The Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi) has expanded its board of directors as it prepares for a “massive” national scale-up.
CiTi, which in April secured an additional ZAR250 million (US$20.7 million) in funding to significantly scale up its CapaCiTi technology skills and job readiness programmes, while its incubation and enterprise development programmes are also expanding their footprint to meet pan-African demand.
With this in mind, the organisation has appointed Aisha Pandor, Ian Russell and Tamara Esau to its board. Pandor is co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of SweepSouth, Russell the former CEO of BCX, and Esau the former head of KPMG Cape Town’s management consultant team.
CiTi said it was a measure of its impact that it had been able to attract leaders with the diversity of experience which the three new board members bring to the organisation.
“The executive team at CiTi welcome the additional experience and diversity that our new board members bring to our organisation and I have no doubt that they will play a major strategic role in assisting CiTi to evolve to meet the enormous challenges which South Africa faces with regards to youth unemployment and the technology skills crises,” said CiTi CEO Ian Merrington.
Pandor said it was an “amazing opportunity” to be able to work with the CiTi executive team and board in delivering digital transformation solutions to its partners, clients and entrepreneurs.
“Particularly at a time when the country and continent are recognising the transformative role that technology and access to technology can play in solving such critical issues as the need for better and more democratised skills development, tackling high unemployment rates and access to quality education,” she said.
“It’s also an honour to work with such an established organisation and team, who have since 1999 been at the forefront of promoting tech and innovation and have already produced such amazing results.”
