Speakers
Geordin Hill-Lewis
Executive Mayor Cape Town
Geordin Hill-Lewis was sworn in as Executive Mayor of the Cape Town on 18 November 2021. Not one to let challenges prevent him from succeeding at a young age, Mayor Hill-Lewis is the youngest Executive Mayor Cape Town has had, and was the youngest Member of Parliament when elected in 2011.
Geordin began his political activism while studying at university. He has served on the oversight committees for Public Service and Administration, as well as Trade and Industry, and most recently served as the Shadow Minister for Finance.
The Executive Mayor will welcome guests to the Mother City at a Cocktail Party hosted by the City of Cape Town on Friday, 21 April and also address attendees at the opening of the conference on 22 April.
Jeremy Hurst
RI President’s Personal
Representative
Jeremy Hurst is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman. He served as the 2013-14 District 7020 Governor in the French, English and Dutch speaking Northern Caribbean. He’s been a member of Zone 34’s Regional Coordinator Team and Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator Team, as well as Rotary International’s Membership Committee and its Joint Committee on Partnerships. He is currently the RI Board Liaison to the Interact Council and during 2023-34 will Chair Rotary International’s Executive Committee.
Jeremy is passionate about finding lasting solutions to Rotary’s membership challenges and is currently working with the Zones’ Regional Leadership Teams to build its Zones Membership Action Plan.
Henry Mathys
Programme Manager
V&A Waterfront
His current focus centres on socio-economic inclusion and eco-system development with a view to create an enabling environment for innovation, job creation and economic growth.
His previous experience includes marketing, events and project management, having worked as Head Site Manager at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival and Senior Events Co-ordinator for the V&A Waterfront. He holds qualifications in Strategic Marketing and Shared Value
He is passionate about social inclusion, the transformation of cities, economic opportunities through cultural and creative diversity and driving Shared Value
Ann Nurock
Partner
Relationships Audit & Management
Ann is a Partner at Relationships Audits and Management, a global consultancy that measures and optimizes business relationships. She spent 25 years plus in the advertising industry as CEO of Grey Advertising South Africa, and head of the Africa region followed by President and CEO of Grey Canada. In her spare time, Ann covers major international creative award shows such as the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity for Bizcommunity.com and the SA Creative Circle and for the last 7 years has been imparting the latest trends in marketing, business and creativity to all sectors of business.
Ann, will drum home the need for transformation as we “move forward together” – in a fast-changing world.
Dennis Davis
Judge
Judge Dennis Davis was educated at Herzlia School, Universities of Cape town (UCT) and Cambridge. He began teaching at UCT in 1977 and was appointed to a personal chair of Commercial Law, in 1989. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court in 1998 and as President of the Competition Appeal Court in 2000. Since his appointment to the Bench, he has continued to teach constitutional law and tax law at UCT where he is an Hon. Professor of law. Dennis is a member of the Commission of Enquiry into Tax Structure of South Africa and was a Technical Advisor to the Constitutional Assembly where the negotiations for South Africa’s interim and final constitutions were formulated and concluded. He has been a visiting lecturer/professor at the Universities of Cambridge, Florida, Toronto and Harvard.
Brandon Beack
South African Para-Athlete
Brandon Beack is a South African Para-Athlete and Co-Founder of the Walking With Brandon Foundation. His optimism and tenacity has helped him overcome adversities, showing others what is achievable through hard work and a positive mindset. Brandon is passionate about motivating others, spreading disabilities awareness and breaking the negative stigma that society has attached to disabilities. He aims to empower others to find their true potential.
Charlotte Kemp
Futurist Keynote Speaker
Charlotte Kemp is a Futurist Keynote Speaker and works with organisations to find new ways to be human in the world, and to do better work without being overwhelmed by changes, technology and a shifting social landscape. She is the President-Elect of the Global Speakers Federation and a member of the Association of Professional Futurists.
S. Martin
Landscape Architect
S. Martin, a landscape architect-turned-peacebuilder, is a former chapter president of MBBI-LA and former co-leader of MBBI’s Rwanda project. Martin has been engaged with MBBI for about a decade as a founding member of MBBI. In 2017 became a Rotary Peace Fellow at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
Schalk Brits
Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok
Schalk Brits is a Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok now making his way through the loose maul of global investments with Remgro Limited, where he specialises in private equity, corporate finance and fintech. After being educated at Paul Roos Gymnasium and the University of Stellenbosch, Brits rose to prominence as a formidable hooker in world rugby with a glittering career of achievements and an enviable longevity at the highest level of the game. He pulled on jerseys for the Stormers, the Lions and the Vodacom Bulls in Vodacom Super Rugby, as well as for Saracens in Premiership Rugby with whom he won four Premiership titles, two European Champions Cups and was voted the Players’ Player of the Year for the 2009-10 season. Brits’s international rugby career with the Springboks kicked off in 2008, and he was personally asked by Springbok coach, Rassie Erasmus, to come out of retirement and form part of the victorious 2019 team that won the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Apart from his equity skills and ever-enquiring intellect, Brits also brings a strong golf game to the corporate world and has a low handicap of 1.2. A dynamo of positive energy who leads with his trademark brilliant smile, Brits continues to live out his passion for people through his global role as a Laureus Ambassador, sought-after public speaker, and as a devoted husband to wife Colinda and father to his three sons Christian-Robert, Hunter and Luke-James. He still holds out hope for a career as a Formula 1 racing driver with Ferrari.
Hannah Shipman
International Relations
Hannah was born and educated in England. She has a degree in International Relations. Before moving to Switzerland, Hannah worked for several years as a fundraiser with an international development non-profit organization based in London.
She joined Rotary International in 2017 and now works in the Club and District Support team covering Africa and the Middle East. Hannah provides training to clubs and districts, advises on Rotary policy and handles the admission of Rotary and Rotaract clubs.
In her own time, Hannah enjoys running, hiking in the mountains and a good glass of wine.