Tshifhiwa has over 20 years of experience in IT, with most of her experience in the role of CIO. She has held key IT positions at Telkom, Standard Bank, the Financial Services Board and, most recently, Barloworld Logistics, where she is now the Chief Digital Officer. Tshifhiwa specialises in developing and implementing IT turnaround strategies within complex business integration processes, as well as driving change in business architecture through technology implementation.

Tshifhiwa holds a Master of Information Technology degree from the University of Pretoria. She also holds an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science, an achievement for which she received the top student award in the elective “leading others through storytelling.” This unique skill empowers her to communicate complex topics to non-technical stakeholders.

Tshifhiwa’s accolades include the Visionary CIO Award from the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (formerly CSSA), in association with ITWeb, GIBS and Gartner Africa for demonstrating visionary leadership in using technology to drive strategy and innovation in the organisation. She has been on the Gartner Africa Symposium Advisory Board since 2015.

Ranka is a founding member of ITWeb – South Africa’s leading technology-focused publisher, with media products and services that span diverse digital platforms, print and events.

As editorial director, Ranka was instrumental in establishing ITWeb Online as South Africa’s premier source of IT news and information for business technology users and decision-makers. In 2001, Ranka helped launch ITWeb Brainstorm, which remains the most influential business IT monthly in SA. She serves on the advisory board of ITWeb events and often presents findings of ITWeb’s surveys and research reports at ITWeb’s and other industry conferences.

Ranka is passionate about skills development and has been a mentor to a great number of journalists, editors and other young professionals.

Prior to joining ITWeb, she was editor of InformationWeek Southern Africa and deputy editor of ComputerWeek. She immigrated to SA in 1994 from Yugoslavia, where she had worked as a teacher, lecturer, literary translator and IT journalist.

In 2022, she moved back to her native Bosnia and Herzegovina and took on the role of senior consulting editor, continuing to work closely with ITWeb’s management and editorial teams and helping shape and implement the company’s editorial strategy.

Prof Helena Barnard is the director of the doctoral programme at GIBS, and is an internationally recognised scholar, B-rated by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. Her research interests are in how technology, organisational practices and innovation move between more and less developed countries, particularly in Africa. She is the 2017-2020 John Dunning Fellow at the University of Reading in the UK, and the Vice President (Administration) of the Academy of International Business. She is an area editor at Management and Organization Review and the Journal of International Business Policy, in both cases with a focus on Africa.

Admire Gwanzura is the current President of the Institute of IT Professionals South Africa, having been elected to this position on 25 August 2021. Prior to that, Admire was the serving Vice-President of the Institute.

Moira de Roche is an independent consultant.

She is the Chair of IFIP IP3, and has been involved with this body since 2007. She is a Director on the Global Industry Council, an IFIP body comprised of senior people from all parts of the globe who are involved with ICT.

She is a Professional Member and Fellow of IITPSA (Institute of IT Professionals South Africa) and a proud recipient of the “EngineerIT/CSSA Distinguished Service in ICT” award. She is a Director of (IITPSA). She was President of this body for four years. She considers herself as an Ethics Evangelist.

She is a trustee of the South African Computer Olympiad.

Moira is passionate about issues facing women in the workplace, with a special focus on how to interest more girls in ICT careers, as well as how to ensure that women can achieve their potential.

For more details za.linkedin.com/in/moiraderoche

COMMUNITY ICT ACTIVIST, SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR, CHANGEMAKER DIGITAL DIVIDE TRANSFORMATION ENABLER with over 40 years of ICT experiences and community activism. FOUNDER: Siyafunda Community Technology Centres, Community ICT Digital Villages 2014 IITPSA PRESIDENT’​S

The impact of the digital age and e-learning has transformed the world’s access to information and inter-connectedness, making computer competency an essential skill in equipping future leaders and enabling people to participate in the global economy. With a vision to empower, educate and e-connect communities, and make computer literacy and access to an email address available to everyone, Mr Ahmed Ismael-Smiley Founder of the concept, opened the first Siyafunda Community Technology Centre in Palm Ridge in 2006. The core values of sustainability, affordability and access, remain key project drivers.

Simnikiwe Mzekandaba is an award-winning journalist with a career spanning across television, radio and online media. She has been with ITWeb since 2012, and is currently the public sector editor for the ITWeb Group. She is at the heart of tech initiatives, policies and digital transformation strategies within the public sector, financial services, and education.

It is her love for telling African stories and showcasing the potential of ICT on the continent that attracted her to this sector. Simnikiwe holds an honour’s degree in journalism from Rhodes University.

Adrian Hinchcliffe is Editor-in-Chief of Brainstorm magazine, the most established and respected business and technology publication in the country.

Prior to this, Adrian worked on and edited a range of other Brainstorm supplements and products, including the long-running CIO Directory and ITWeb’s channel magazine. Before joining ITWeb, he worked for an industry analysis and B2B publishing company in London, which focused largely on the mobile telecommunications sector, pharmaceuticals, defence and financial services. Adrian started his career working as a journalist and editor on a trade publication focused on the development of 3G mobile technology.

Dr Stella Bvuma is the HoD in the Department of Applied Information Systems (AIS) within the School of Consumer Intelligence and Information Systems, at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). She holds several qualifications in the field of Information Technology and attained her PhD in Information Technology Management. She has a driven robust passion in the area of ICT4Development & technology adoption. Her research focuses on ICT adoption by SMMEs towards growth, sustainability and development. She also holds personal interest in advocating inclusivity for women in the information technology sector & advocates for digital inclusivity

Nkululeko Gojela is the Head: Projects and Development at the Gordon Institute of Business. He holds a honours degree in Computer Science from Rhodes University and currently working towards completing his MBA at GIBS.

He has had a professional IT careers spanning over 15 years covering across consulting, financial services, and education sectors.

He is passionate about seeing others reaching their potential and believes ICT provides a great platform for both young and older to unleash their potential.

His other interests include marathon running, mountain biking, getting involved in challenging philosophical and societal debates.