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Straddling the worlds of music, stage and screen, both an accomplished practitioner and one of South Africa’s leading arts administrators. Postdoctoral research fellow at Wits University. Expert on cultural policy and management. Producer of music concerts and musical theatre. Disney Lion King music director and conductor internationally. Formerly acting CEO of the National Film and Video Foundation and CEO of the South African Music Education Trust. Violinist and former managing director of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra.

Seasoned, award-winning drama professional, working as actor, playwright and screenwriter, theatre director, television producer and creative consultant. Decades of experience on South African stage and television and in film. Created and co-produced sitcom Nomzamo, which was commissioned by the SABC and ran for three seasons. Has directed theatre productions in multiple South African languages. Formerly artistic manager for Joburg City Theatres. Recipient of Standard Bank Ovation Award in 2024 for Cantos of a Life in Exile, written, directed and performed by him. Currently with Rhodes University drama department.

Educationist, academic and author. Professor of Higher Education and department chair: Administration, Leadership, and Technology at New York University. Research primarily focused on higher education policy and globalisation of higher education, particularly in Africa. Previously served as executive director and commissioner of the National Commission on Higher Education in South Africa, and as chair of the Unisa council. Has published extensively on higher education policy. Awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Education by the University of Pretoria.

Arts administrator and former opera singer, director and conductor. Currently executive director of Amsterdam-based Prince Claus Fund, an independent foundation dedicated to culture and development, supporting artists and cultural practitioners internationally. Formerly CEO of the Arts and Culture Trust, based in Johannesburg, and Gauteng Opera. Started singing at the age of 13, and went on to work with PACT and Cape Town Opera, among others. Sang in over 75 operas, musical theatre productions and concerts in South Africa and abroad.

Leading Shakespeare scholar and editor. One of the central figures globally in performance-oriented Shakespeare criticism. Professor in Shakespeare Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Chair of the International Shakespeare Association, and past president of the Shakespeare Association of America. Formerly director of the Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-upon-Avon. The author of more than one hundred articles on a wide range of topics in Shakespeare studies and related fields. Honorary fellow of the Shakespeare Institute and of Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge.

Advocate, investment banker, entrepreneur and businessman. Born in South Africa and educated in the US. Member of the New York law bar and advocate of the Supreme Court of South Africa. Has been active in the African energy, telecommunications, infrastructure, technology, financial services and investment banking sectors. Served as country head for Credit Suisse First Boston and head of Africa for HSBC Corporate and Investment Bank. Holds listed company non-executive board membership positions. Has served as chairman of the national regulator of the energy industry in South Africa.