The Thought Leaders Setting the Tone
The day opens with two powerhouse voices who have shaped the trajectory of South Africa’s tech ecosystem:
- Tashline Jooste, Chief Executive Officer of the Innovator Trust, delivers a keynote that redefines what readiness means for women-owned ICT SMMEs. In “Code It. Shape It. Scale It – Building Tech SMMEs Ready for Africa”, she outlines how capability, confidence, and access remain the true engines of growth. “Women in tech don’t need gatekeepers,” says Jooste. “They need access, capability, and contracts. WIT is where we connect those dots, code it, shape it, and scale it for Africa.”
- Martha Lamola, Operations Director: Vodacom Ventures & Partnerships, explores how strategic collaboration and corporate vision can fuel homegrown innovation across the continent.
Breakfast Panel: The AI Effect on Digital Creatives
Four formidable founders and alumni beneficiaries of the Innovator Trust incubation programmes, Aphiwe Tafeni (Olem Business Boutique), Janine Schilder (Ignite Media), Sisanda Mbodlela (SM Solutions PE Trading), and Zumurrud Rinquest (Curious & Creative), dissect how artificial intelligence is reshaping the creative industry. From automating design workflows to building narrative precision, these women show how technology enhances, not replaces, human genius.
Panel 1: The AI Edge: Redefining Africa’s Digital Future
AI isn’t the future; it’s the lens through which Africa must envision itself today.
In this session, Atenkosi Ngubevana (Executive Head: Process Automation & Re-engineering, Vodacom Group), Ayanda Mafuleka (CEO: FASSET), and Khosi Bambisa (Head of Group Performance, Sanlam & Co-Chairperson of the IWFSA Alumni Forum) unpack how automation, ethics, and inclusion can merge to create intelligent systems that reflect African realities. Expect grounded insight on how to embed AI into real business practice.
Panel 2: SMMEs Leading Beyond Limits: Women Steering ICT in the Age of AI
This is leadership stripped of pretense and rich with perspective.
Zukiswa Phillips (Managing Executive: Financial Planning & Analysis, Vodacom), Nomvuyiso Batyi (CEO: Association of Comms and Technology), Charmaine Houvet (Senior Director: Africa, Cisco), and Siphokazi Simandla (SMME Alumni and MD, Bolunga Systems) bring the boardroom to life in the way that only leading women can, discussing what it takes to lead through uncertainty, build credibility in male-dominated sectors, and champion inclusion while staying commercially sharp.
Panel 3: One Africa, One Market: Trading Without Limits
From local hustles to continental enterprises, this conversation is about scale that sticks.
Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani (Director General: Department of Communications and Digital Technologies), Kanini Mutooni (Regional MD: Africa, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation), and Smangele Nkosi (General Manager, Cisco: Sub-Saharan Africa) explore how the AfCFTA is turning borders into bridges and how women founders are building pan-African value chains. It’s about trade that’s digital, deliberate, and distinctly female-led.
Youth Panel: The AI Code for Africa’s Next Generation
The energy shifts here: raw, creative, and unfiltered.
A stellar panel including, Faith Mangope (Broadcaster & Founder, FMTALI), Kim Jayde (Entrepreneur & Media Personality), Amahle-Imvelo Jaxa (Content Creator & Youth Advocate), Thabile Makhoba (SMME Alumni & CEO, Makhoba Professional Services), and Serisha Barrat (Co-founder & CEO, Lawyered Up) explore how the next generation is coding, designing, and curating the stories of Africa’s digital rise. This is the continent’s creative resistance – informed, bold, and global.
Guiding the day’s conversations is panel moderator, Nozipho Tshabalala, award-winning conversation strategist, global moderator, and CEO of The Conversation Strategists. Known for her depth, composure, and incisive questioning, she’ll navigate the day’s powerful dialogues with precision and purpose. Supporting her on stage is Barbara Moagi, engineer, broadcaster, and founder of Becoming Boldly, whose warmth and wit will keep the energy high and every transition seamless.
The message from the Innovator Trust’s Women in Tech Awards 2025 is unmistakable: Africa’s digital future is female-built. These women demonstrate that intellect, innovation, and integrity are the new infrastructure of growth. They are shaping industries, mentoring generations, and ensuring that the next evolution of technology speaks with an African accent and a woman’s voice.
Virtual registrations are NOW OPEN until 14th November 2025.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE INNOVATOR TRUST WOMEN IN TECH AWARDS
DATE Thursday, 20th November 2025
TIME 9am – 4pm
