Conference

Prof Kiveshni Naidoo 

Kiveshni Naidoo has spent two decades in higher education in various portfolios. She obtained her PhD from the North-West University and her professorship from the University of Novosibirsk in Russia. She is passionate about research in gender development, leadership, and education. She is currently the Academic Director at MANCOSA.  



Aligned with her ardent pursuit of research on education in unequal societies, she was recognized for her research accomplishments at the research awards ceremony in March 2023. Professor Naidoo has made considerable community impact with initiatives in green projects, women empowerment, and frail care. She enjoys mentoring students and academics alike with a fond support for research. She continues to collaborate in research initiatives with global partners and serves on the NADEOA Executive and the conference committee. 

Dr Helena van Wyk

Helena, an academic with over 20 years of teaching experience at various public and private institutions, has developed a keen interest in the communication, branding, and education fields. Her research interests lie in these fields, with a particular focus on brand and corporate communication. Helena holds a PhD from UNISA, and her doctoral research focused on the political brand and social media storytelling. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and expertise with others and is always seeking opportunities to collaborate with like-minded professionals in the field.

Dr Susan (Sue) Giloi

Sue Giloi is the Chief Academic Officer at Inscape Education Group and has held senior positions at a number of Private and Public Higher Education institutions. In addition to lecturing in photography in South Africa and the USA, she worked for a number of years in the printing industry as a project manager. Sue has a PhD in Education from Rhodes University and an MTech in Photography from Port Elizabeth Technikon. As a past President of the Design Education Forum of Southern Africa (DEFSA) Sue has been actively involved in promoting research in the field of design education and has published a number of articles on design education, encouraging student creative risk-taking and the assessment of design projects. She has served as an external examiner at Masters and PhD level evaluating research and creative outputs in a number of design and photography fields.  She has presented her research at local and international conferences and is a peer reviewer for a number of journals.

Dr Marga Botha

Marga Botha, a dedicated academic and senior lecturer at a private Higher Education institution, Aros, is a researcher in the field of education, with a profound focus on teacher well-being. With a doctorate in Humanities Education from the University of Pretoria, Dr Botha’s research explores the intricacies of stress and burnout among teachers. She also specialises in shaping the next generation through life skills education for intermediate phase teaching students as well as the teaching and learning module for honours students. Having more than fifteen years of pedagogical experience in Senior Phase teaching, namely in Afrikaans and Life Orientation, she has a deep awareness of innovative pedagogical methods and the importance of inclusive education. 

Dr Ronel Blom

Ronel Blom is the Dean of Research at REGENT Business School (RBS), having previously served as Academic Dean for four years. Before joining RBS, she spent 20 years as a researcher focused on education and training policy. Her MEd and PhD studies examined the implementation of education policies in South Africa. Her research interests include work-integrated learning, employability, flexible access to higher education, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Currently, she is researching the management of private higher education institutions seeking university status.



Ronel’s research career began as Head of the Research Unit at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) from 2001 to 2007, where she helped shape policies for the post-apartheid education system. Her expertise further developed through roles at Umalusi, Higher Education South Africa (now USAf), and the University of the Witwatersrand's REAL Centre, where she specialised in policy development and analysis.

Prof HB Klopper 

HB is the Executive Dean of Teaching, Learning, and Research at DaVinci Business School. He has held leadership roles at several institutions, including Rand Afrikaans University, University of Johannesburg, Monash University South Africa, and DaVinci. With over 30 years of experience across various sectors, he has focused on developing leaders and fostering organisational learning.



HB is active in the local and international research community, serving on editorial boards and supervising postgraduate studies. He has authored 51 chapters in 31 academic textbooks and published 47 business case studies. He also sits on several industry boards and forums, advocating for education, innovation, and technology-driven empowerment.

Professor Sioux McKenna 

Sioux McKenna is a Professor of Higher Education Studies at Rhodes University, where she researches the roles that universities play in society. She is interested in which forms of knowledge are legitimised within the academy, and which are not, as well as how universities serve the common good or undermine it.

She manages a number of international research projects, runs the international 

Strengthening Postgraduate Supervision programme, and curates the national online resource, Enhancing Postgraduate Education. She is widely published, serves as the coordinating editor, and sits on the editorial board of several Quintile 1 journals.

Prof McKenna’s open-access book, co-authored with Chrissie Boughey, Understanding Higher Education, won the 2023 Rhodes University Book Award. She is also the recipient of the Rhodes University Internationalisation Award, a member of the Academy of Science South Africa, and a B-rated researcher (which, according to the NRF, indicates “considerable international recognition by their peers for the high quality and impact of their recent research outputs”).

At Rhodes University, Prof McKenna launched a large PhD programme in Higher Education Studies, which continues to this day, and established the vibrant Centre for Postgraduate Studies, which supports postgraduate candidates, supervisors, and postdoctoral fellows. To date, she has graduated 45 doctoral and master’s degree students.

Prof McKenna’s current research interests include the role that the university rankings industry plays in higher education decision-making. Despite significant criticism of the unscientific and neocolonial nature of rankings, many institutions expend substantial resources on improving their profile, often resorting to game-playing. Alongside this research, she is increasingly interested in how institutions have responded to the rise of generative AI. Her research suggests that many institutions have reacted in ways that suggest a misunderstanding of the purpose of knowledge generation and dissemination.

Dr Lucky Mathebula 

Dr FM Lucky Mathebula, a distinguished alumnus of the University of Pretoria, holds a Doctor of Administration degree with a PhD specialisation in Intergovernmental Relations. He is also an esteemed alumnus of Harvard Business School. His career spans strategic advising and speechwriting for high-ranking politicians in South Africa, founding the Thinc Foundation, and serving as a stakeholder engagement adviser to various organisations. His expertise extends to life coaching, public affairs, and business management, with extensive experience in facilitating strategy sessions and implementing solutions.

Dr Mathebula's leadership is evident in his diverse roles. He is a Research and Innovation Associate at the Tshwane University of Technology. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at the Uganda Technology and Management University and as a past fellow of the Centre for African Studies at the University of the Free State. His leadership extends to his role as the Founding Executive Director of the South African Association of Public Administration and Management and his former position as CEO of the South African Foundation for Public Management. He has also made significant contributions to the South African National Heritage Council, the Ditsong Museums of South Africa, and the National Teacher Professionalisation Task Team.

He was a board member of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Centre of Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing and served as South Africa’s APRM Focal Point Coordinator. He is the founder of the BPI Foundation and a founding member of the Establishment Committee of the South African Association of PhDs. He serves on several boards and is a resource person in various strategic think tanks. He is a scenario thinker, planner, and political risk analyst, and is also a columnist for the Sunday Times and Business Day.

Dr Mathebula's strategic thinking, policy analysis, and visionary leadership make him an invaluable asset to any organisation. His ability to facilitate and develop creative yet practical solutions is a testament to his problem-solving skills. He is a key resource for policy think tanks and forums, serving as an analyst, group think facilitator, intergovernmental relations scenario planner, and business strategist. His comprehensive competencies, broad exposure, extensive experience, and results-oriented approach enable him to coach others towards improved personal and business performance. He has a track record of successfully implementing new initiatives that benefit organisations and their stakeholders. His ability to position people and organisations at a strategic level, align and integrate activities from strategy through to ground-level implementation, and then monitor the impact of the change, makes him an asset to any organisation.



He is a widely published author in accredited journals and high-impact publications. His papers and writings can be found at https://thincfoundation.blogspot.com.