Speakers

Dr Anja Hallacker has been the director of the DAAD Information Centre Johannesburg and a lecturer in the German Department of the University of the Witwatersrand since November 2017. She has worked in higher education systems all her life and takes pleasure and pride in supporting students and researchers.

Ruth Roberts was appointed as the first Director for Scholarships Management at the South African Department of Higher Education and Training in 2016. She has worked for the Department for over 12 years, previously in international relations, focusing on a range of bilateral and multilateral engagements in education.

Ms Orla Quinlan is the Director of Internationalisation at Rhodes University, South Africa and has worked in Higher Education in South Africa, since 2011. Ms Quinlan served as the President of the International Education Association of South Africa, IEASA (2019-2020), successfully leading the organization through a challenging period, in response to the COVD pandemic.

David Reiersgord started working in international higher education with AIFS, at Stellenbosch University, in 2016 after completing his MA (English Studies) at Stellenbosch University in 2015. He joined IES Abroad Cape Town in 2018 as Academic Manager, where he focuses on curriculum development, course coordination, faculty support and training, student advising and lecturing.

Dr Lavern Samuels is a global leader in the field of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and International Virtual Exchange (IVE).  He is a sought-after speaker in international education on the global stage. Dr Samuels is also dental surgeon and medical scientist with a special interest in oral medicine and broader public health.

Director: Study AbroadDivision for InternationalisationUniversity of JohannesburgLebethe Malefo joined the University of Johannesburg in 2012 as Director: Study Abroad. This entails the development and management of all institutional mobility programmes (virtual and physical). He in this capacity been an institutional coordinator for EU funded projects EU-Saturn and EU-Inspire and various Erasmus+ collaborations.

Ahmed Bawa is the CEO of Universities South Africa.  Until 2016, he was Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Durban University of Technology. He also served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Durban Centre of the University of Natal (later to be the University of KwaZulu-Natal).

Jody joined the team at IES Abroad Cape Town in 2016, after spending 6 years at the University of Cape Town’s International Office. During this time he has spent a significant amount of time engaging with students through his various portfolios. His experiences within International Higher Education include scholarship management with experience in EU-funded programmes,

Professor Tawana Kupe is the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria since January 2019. He holds a BA Honours and Masters degree in English from the University of Zimbabwe, and a DPhil in Media Studies from University of Oslo, Norway. Prof Kupe is the Africa Co-Chair of the Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN)

Dr Thandi Mgwebi is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Internationalisation at Nelson Mandela University. Prior to joining Nelson Mandela University, Dr Mgwebi was Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement at Tshwane University of Technology, and before that Director of Research at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).