Carol has over 33 years’ experience across several diverse industry sectors. Her expertise spans across marketing, exhibition management, events, conferences and venue and facility management.

She was the first-ever female chairperson of the Exhibition and Event Association of Southern Africa [EXSA] and former founder and chairperson of the Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO).

Thanks to Carol’s continued passion, dedication and management, Reed Exhibitions is one of the largest and most successful exhibition and venue management companies in Africa.

Rashid Toefy is currently the Deputy Director General: Economic Operations in the Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

Before joining the department, Rashid was the Managing Director of MCI in Africa. The MCI Group is world’s largest conference and association management company, and brings people together through innovative meetings, events and congresses and provides strategic association management consultancy in 60 cities around the world.

He served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), the leading convention centre in Africa from 2008 to 2014, positioning it as a global leader in sustainability.

He has worked extensively in the travel and tourism industry, both in South Africa and abroad. He spent three years based in Amsterdam, developing business and marketing strategies for travel companies and tourism businesses in over 30 countries, working extensively in Central Europe and Latin America.

Rashid is a member of the United Nations Global Compact Advisory Board in South Africa.

He has a degree in Economics and Environmental Science, as well an MBA from the University of Cape Town with his Masters Dissertation focusing on Collaborative Leadership, balancing discipline and diversity in effective decision making.

Rashid has become a thought leader on sustainability and implementation of triple bottom line principles within an organisation. He has spoken at several conferences, both in South Africa and abroad, about the importance and value of establishing social and environmental consciousness in businesses.

Rashid hates settling for mediocrity, and wants to do profound things that impact positively on all those around him.

He says:

“ we all need to make the following two ancient philosophies part of our lives….the first is the Japanese concept of Kaizen – “continuous improvement” and the second is the uniquely African concept of Ubuntu meaning “I am because we are”.
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After almost 8 years working in Marketing with Tourvest, Megan joined Reed Exhibitions in 2015 as the Marketing Manager for WTM Africa and IBTM Africa where she oversaw and drove world-class branding and communications for two successful travel trade exhibitions.

In 2017, Megan then assumed the role of General Marketing Manager adding the brand ILTM Africa to her portfolio. In this role, she passionately promoted the WTM Africa, ILTM Africa and IBTM Africa brands and oversaw all the events’ relative marketing aspects.

In May 2018, Megan was promoted to Portfolio General Manager for Reed Exhibitions South Africa’s Travel, Tourism and Sport department in which includes various dynamic trade and consumer shows namely; WTM Africa, ILTM Africa, IBTM Africa and FIBO Global Fitness Africa. Following a year as GM, Megan was made Portfolio Director in May 2019.

Born in Athens in 1976, 45-year-old Zacharaki has completed English language studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and postgraduate studies in Comparative Pedagogy and Administration of European Educational Organizations.

She specialized in English language teaching at the University of London’s Institute of Education.

In 2015, Zacharaki represented Greece in the International Visitor Leadership Program on a US Department of State scholarship with a focus on the role of public-private partnerships in the reconstruction of economies.

She originates from the mountain village of Granitsa in Evritania, central Greece, and speaks English, French and Spanish.

Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Moses M Vilakati, is a long-standing member of the Kingdom of Eswatini Cabinet. His previous portfolio was Minister of Agriculture.

After spending several years in Europe, Frederic studied Economics & Finance in England before returning to Mauritius in the year 2000. He held positions within the financial sector in Mauritian & French banks on the stock exchange of Mauritius and private equity management. He also spent a few years in the textile sector and the offshore sector.

As Director of Saint Félix Sugar Estate, he developed new segments within the group in the fields of agriculture, tourism and real estate projects such as Smart Cities. In 2003, he created a leading Mauritius-based company that has been a pioneering body in the leisure industry; eco-tourism activities and sports events in Mauritius.

Currently, he is the CEO and responsible for driving the food security segment for Dale Food & Beverage which has an important and significant role for the Mauritian Government.

Experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the leisure, travel & tourism industry as well as real estate and financing.

Skilled in Management, Business Development, Marketing Strategy, and market researches. Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Sherbrooke University.

Clare Akamanzi is CEO of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and Member of the Cabinet of Rwanda. Prior to this role, she served as Head of Strategy and Policy for H.E President Paul Kagame and for over 7 years as COO of the RDB.

Ms. Akamanzi has also previously served as a Commercial Diplomat in London and a Trade Negotiator in Geneva at the World Trade Organization.

She is an International Trade and Investment Lawyer, who has lived, schooled and worked in 7 countries in 3 continents but nothing beats the privilege of being part of rebuilding her nation.

Ms Akamanzi is a Harvard Kennedy School MPA alum, where she was the recipient of the Lucius N. Littaeur Fellows Award; the Raymond & Josephine Vernon Award, both for academic excellence and distinguished contribution to HKS community, as well as the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Public Service. She also holds an LLM (International Trade and Investment) with distinction from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and LLM (Hons) from Makerere University, Uganda.

Arvind Bundhun the Director of Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) has a rich career in international hotel management. He quickly established his mark as a highly motivated professional with a unique and passionate approach to hospitality management, centred around People, Culture and Service.

Arvind Bundhun’s rich career covers various positions internationally.

He directly oversees MTPA overall strategic direction, spearheading the institution development plans.

He holds a Masters in Hotel Management from Klessheim Institute of Hotel Management, Austria

James Vos is the Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth in the City of Cape Town. With a portfolio that oversees tourism, enterprise and investment, along with management of the City’s extensive assets, James heads up a team that has been instrumental in driving economic growth in Cape Town.

He previously served as Member of Parliament in the National Assembly as the Shadow Minister of Tourism. Prior to this James was elected as Councillor for nearly three consecutive terms and served in various capacities such as Portfolio Chairman and Sub-Council Chairman.

During his time as a public representative, James received numerous civic awards, including the Melvin Jones Fellowship and the International Merit Award. He is also among the youngest to receive the life title of Aldermanship. Just like his father, James is passionate about aviation and also enjoys being in the great outdoors.

He continues to work towards achieving inclusive economic growth, by strengthening partnerships with all stakeholders through a collaborative approach that provides a platform for big ideas and initiatives that improve the lives of people in Cape Town through employment. James is further leveraging the City’s business systems and utilising smart real estate services to extract and maximize the economic and social return from City assets.