the theme of the 2022 Nation Brand Forum?
The 6th Nation Brand Forum theme, “Grow with South Africa | An inclusive partnership to rebuild the economy and drive the nation’s competitiveness” is anchored on facilitating collaborative partnerships and solutions to re-build the economy and position South Africa as an attractive investment destination and growth.
What is the purpose of the 2022 Nation Brand Forum?
Objectives of the 6th Nation Brand Forum
Mobilise local and foreign private sector businesses invested in South Africa to contribute towards actionable and sustainable solutions to rebuild and grow the economy;
Engage youth to contribute towards tangible solutions for alleviating youth unemployment, catalyse entrepreneurship and ultimately grow the economy;
Inspire stakeholders to play their part and provide concrete solutions for enabling a long-term attractive reputation and image of the Nation Brand,
To explore pan-African collaborative opportunities for contributing to the broader positive African narrative and competitiveness.
When and where will the 2022 Nation Brand Forum take place?
The 2022 Nation Brand Forum will be held on 5 and 6 October at the Sandton Convention Center (SCC), (TBC) and the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Who can join the 2022 Nation Brand Forum?
- Young Entrepreneurs
- South African Corporates
- Non-African Corporates
- Media (International and Local)
- All South Africans
How can I attend the 2022 Nation Brand Forum?
- In person on either 4 to 6 October 2022
- Virtual attendance via Zoom:
Link: - Brand South Africa YouTube streaming platform
Link:
SUPPORTED BY
