Dr Mélani Prinsloo is a founding member of Infusion, where she undertakes the strategic leadership of the organisation. Infusion has positioned itself as a significant and unique research entity – operating a community-based research and business platform focusing on unevenly developed communities. One of Infusion’s flagship projects is now housed in the Centre for Democratising Information (CDI; www.cdi.org.za). 

CDI and Infusion’s clients include Sibanye-Stillwater, Financial Services Board, Standard Bank, FNB, Sanlam, Momentum, Mitsubishi Hitachi, the Department of Basic Education, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Health, Business Trust, SoulCity, Finmark Trust, Shoprite, Vodacom, Microsoft, MultiChoice, SAP, Kumba, South32, Mozal, RBM, and more. In essence, Infusion aims to address the shortage of reliable, detailed information on underdeveloped communities by training unemployed people from communities to act as information agents, gathering data for surveys designed to investigate the context in which people live and make their decisions. A significant part of Mélani’s role is to identify and manage a network of people who engage on these research projects to ensure that each project is supported by a suitable/relevant/well-aligned team.

During the last three years, Infusion also partnered with FuseIT in the development of a revenue assurance and big data management tool called HeliumStream. The tool uses machine learning to help manage and optimise data by providing insights beyond human capability. HeliumStream is currently being rolled out at reference sites in a range of industries – from government to mobile service providers and transport services. 

Mélani holds a BCom (cum laude), a BCom Honours, and an MCom (cum laude) in Marketing from the University of Pretoria, and a PhD from Luleå University of Technology in Sweden. A former academic, Mélani started her career at the University of Pretoria’s Marketing and Communication Management Department. As an international lecturer, Mélani teaches various courses at several institutions in South Africa and abroad. Since 1996, Mélani has presented at various national and international conferences on numerous topics and has also published in accredited journals and authored a book. 

Dr Janet Brumme is an adult education specialist with more than 25 years’ experience in large and small organisations, with skills and competence in learning design, development, and implementation of work-based learning linked to the achievement of organisational strategy. Sectors she has worked in and with include banking, mining, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, construction, and education. She holds a PhD in Organisational Behaviour and her research interests include leadership, organisational culture and learning, and work-based learning. Dr Brumme works at Henley Business School Africa as head of department for Open Postgraduate Diploma programmes.

Tshidi Pila Machaba serves as head of Sales for the Inland Region at Altron Nexus, a subsidiary of Altron, which is a Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed entity. In her role, Tshidi achieved the critical milestone of merging two underperforming sales units that were ill capacitated and not generating revenue. This was one of the most transformative journeys in her career. Tshidi juggled the two profound requirements of rebuilding the team and generating the revenue, which resulted in her closing her second financial year end approximately 18% over target.

Some of the roles Tshidi has fulfilled in her 20-year professional journey include: change management consultant, programme manager, facilitator, neurolinguistic programming practitioner, transformation coach, radio and television presenter, and a host of life-transforming seminars in Gauteng and Botswana. Tshidi is an expert in the terrain of mindfulness, spiritual enlightenment, business efficiency and transformation, career growth, self-leadership, and holistic profitable life coaching, and serves as a content provider at multiple radio stations (e.g., Power FM, Radio 2000, Kaya FM, and 702). 

Tshidi has 20 years of experience in the South African public and private sectors. She has developed strong experience in the sectors of defence, telecommunication, information communication and technology (ICT), business schools, and pay television industries. 

During her stay at Vodacom South Africa, Tshidi managed the roll-out of a national ICT solution that covered 1 500 public schools. One of the challenges was to introduce the project to the different teachers’ unions, provincial districts as well as provincial and national departments. The outcomes of her engagements were a successful roll-out across nine provinces, which culminated in a high-profile launch event addressed by business and political thought leaders. Tshidi recently became an associate member of Henley Centre for Leadership Africa.

Malcolm Ferguson is an executive fellow of Henley Business School Africa. As programme director for Executive Education, he takes cohorts of corporate managers on development journeys towards courageous leadership. Moreover, Malcolm is the director of Strategy Activator, working with business leaders and their teams to facilitate collective accountability for activating strategy. Malcolm believes that sustainable returns start with courageous leadership. He partners with executives and their teams to design and activate strategies that deliver a return on investment sustainably using playbooks based on the CAFÉ framework™ – a combination of clarity, accountability, focus, and energy.

Five years conducting commercial feasibility studies, eight years building small businesses, and 12 years developing leaders and activating strategy across multiple sectors have given Malcolm an appreciation for the significant challenges business leaders face in getting their teams to pull together and the temptations those teams face in juggling priorities. A chemistry major with an MBA (Old Mutual Gold Medallist) from the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, Malcolm is a seasoned facilitator, a qualified coach, and an accredited Heartstyles associate.