Intentional Culture Accelerator
Tickets close in
Limited seats available
Culture Summit 2025 is the first gathering of African leaders building high-performing teams through intentional organisational culture. Designed for all the mavericks, pioneers and free-thinkers in the field of people management and leadership, this two day event is packed with actionable insights and ideas, delivered by the people who invented them, adapted them and perfected them.
This isn’t just a conference.
It’s your intentional culture accelerator.
• HR, people & culture executives
• Managing directors & executive teams
• OD, transformation & strategy leaders
• Culture champions and high-performing team leads.
Whether you’re shaping strategy or scaling trust — this is where you belong.
| Time | SESSION |
|---|---|
| 08h00 | Registration and light breakfast |
| 09h00 | Welcome address: Colin Browne, founder of Happy Sandpit |
| 09h10 | Opening Keynote: Dr. Pepe Marais, Co-Founder and Group Chief Creative Officer, Joe Public |
| 10h00 | TBC |
| 10h20 | Stiaan Pienaar, Head of People, Ocean Basket Holdings |
| 10h40 | Break |
| 11h10 | Bridgette Ngobese, Manager Capability Development and Training, Richards Bay Minerals |
| 11h30 | Shyless Nkuna-Shai, Executive: Human Capital, Eskom Pension and Provident Fund |
| 11h50 | Karin De Wet, Head of Human Capital & Change Management, Red Rocket |
| 12h10 | Tovè Sithole, Head of Brand and Talent, iTOO Special Risks |
| 12h30 | Renchia Strauss, Consulting Specialist Organisational Development: Culture and Change, South African Airways |
| 13h05 | Lunch |
| 14h00 | Tomislav Ravic, General Manager, Entelect |
| 14h20 | Marno Boshoff, Culture Evangelist, King Price Insurance |
| 14h55 | Break |
| 15h25 | TBC |
| 15h45 | Toni de la Harpe, Head of Employee Experience, Engagement, and Learning & Development and Alicia Strydom, Senior Employee Experience Specialist, Nando’s South Africa |
| 16h05 | Colin Browne, founder of Happy Sandpit |
| 16h15 | Close |
| 16h20 | Day One Ends |
| Time | SESSION |
|---|---|
| 08h00 | Breakfast and networking |
| 09h00 | Welcome back: Colin Browne, founder of Happy Sandpit |
| 09h20 | Adarsh Grewal, Head of Talent Development and Culture, Constance Hotels & Resorts (Mauritius) |
| 09h50 | Lorelle Viljoen, Head of Culture and Leadership, Capricorn Group (Namibia) |
| 10h10 | Abdul K. Makubuya, Senior Manager, Organisational Development, and Alex Abala, Senior Manager, Reward and Benefits, National Social Security Fund (Uganda) |
| 10h40 | Break |
| 11h10 | Nolo Thobejane, Chief People and Transformation Officer, KFC Africa |
| 11h30 | Nick van Woerkom, Managing Director, Haute Cabrière |
| 11h50 | John Skelton, Chief People Officer, The Capital Hotels, Apartments & Resorts |
| 12h10 | TBC |
| 12h30 | Lunch |
| 13h10 | TBC |
| 13h30 | Fatima Sullivan, Regional Director Southern & East Africa and Paul Clegg, Vice President Human Resources – Sub Sahara Africa, DHL Express |
| 14h20 | Keegan Da Costa, Head of AI Deployment & Business Development and Tamara Wentforth, CEO, Too Many Robots |
| 15h00 | Break |
| 15h30 | Closing Keynote: Lewyn Maefala, Program Manager, Bush Babies Environmental Education Program and Naledi Malungane, Sergeant, Black Mambas All-Women Anti-Poaching Unit |
| 16h20 | Close |
| 16h35 | Summit Ends |
Explore the shifts transforming work:
From
TO
Culture Fit
Perks
Annual Surveys
Buy-in
DEI Statements
Culture Contribution
Purpose
Real-time Signals
Co-ownership
Everyday actions
Ticket Pricing
Single delegate – R6 255.00 (less 10%)
Two delegates – R5 910.00 each (less 15%)
Three to five delegates – R5 700.00 each (less 18%)
Six+ delegates – R5 560.00 each (less 20%)
What your ticket includes:
What you’ll learn:
Personal Details
Featured Organisations & Upcoming Sessions
All speakers are seasoned culture practitioners inside leading organisations. Their sessions will be short, sharp, and deeply insightful.
Day One:
September 10, 2025
Renchia Strauss
Consulting Specialist Organisational Development: Culture and Change
South African Airways
Toni de la Harpe
Head of Employee Experience, Engagement, and Learning & Development
Nando’s South Africa
Day Two:
September 11, 2025
Adarsh Grewal
Head of Talent Development
and Culture
Constance Hotels and Resorts (Mauritius)
Abdul K. Makubuya
Senior Manager, Organisational Development
National Social Security Fund (Uganda)
Paul Clegg
Vice President Human Resources – sub-Saharan Africa
DHL Express sub-Saharan Africa
Because culture isn’t a poster on the wall. It’s how we lead, speak, build, and belong. And when you get it right, performance follows.
Clear your calendar. This is the culture event of the year.
Limited seats available
Got any questions, comments, suggestions or just want to say hi? Get in touch with us using the following:
Culture Summit Africa 2025 is our inaugural Summit, bringing HR, L&D and culture leaders from across the continent together to build high-performing teams through intentional organisational culture.
Copyright 2025 © Culture Summit. All rights reserved | Designed and Developed by MDOT.co.za
Dr. Pepe Marais
Co-Founder and Group Chief Creative Officer
Joe Public
How to create the most powerful organisational culture in one word
Pepe believes that culture is your most powerful competitive advantage as an organisation.
In his talk, he will share step-by-step how to create the foundation of a powerful culture,
and how to best build upon it, towards creating sustainable success.
Bridgette Ngobese
Manager Capability Development and Training
Richards Bay Minerals
A complete culture shift based on Everyday Respect
RBM faced immense challenges, but through One Team, One Journey, we rebuilt with teamwork, transparency, and resilience. Now, with One Dream, we embrace transformation, unity, and limitless possibilities for the future.
Stiaan Pienaar
Head of People
Ocean Basket Holdings
Principles with purpose: How to anchors culture in behaviour
Ocean Basket Holdings has transcended the idea of abstract values to create actionable behaviours through six guiding principles, ensuring a culture that’s consistent, inclusive, and genuinely lived out across the organisation every day.
Shyless Nkuna-Shai
Executive: Human Capital
Eskom Pension and Provident Fund
How Inclusion & Belonging fuel discretionary effort
Inclusion fuels belonging. Belonging unlocks discretionary effort. When employees feel valued, engagement soars, innovation thrives, and performance accelerates. Business success starts when people bring their best because they want to, not because they have to.
Karin De Wet
Head of Human Capital & Change Management
Red Rocket
Culture in concrete: designing spaces that think like we do
For some, physical space is a philosophy and the artefactual aspect of culture is considered worthy of great investment in time, energy and resources. But does it work? Discover how intentional design, artistic expression, and cultural storytelling fuse to reflect and reinforce Red Rocket’s identity, mindset, and values from the inside out.
Marno Boshoff
Culture Evangelist
King Price Insurance
Culture starts here: reinventing induction with purpose & play
At King Price, induction means fun! Think games, insider scoops, LEGO values, resilience training, and a warm CEO welcome—all rolled into 3 vibrant days of culture, connection, and purpose.
Renchia Strauss
Consulting Specialist Organisational Development: Culture and Change
South African Airways
The spirit of hope and resilience: when culture matters
SAA’s ‘People Flight Plan’ culture has enabled a successful reboot after a very public period of turbulence, in which it ended 2019 in business rescue. In 2025, it reattained cruising altitude with a reshaped identity and unique proposition.
Tomislav Ravić
General Manager
Entelect
The insider’s guide: how to write culture into every page
Entelect’s employee manual (The Lore) is culture in print; deliberate, detailed and deeply personal. Discover how this insider-crafted living document communicates identity, creates alignment, and turns everyday information into a powerful cultural touchpoint.
Toni de la Harpe
Head of Employee Experience, Engagement, and Learning & Development
Nando’s South Africa
From EVP to IVP
How Nando’s personalises the employee experience by honouring individual stories and shaping initiatives that truly change lives – because It’s the People that Make the Chicken.
Alicia Strydom
Senior Employee Experience Specialist
Nando’s South Africa
From EVP to IVP
How Nando’s personalises the employee experience by honouring individual stories and shaping initiatives that truly change lives – because It’s the People that Make the Chicken.
Tovè Sithole
Head of Brand and Talent
iTOO Special Risks
100% Magic, zero drama
A culture fuelled by radical clarity, intentional accountability, and honest conversations can transform workplace dynamics by eliminating politics and unleashing collective potential.
Colin Browne
Chief Happy Sandpit Builder
Happy Sandpit
Why a focus on intentional culture makes great business sense
To those on our stage and in our broader, and growing, culture community, creating something intentional makes so much sense, it has long transcended any notion of being ‘nice to have’. But if we want our leaders to buy in and agree to time, energy and expenditure, linking it to business results is essential.
Adarsh Grewal
Head of Talent Development and Culture
Constance Hotels and Resorts (Mauritius)
Island heart, global soul: designing a culture that connects
Across islands, generations, and languages, Constance is building a culture of human connection, fuelled by immersive learning, internal influencers, and rituals that matter, to transform luxury hospitality into a sense of belonging.
Lorelle Viljoen
Head of Culture and Leadership
Capricorn Group (Namibia)
Refreshing your culture and purpose while keeping them true
For almost a decade, The Capricorn Way has defined the culture, the purpose and the behaviours of this financial services maverick.
So how do you refresh it, and bring it up to date, while retaining it’s essential nature and resonance?
Abdul K. Makubuya
Senior Manager, Organisational Development
National Social Security Fund (Uganda)
Rebuilding and sustaining a new organisational culture (with Alex Abala)
A two-part compelling real-life transformation journey at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Uganda, showcasing how reassessment and reinforcement of culture go hand in hand for long-term success.
Alex Abala
Senior Manager, Reward and Benefits
National Social Security Fund (Uganda)
Rebuilding and sustaining a new organisational culture (with Abdul K. Makubuya)
A two-part compelling real-life transformation journey at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Uganda, showcasing how reassessment and reinforcement of culture go hand in hand for long-term success.
Paul Clegg
Vice President Human Resources – sub-Saharan Africa
DHL Express sub-Saharan Africa
The things that can happen when engagement IS the job
DHL Express will explore the powerful link between philosophy and action in employee engagement. For DHL, engagement isn’t just a response to challenges, but a core leadership mindset. At DHL, engaging people is the job, not just a morale booster.
Fatima Sullivan
Regional Director Southern & East Africa
DHL Express sub-Saharan Africa
The things that can happen when engagement IS the job
DHL Express will explore the powerful link between philosophy and action in employee engagement. For DHL, engagement isn’t just a response to challenges, but a core leadership mindset. At DHL, engaging people is the job, not just a morale booster.
Nolo Thobejane
Chief People & Transformation Officer
KFC Africa
A working engine for culture transformation
KFC’s Engagement Council drives accountability, amplifies employee voice, and anchors organisational values of adaptability, resilience, and courage. In this talk, we’ll gain insights into how it operationalises culture, shapes leadership behaviours, and turns feedback into action, making every single person a culture lead, not a culture consumer.
Nick van Woerkom
Managing Director
Haute Cabriere
The end of the era of pretend belonging
At Haute Cabrière, culture is about care. In a close-knit, family-run team, people thrive when they feel included, heard, and valued. Ticking boxes isn’t an option when what is needed above all else is solid connections, and a deeply passionate sense of shared purpose.
Keegan Da Costa
Head of AI Deployment & Business Development
Too Many Robots
An AI-ready culture for a brave new world
AI adoption isn’t a tech issue, it’s a cultural one. This talk unpacks why your people, not your platforms, determine success, and how to build an AI-ready culture without fear or friction.
Tamara Wentforth
CEO
Too Many Robots
An AI-ready culture for a brave new world
AI adoption isn’t a tech issue, it’s a cultural one. This talk unpacks why your people, not your platforms, determine success, and how to build an AI-ready culture without fear or friction.
Lewyn Maefala
Program Manager
Bush Babies Environmental Education Program
Guardians of the wild: A culture of courage and purpose
Discover how the Black Mambas have built a powerful team culture rooted in sisterhood, pride, and purpose, unarmed yet unshakable in their mission to protect wildlife and uplift their communities.
Naledi Malungane
Sergeant
Black Mambas All-Women Anti-Poaching Unit
Guardians of the wild: A culture of courage and purpose
Discover how the Black Mambas have built a powerful team culture rooted in sisterhood, pride, and purpose, unarmed yet unshakable in their mission to protect wildlife and uplift their communities.
