Bio

Xolani is an intrapreneurship business trainer, intrapreneurship honorary fellow, expert intrapreneur trainer, ETDP assessor, strategic advisor and an academic. As an intrapreneurship business trainer, he is a co-founder and managing director at Intrapreneurship Factory – consulting and training firm specializing on helping top and middle level managers create intrapreneurship culture, systems, strategy, mechanisms, etc., which enables employees to be intrapreneurs who implement innovative projects inside established firms. He received training on intrapreneurship/corporate entrepreneurship from Europe (Tilburg University). Previous clients include RCS, Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Ignition Academy (Pty), etc. At RCS, he co-facilitated the Executive Intrapreneurship Program for executives, innovation specialist, H&R Managers, etc. The training focused on corporate and business level strategy, organizational structure, and governance necessary to implement intrapreneurship. He co-facilitated a Cape Chamber of Commerce intrapreneurship session with Barry Swartzberg, co-founder of Discovery Group, who spearheaded implementation of intrapreneurship at Discovery. Xolani is an intrapreneurship honorary fellow, https://www.gii.institute/honorary-fellows/ at Global Intrapreneurs Institute (GII) based in Australia, an on-line educational institution committed to supporting and advancing the work of intrapreneurs in all sectors all over the world through learning and development. He is also trained in specialised intrapreneurship program, https://www.linkedin.com/in/xolani-nghona-10a172113/?originalSubdomain=za offered by Studio Zao (an intrapreneurship consulting firm based in London), https://studiozao.com/intrapreneurship. As an ETDP assessor, he is qualified to offer training and conduct performance evaluation assessments for human resource development. In this line of work he is a strategic advisor, and has been invited by Global Management Training, to facilitate a strategic brainstorming session for middle and operational managers of the Auditor General, from the Botswana Ministry of Finance & Development Planning. Moreover, he facilitated strategic planning and execution training, for junior managers from Small Business Department of the Central Bank of Swaziland, through Southern African Development Institute. As an academic, he teaches Entrepreneurship Studies (Construction Entrepreneurship IV and Strategic Risk Management IV), conducts research and supervises Bachelor and Masters’ degree research students at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Xolani’s teaching and research expertise are at the intersections of technology/engineering management, behavioural strategy, innovation and entre/intrapreneurship. He presented several research papers at local and international conferences, and because of Entrepreneurship Studies at CPUT, some alumni are now intrapreneurs inside established companies and others are entrepreneurs operating their SMEs in the construction engineering sector.

Bio

Ntombi is an industrial intrapreneur with the experience of running a business division inside one of South Africa’s largest retailers [Edcon]. With more than 10 years’ experience, she comes with the mindset & skillset required to operate a business division like an owner-manager inside an established firm. She has experience in business operation systems, great customer service, as well as financial performance monitoring of strategic business division, inside existing firms. She is currently a Trainee Professional Accountant (SAIPA) at SNC-TAX, where she is responsible for company registrations, filing of annual returns for companies at CIPC, filing annual returns for companies and individuals on SARS efiling, registering companies for UIF, payroll, bank reconciliation for companies using the SAGE system, VAT reconciliation and filing of VAT on efiling and Registering companies for COIDA. Since 2017, Ntombi has been advising two smaller firms from diverse sectors (i.e. Cleaning and Food & Beverages) on how to successfully implement both business management and financial operations systems. The mentoring of these Small firms emanates from her 10 years’ working experience in various managerial levels from financial sector (Old Mutual, Financial and Investment Unit as an Advisor) and retail sector (Edgars as a Departmental Manager; Edcon Head Office as Assistant Planner; Internal Store Auditor, Store Admin Manager and mostly as a Store Manager). Ntombi is a co-founding director at Intrapreneurship Factory (Pty), where she is responsible for both business management and financial operations. As a result of her in-depth experience, potential intrapreneurs stand a great chance of learning particularly what it takes to operate a business division inside a large existing firm. For instance, as a Store Manager at Edgars, Ntombi was responsible for execution of the business operation systems, which are required for the day to day running of the business and for ensuring that the staff gives great customer service, as well as monitoring the financial performance of the stores. Because of her good experience in executing the business operation systems, she was given an opportunity to manage the new establishment of Edcons’ projects, these included opening and running the Oudtshoorn Edgars store and Care-Taking of the Jeffrey’s Bay Edgars store. She was able to manage these stores as her own small businesses from conceptual to a successful operating business ventures. From the financial sector, as a Financial Advisor at Old Mutual she was involved in the field of investment advisory and risk planning.

Bio

As a former intrapreneur at Capitec and African Bank, Siseko brings the real-world experience that shows how innovative employees work, develop and implement creative ideas inside existing firms. Siseko’s working experience exhibits relentless innovative work behaviour that produced concrete financial outcomes while working in various positions from a Sales Consultant and Assistant Manager at Capitec bank, and later a Sales Consultant and Branch Manager at African bank. As a former intrapreneur at Capitec bank, he created an innovative ‘Telemarketing Leads Management Process’ (TLMP) for the efficient use of leads using a colour coding system. As a Sales Consultant this process innovation targeted the dormant but existing customer base data to sieve out quality leads using the colour coding system of categorizing, assigning and managing them systematically. This resulted in his average-loan-size (average daily sales) being catapulted over 300% (R12000/day) in comparison to the regional sales of R4000/day in King William’s town and East London Capitec branches. This prompted a promotion to an Assistant Manager and later an acting Branch Manager at Metlife Mall in King William’s Town. At this managerial capacity, he rolled-out his innovation and it resulted in a 60% rise in sales (from average R800 000/month to R1.2 million/month) and his process innovation (TLMP) was adopted and rolled-out nationwide by Capitec bank in 2011. Yet again as a former intrapreneur at Africa bank, he introduced new innovative operational processes such as telephone etiquette, cost efficient system for processing branch administration. He also improved TLMP with additional lead generation processes (below-the-line marketing) categorizing leads, based on the credit behaviour on aggregated lead/employer data. Siseko is a specialist in ideating and implementing systems and process innovation, and mentoring of intrapreneurs through project management functions. While at African bank, he was trained as a Business Mentor by the IC Growth Group. He is a co-founder and director at Intrapreneurship Factory (Pty), where he is an expert facilitator in intrapreneurship. Siseko co-facilitated the executive intrapreneurship programme to RCS executives, managers, and innovation specialist, conducted training focused on organizational culture, business and operational systems required to implement intrapreneurship. He co-facilitated a Cape Chamber of Commerce intrapreneurship session with Barry Swartzberg, the co-founder of Discovery Ltd, who spearheaded the implementation of intrapreneurship at Discovery Group. Siseko is a full-member of the Global Intrapreneurs Institute, an on-line educational institution and community committed to supporting and advancing the work of intrapreneurs in all sectors all over the world through learning and development

Bio

Thabang has fifteen years of combined cross-industry work experience from oil & petrochemical; technology development funding; technology transfer; strategy consulting; energy; automotive; and paints and coatings industries. As a Commercialization Manager he is responsible for IP evaluation, market analysis, business development, marketing, drafting NDA and license agreements, negotiating license agreements, fund raising, and portfolio management of Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) Seed Fund R&D projects. Thabang concluded 6 technology licence agreements, collected R 766 000 in royalty revenue, facilitated and secured TIA technology development funds worth R 21 million. As a Programme Manager at the Technology Cluster Innovation Programmes unit at TIA, he was responsible for initiating, providing cluster programmatic oversight, managed a cluster portfolio budget of programmes worth R 40 million within the technology area of genomics. He has drafted cluster business cases and presented to exco to initiate an E-Waste Cluster Programme working with various stakeholders including EWASA, CSIR, DEA, and the DST. As a mentor on part-time basis, he advises SMEs at Innovation Hub Biopark since 2016. As the Regional Commercialisation Specialist at KZNROTT, Thabang identified and quantified market opportunities for the IP and inventions that emanate from the University’s technology research, drafted business plans, business cases, and raised capital investment for university spin-off companies to commercialize the innovations. As Technical Advisor: New Product Development (NDP) at ENGEN, he developed business cases on construction chemical products - justifying investment into new business opportunities; ranking the projects; and presenting to the management committee. He championed the expansion of construction product portfolio by sourcing products from global suppliers, and successfully obtained product approval for commercialization in Swaziland for a road construction project. Thabang is an Associate Executive Director at Intrapreneurship Factory (Pty), where he is a commercialization specialist who manages transformation of creative ideas into viable innovation projects, channelling them through spin-off companies. His career highlight was a business turnaround project mandated by Productivity SA for a dairy processing company in the East London IDZ. He contributed to the business analysis, strategy formulation, turnaround solution, and he facilitated training to senior managers on Mission Directed Work Teams and LEAN.

Bio

Design isn’t simply the way something looks, it’s a way of seeing problems and solving them to better and improve things. George is an ambassador for design and how it can change the way we look at things. George studied design at the Tshwane University of Technology and finished his studies at CPUT with an Honours degree in Industrial Design. He has received numerous honours and awards locally and internationally, most notably the Global Grad Show in Dubai, Design Indaba, and most recently an International Design Awards from IDA. George has also been featured in various publications such as the Men’s Health Magazine and High Life magazine. As the director of a multi-disciplinary design consultancy (https://www.undesign.co.za/), he has learned how to apply design thinking to different industries and fields. Design thinking provides one with the tools necessary to overcome virtually all obstacles through a time-proven recipe followed by designers everywhere. Being involved in many industries on a surface level has the advantage of added perspective and not getting caught in the weeds of a particular problem, this aids in coming up with innovative and disruptive products or strategies that ensures a business that is always innovating.

Bio

Dr Irena Yashin-Shaw is a Founder & CEO of the Global Intrapreneurs Institute, an on-line educational institution & community committed to supporting & advancing the work of intrapreneurs in all sectors & in all corners of the world through learning & development. She is also a Chief Edited of Intrapreneur Magazine, an author of “Intrapreneur: How Leaders Ignite Innovation, Break Bureaucracy and Catalyse Change” and “Leading in the Innovation Age: Unleash Knowledge, Talent and Experience to Create an Innovative Workplace”. She is a Speaker, Mentor, and Liberator of intrapreneurial talent, creativity and innovative leadership. Her highly acclaimed, ground-breaking research into creative problem-solving has taken her around the globe speaking in Russia, China, India, the UK, New Zealand and of course Australia. She is the inventor of a unique creative thinking tool which helps organisations tap into the creative potential of their people. Recognising that innovation and creativity are the key drivers of the Twenty-First Century global economy she has developed a suite of programs designed to assist organisations to increase their innovation capacity by developing a culture of innovation and creative leadership. Her expertise has been recognized by the Commonwealth Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research who in 2010 and 2011 awarded her competitive grants to work with Australian manufacturers, SMEs and businesses to improve their competitiveness and sustainability.

Bio

If Sid can start small venture (Chamber Air) within a 216 year old Chamber of Commerce, he can instil Intrapreneurial spirit in any organization. He has served as an executive strategist on numerous blue chip companies: Liberty, Nestle’, SA Breweries; FedEx, etc. He serves currently as the CEO of the Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry, a position he has held since 2015. With his experience he will advise the client executives to discover the elegant simplicity of effective innovative thinking, which will help implement intrapreneurship inside their firms. His experience covers the entire distribution channel, from manufacturing to wholesale to retail to marketing & advertising – and everything in-between. Think of a brand, and Sid has probably planned on it. Sid is an advisor at Intrapreneurship Factory (Pty), where he advises on how to discover the elegant simplicity of effective innovative thinking, which will help implement intrapreneurship inside their firms. He holds an MBA from UCT Graduate School of Business, and is the author of “The Clear Win” available on Amazon. He is also a qualified pharmacist. Sid is widely published online, appreciated for his practical insights and wicked sense of humour. He grew up in Paarl, South Africa and is the town’s 1972 Coca-Cola Yo-Yo Champion.

Bio

Hugh had a 22-year career at intuit.com an American business software company that specializes in financial software, where his last position was Engineering Fellow and Vice President of Innovation. In 2011, Hugh became the first recipient of Intuit’s Founders Innovation Award for his contributions helping launch Intuit’s payments business. Hugh is an accomplished innovator and has helped launch several disruptive products. He has expertise in leadership development and digital transformation and has led diversity and inclusion initiatives. Hugh Molotsi advises and invests in startups and is an active practitioner and teacher of Lean Startup Methodologies. He is the co-author of The Intrapreneur’s Journey, a book on how to develop a culture of innovation at large companies. He is passionate about fostering grassroots innovation and giving voice to good ideas wherever those ideas may come from. Hugh is a seasoned product and technology leader with experience developing global solutions for small businesses and consumers. Hugh serves on the boards of Barloworld (BAW:SJ) and the Mozilla Corporation.

Hugh Molotsi is the founder and CEO of Ujama Inc, the makers of Soko, the farmers’ market app that makes it easy to discover farmers’ markets near you and connect with their sellers.