our creative + strategy team

Yolande Makha
Co-founder & CEO
Yolande has over 15+years of extensive experience in media (magazine publishing), fashion & film industries between Africa & the US. Partnering South African industries with US based companies, Yolande has secured a reputation as a creative director, who can move projects from conceptualization to delivery, forging these partnerships largely in the fields of publishing, fashion & the film worlds. With responsibilities in creating & managing opportunity using brands such as NY Fashion Week (IMG), the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) & key Television & Film studios (NY, LA & Chicago), with stakeholders such as South African Tourism, the Consulate, the Embassy, the Cape & Gauteng Film Commissions. In South Africa, Yolande was a director of fashion, beauty & design departments for the following magazines: True Love, Tribute, Ebony South Africa & also a TV production director for M-Net Face of Africa. She also has extensive experience in managing contracts & negotiations with various City of New York agencies for 7+years.

Jay Winer
Co-founder & Director: Strategy & Marketing
After 30+years as a marketing, media & communications consultant to first-rank clients (J. Walter Thompson, The Economist, Marsh, Gannett, British Telecom & ExxonMobil among others), Jay has secured his reputation as a creative manager who can steer marketing, media & communications projects from the earliest stages of concept development through delivery of the final product. With a skill set combining market & media analysis with planning, graphic design, copywriting, & all aspects of print & digital media production, Jay has been a full-time marketing analyst at J. Walter Thompson, US marketing director for Newsweek International, director of research & promotion for The Economist in the US & artistic director of New York Theatre Labs, an Off-Off-Broadway theatre company.

Nelson Igunma
Director: Opportunity & Business Development
Has 8+years, having worked with early-stage/growth-stage tech companies & social impact organizations to identify & level barriers to traction. His cross-functional roles have focused on designing & scaling new programs/products & bridging any gaps between client/customer expectations & team priorities/resources, especially at formative moments in an organization's growth. Nelson's previous work experience includes a global EdTech company based at NY General Assembly, a social good startup incubator based in India (UnLtd Tamil Nadu), & a volunteer-driven social impact consultancy with a remote team (180 Degrees Consulting). Outside of his day job (or jobs), Nelson works to increase access & opportunity in the innovation economy through volunteering, writing, & facilitating tech/social impact programming.

Laurence Mitchell
Director: Film & Government Affairs (Africa)
With 20+years in the film industry throughout Africa, Laurence served as the Executive Director for Cape Film Commission (CFC), overseeing many Oscar & Emmy nominated productions, while developing the film industry from a R1-to-4 billion industry annually. He has serves as a member of the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) since 2013, leading many discussion panels across the globe on various issues affecting the film industry. He remains a contributor around strategic issues to Industrial Development Corporation (IDT, South Africa), the National Film & Video Foundation (NFVF, South Africa) & the Dept. of Trade & Industry (DTI, South Africa). Served on the executive board of Sithengi (film & TV market) & also, the Cape Town World Cinema Festival (CTWCF), which played an important role in the development & creating of opportunities for African producers, to access international broadcasters & film distributors. He became an active member of the executive committee & main board of Cape Town Tourism for two terms. Before then, Laurence strategically developed & managed the broadcasting & infrastructure divisions of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Western Cape - & also the developing film & television industry operations, regulation & functions in Western Cape & nationally. In 2014, Laurence was invited by China Central Television (CCTV International) to deliver a key-note address in Beijing regarding cooperation on media & television content & film trade with Africa.

Siseko Mahlati
Consultant: (Finance)
With 5+years in financial worlds between the US & South Africa, Siseko has worked for Morgan Stanley (secured finance), JP Morgan, Old Mutual in South Africa (specialized finance) & interned at Arkein Capital. Siseko has a business degree from Duke University (Fuqua Business School) & a science degree in finance & accounting from the University of Cape Town (UCT).

our mentors + institutions

Jerry Matjila (A)
Ambassador - SA Mission, UN

Stanley & Marion Bergman (A)
CEO & MD - Henry Schein

Diane Stevens-Liotta (A)
Owner & CEO - Diane Stevens Cosmetics

Craig Hatkoff (C)
Co-founder & Director - Tribeca Film Festival

Paul Wilmot (IT)
Founding Partner - Paul Wilmot Communications

Fern Mallis (IT)
Founding Member @ NY Fashion Week

Theresa Clarke (IT)
Founder & CEO - africa.com

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (AI)
Executive Director - UN Women

Koos Becker (AI) 
Chairman - Naspers Media Group

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educational institutes

Jeff Trexler 
Associate Professor - Fashion Law @Fordham

Benjamin Tetteh 
Director & Research - Africa House @NYU

Sandra Navalli
Columbia Business School - Africa Affairs