This Year's Speaker Faculty

This is the current list of confirmed contributors at MWA2010
(we don't think that it looks too shabby so far...)

• Antonie Roux, CEO Internet Global Operations, Naspers Group
• Jon von Tetzchner, Co-Founder, Opera Software
• Dr Marc Smith, Chief Social Scientist, Connected Action Consulting Group
• Russell Buckley, VP Global Alliances, AdMob
• Nicholas Heller, New Business Development, Google EMEA
• Ken Banks, Founder, kiwanja.net
• Stephen Newton, Vice President & Managing Director, InMobi Africa
• Rick Joubert, Executive Chairman, Yonder
• Arthur Goldstuck, MD, World Wide Worx
• Graeme Haley, CEO and co-Founder, Thumbtribe
• Marlon Parker, CEO, JamiiX
• Gloria Ruhrmund, Strategist, Yonder
• Duncan Harling, Mobile Marketing Specialist, loveLife
• Nicky Allen, Marketing Manager, The Grid
• Paul Stemmet, Head of Sales, MXit Lifestyle
• Samantha Fleming, Communications Specialist, IDASA
• Mike Stopforth, Founder, Cerebra
• Evert Jaap Lugt, Founder & CEO, Nimbuzz

Photos and Biographies:

Antonie Roux, CEO Internet Global Operations, Naspers Group
In December 1979 he joined Nasionale Pers (a printing/media company) as a Junior Technician. In 1982 he was promoted to Head of Information – Technology Department at Naspers. Antonie was at Naspers from 1982 to 1985.
In April 1985, Antonie joined M-Net (Pay TV) as Head of Information Technology (Director and one of the founder members). He stayed at M-Net until December 1989. In January 1990, he moved to Milan, Italy where he was appointed Head of Projects at Telepiu (Pay TV).
From October 1991 to December 1996, Antonie worked as Technical Director at MIH Nethold, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands.
In January 1997, Antonie was appointed Chief Executive Officer MWEB. After MWEB’s success – was time for Antonie to forward to the next challenge!
In August 2002, Antonie was appointed CEO MIH Internet Division and relocated to Bangkok, Thailand.
Under his guidance the Group’s internet businesses has grown from strength to strength. As example Tencent (QQ), & their successful listing on HongKong stock exchange.
December 2006 under Antonie’s guidance the group bought 30% of Internet Group Mail.ru in Moscow. The first investment for the Group in Russia.
Antonie is dynamic, energetic, innovator a true leader, only to name but a few of his qualities.
August 2008 Antonie was awarded with the highest accolade within the Naspers Group, namely the Phil Weber Award.
Antonie is very much a family man, he is 52 years old and is married with three children.
Wife Sonja, son Andre & daughters Petronel & Marte.

Jon S. Von Tetzchner, co-Founder, Opera Software
Jon S. von Tetzchner, along with colleague Geir Ivarsøy, started developing a Web browser while working for Norwegian Telecom Research
(Telenor) in 1994. Soon after, the Opera browser was available for the public and is now widely used, pioneering many innovations that have revolutionized Web browsing.
As co-founder of Opera Software, Tetzchner spreads the company's vision of One Web, which means giving people universal access to the Web the way they like it. Opera, the oldest browser company still in business, believes the Web is too important to be available to the privileged few. 
Opera‚s cross-platform browser provides the best possible Internet experience regardless of platform, device capability or network quality. 
Opera's leading Web technology is now popular the world over for its unique features — especially because it is nimble, secure and fast.
Tetzchner has been a member of the Forum for Young Global Leaders since 2005 and was named as one of BusinessWeek's Stars of Europe in 2004. In 2009, Tetzchner was named as one of the top 40 leaders shaping the mobile communications industry by analyst firm Informa and as one of the top 15 mobile influencers by GigaOM. Tetzchner is a self-confessed geek with a big interest in gadgets and high-tech devices. His interest in computers started in his early days, especially in user interfaces and accessibility. While traveling, he may prefer a visit to local electronics stores rather than a popular tourist spot. He holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Oslo.

Dr Marc Smith, Chief Social Scientist, Connected Action Consulting Group
Marc Smith is a sociologist specializing in the social organization of online communities and computer mediated interaction. He founded and managed the Community Technologies Group at Microsoft Research in Redmond, Washington and led the development of social media reporting and analysis tools for Telligent Systems.  Smith leads the Connected Action consulting group and lives and works in Silicon Valley, California.  Smith is a co-founder of the Social Media Research Foundation (http://www.smrfoundation.org/), a non-profit devoted to open tools, data, and scholarship related to social media research.
Smith is the co-editor with Peter Kollock of Communities in Cyberspace (Routledge), a collection of essays exploring the ways identity; interaction and social order develop in online groups. Along with Derek Hansen and Ben Shneiderman, he is the co-author and editor of a
book Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL: Insights from a connected world, forthcoming from Morgan-Kaufmann in July 2010 which is
a guide to mapping connections created through computer-mediated interactions.
Smith's research focuses on computer-mediated collective action: the ways group dynamics change when they take place in and through social cyberspaces. Many "groups" in cyberspace produce public goods and organize themselves in the form of a commons (for related papers see: http://www.connectedaction.net/marc-smith/). Smith's goal is to visualize these social cyberspaces, mapping and measuring their structure, dynamics and life cycles. At Microsoft, he developed the "Netscan" web application and data mining engine that allows researchers studying Usenet newsgroups and related repositories of threaded conversations to get reports on the rates of posting, posters, crossposting, thread length and frequency distributions of activity.  Smith applied  this work to the development of a generalized community analysis platform for Telligent, providing a web based system for groups of all sizes to discuss and publish their material to the web and analyze the emergent trends that result.  He contributes to the open and free NodeXL project (http://www.codeplex.com/nodexl) that adds social network analysis features to the familiar Excel spreadsheet.  A tutorial on social network analysis is evolving into a book and is freely available (http://casci.umd.edu/NodeXL_Teaching).  NodeXL enables social network analysis of email, twitter, flickr, www, facebook and other network data sets.
The Connected Action consulting group (http://www.connectedaction.net) applies social science methods in general and social network analysis techniques in particular to enterprise and internet social media usage.  SNA analysis of data from message boards, blogs, wikis, friend networks, and shared file systems can reveal insights into organizations and processes.  Community managers can gain actionable insights into the volumes of community content created in their social media repositories.  Mobile social software applications can visualize patterns of association that are otherwise invisible.
Smith received a B.S. in International Area Studies from Drexel University in Philadelphia in 1988, an M.Phil. in social theory from Cambridge University in 1990, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from UCLA in 2001. He is an affiliate faculty at the Department of Sociology at the University of Washington and the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland.  Smith is also a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Media-X Program at Stanford University.

Russell Buckley, VP Global Alliances, AdMob
Russell is a leading expert on mobile marketing, having overseen thousands of campaigns since 2000. MobHappy, his blog about mobile technology and mobile marketing, is one of the most popular focusing on this area. Before specializing in mobile, he spent over 15 years working in marketing, including advising leading brands such as Coca-Cola, Diageo, Texaco and Mars. In 2000, he was recruited to be Director of Marketing of mobile marketing start up, ZagMe, one of the leading pioneers in mobile advertising and location based marketing. Russell learned about AdMob soon after the launch and joined as its first employee, with the remit of launching AdMob into the EMEA market.
Russell is currently Global Chairman Emeritus of the Board of The Mobile Marketing Association, a founder of Mobile Monday in Germany and has published many articles, as well as a white paper on location based marketing.

Nicholas Heller, New Business Development, Google EMEA
Nick Heller is responsible for New Business Development across EMEA at Google. He is based in Zurich, Switzerland and is focused on new product incubation and exploratory efforts in technology, meta-data licensing, strategic partnerships, special projects, and alternative distribution for existing and new business initiatives. He was formally leading the Media & Publishing team at Google in the European Strategic Partnerships group.

Nick has a rich history of working within the media industry, primarily across mobile, television and online. Prior to joining Google, he worked for MTV Networks UK & Ireland, where he created the digital strategy and led new cross platform social networking initiatives. In 2006, he published a paper on the growth of mobile advertising, and continues to be a passionate advocate of the mobile medium. Earlier this year, the Global Telecoms Business publication selected Nick as one of the top-40-under-40 in the industry. In 2002, he founded Degrees Of Separation, a technology consultancy and eBusiness network, linking blue chip organizations throughout North America with specialized software development firms. Prior to 2002, he worked in fixed income trading for RBC Capital Markets, located in Toronto, Canada. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario, and an MBA from the University of Cambridge.

Ken Banks, Founder, kiwanja.net
Ken Banks, founder of kiwanja.net, devotes himself to the application of mobile technology for positive social and environmental change in the developing world, and has spent the last 17 years working on projects in Africa. Recently, his research resulted in the development of FrontlineSMS, an award-winning text messaging-based field communication system designed to empower grassroots non-profit organisations. Ken graduated from Sussex University with honours in Social Anthropology with Development Studies, and was awarded a Stanford University Reuters Digital Vision Fellowship in 2006, and named a Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellow in 2008. In 2009 he was named a Laureate of the Tech Awards, an international awards program which honours innovators from around the world who are applying technology to benefit humanity. He was also named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in May 2010. Ken's work was initially supported by the MacArthur Foundation, and he is the current recipient of grants from the Open Society Institute, Rockefeller Foundation, HIVOS, the Omidyar Network and the Hewlett Foundation.
Further details of Ken's wider work are available on his website at www.kiwanja.net

Stephen Newton, Vice President & Managing Director, InMobi Africa
Stephen Newton is an accomplished business leader who has spent over a decade working in the digital media space, where he has been responsible for successfully and profitably growing and leading top global online companies
Most recently, Stephen was Head of Google South Africa, launching local versions of Google Maps & StreetView, and YouTube.  During his tenure at Google, he served in a variety of critical pan-African roles including Head of Analytics & Commerce EMEA, where he was responsible for the Google Analytics product (GA) and growing the third party GA proposition.  Stephen also served as the Vice President of DoubleClick’s Ad Exchange Covering the Europe, Middle East and African markets (EMEA) post the Google acquisition of DoubleClick,
Stephen also has a strong research and analytics background.  As General Manager and part of the founding team of Hitwise UK, he helped the organisation more than double its employees, customers and revenues, and consistently over-achieved company revenue targets in one of the group’s most profitable division. Stephen’s efforts were also pivotal in the eventual sell of Hitwise, to the consumer information company Experian.
It is his ability to effectively manage sales, marketing, operational and account management teams and to motivate them to deliver in a way that meets board expectations that has led Stephen to his current position as Vice President and Managing Director of InMobi Africa.
A strong leader with excellent communication, inter-personal and negotiation skills, Stephen brings a wealth of sales and business expertise to the table. As a qualified lawyer, he also has substantial legal expertise. His skill set is topped off by broad international exposure gained from working in the US, UK and Europe, Middle East and African markets, all of which gives him a valuable and unique perspective, making him a key asset to any company.
A native of Philadelphia, Stephen received his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and his JD from Loyola School of Law in Los Angeles. He speaks conversational Spanish, functional French and is currently learning Portuguese.

Arthur Goldstuck, MD, World Wide Worx 
Arthur is an award-winning writer, analyst and commentator on Internet, mobile and business and consumer technologies. He heads the World Wide Worx research organisation, leading groundbreaking research into how change is affecting businesses large and small. Clients of the research include South Africa’s major financial institutions and corporations, Government departments and agencies, and international organisations.Arthur is author of 17 books, including South Africa’s best-selling IT book yet, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet", and the current guide to mobilising the workplace, “The Mobile Office”. Through Penguin Books, he has also published five books on urban legends.
For his work in uncovering technology trends, Arthur was a finalist in the science and technology category of the Men’s Health Man of the Year awards in 2009.
He is a regular speaker at conferences, universities and corporate events and has presented his insights to audiences across the world.

Graeme Haley, CEO and co-Founder, Thumbtribe
CEO and co- founder of Thumbtribe, Graeme is one of the few true South African experts in media, marketing, advertising and content for mobile – having spent more than a decade working hands-on in commercially successful mobile ventures.
He cut his mobile tech teeth working at Digital Bridges, a mobile gaming development house in Scotland that was at the time the first independent mobile game studio before the gaming giants started to move into the space. This experience in the development side is complemented by a strong “under the hood” understanding of the mobile industry, having worked at Copernicus, a telco billing startup in London.
He was drawn to the excitement of mobile in the late 90’s. When coloured screen handsets with Internet access were introduced, there seemed to be amazing opportunities, and along with his wife and business partner, Kathy, he decided to build a business that could make a positive difference in South Africa. Thumbtribe now has a platform that speaks to millions of South Africans each month.
Graeme has big plans for Thumbtribe, and the use of its technology outside of just the media networks, to also help educate people and make information more accessible to the majority of South Africans.
Although spare time seems like distant memories of his university days, he tries to spend as much of his time with his family as he can, exercising and making the most of living on the coast.

Evert Jaap Lugt, Founder & CEO, Nimbuzz
Evert Jaap Lugt (Msc) is the founder and CEO of Nimbuzz, the most comprehensive mobile social messaging application with over 20 million users.
Evert Jaap Lugt founded Nimbuzz in 2006 and after a period of development while still in Beta the product was launched in May 2008.
Evert Jaap Lugt developed a prototype of the original idea using his own capital and has subsequently led the company through two rounds of funding.
Prior to Nimbuzz Evert Jaap Lugt, has been active as a serial entrepreneur with several successful start ups in the internet and mobile industries.
Evert Jaap Lugt graduated with a MSc in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University of Eindhoven.

Gloria Ruhrmund, Strategist, Yonder
After spending almost 17 years in the music and entertainment industry where Gloria worked in many marketing, publicity, business development and new media positions, she decided to make a move to the mobile telephony industry. In 2007, she took up the position of General Manager of Glocell Wireless Service Provider Company, a division of Glocell PTY (Ltd). Her primary focus was developing strategy and business models within mobile value-added services. While there, she conceptualised and launched a South African first mobile WAP social networking product called ‘ubyou’, which got international recognition.
In 2008, after having studied African philosophy at UNISA, she went out on her own and launched G3Mobile consulting and G3Mobile Media Agency. The growth of mobile social networking in emerging markets was one of her focus areas and the exploitation of mobile advertising within these networks.
Most recently Gloria has taken up the position of strategist for Yonder Mobile Media, Ogilvy's exclusive mobile partner. Her aim is to execute mobile media and social networking strategies with big consumer brands. She also takes evangelising agencies from the inside out, as a serious responsibility ;)
Gloria’s personal passions are varied and include philosophy, psychology, management, employment equity and most recently the upliftment and development of Africa using mobile phone technology. She cooks and eats with gusto!
Specialties
Consulting, marketing and business strategy, training and mobile advertising optimization. Using social media as a tool of intervention for social and economical development in emerging markets. End-end mobile media business solutions, growing mobile in the areas of mass market. Public speaking, research, project management. Team management.

Marlon Parker, CEO, JamiiX
Marlon Parker is a Social Entrepreneur (CEO of Community Start-up MoVigo Technologies and JamiiX), founder of the non-profit Reconstructed Living Lab (RLabs) and an Information Technology Lecturer at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) since October 2000.  He obtained his Masters degree in Information Technology (Cum Laude) and is currently busy with his PhD at CPUT. He is often invited by many organizations and institutions as a guest speaker on ICT for Community Empowerment.
Marlon also produced several research academic papers, supervises post-grad students and co-authored in published books called “The social and economical impacts of e-commerce“.  He was also one of the judges for the 2008 E-commerce Awards and was nominated in 2009 and 2010 as one of the Top Young South Africans by the Mail and Guardian. His passion for community development has influenced his research interests and he is currently working on a project titled “Using ICT as a change agent to empower citizens in a Community in Tension (CiT)[1]” of which the Advice Support Network was birthed that serves more than 130,000 people across South Africa with social related issues using mobile phones.

Paul Stemmet, Head of Sales, MXit Lifestyle
Paul Stemmet heads up the Sales & Business Division of MXit South Africa in which role he is able to offer good insight based on his cumulative experience within ICT and mobile sales.
Paul holds an Honours Degree in Information Systems and a Post Graduate Diploma in Information Systems from the University of Cape Town and a National Higher Diploma in Informatics from the Cape Technikon.
His international career has included a technical directorship in Germany and consultant positions in Britain , the EU, East Europe, and Saudi Arabia.  Locally Paul has worked at Intec Systems, Denel, Metropolitan Life and as Regional Manager for Sybase iAnywhere.

Duncan Harling, Mobile Marketing Specialist, loveLife
Duncan moved to Johannesburg in 2001 with the aim of taking over the entertainment industry and had moderate success at just that as an MC, stand Up comedian, voice artist and actor. It was through his comic friends and contacts that Duncan co-founded SA’s first localised Mobile content company making content for Vodacom, MTN and Supersport.
Duncan, then moved to Starfish Mobile International as Head of Content, driving their content strategy and managing key relationships, and is now at loveLife, the World’s largest HIV NGO, as their Mobile Marketing Specialist, specifically to run their Mobile Social Network, MYMsta, and assist with other mobile strategies. Duncan’s focus is now to take MYMsta to the next level and is currently developing a completely new platform.
Since February 2010 Duncan has been consulting at Starfish Mobile while performing his duties at loveLife part-time.
In his ‘spare time’, Duncan produces a weekly radio show on JacarandaFM and East Coast Radio with comic friend John Vlismas.

Mike Stopforth, Founder, Cerebra
Mike Stopforth is an entrepreneur, writer and speaker who helps companies extract value from Web 2.0 trends and technologies to create smarter, more profitable businesses.
He heads up Cerebra, South Africa’s leading social media company which enjoys relationships with local and global brands – Toyota, Samsung Mobile, ABSA, GIBS, Microsoft, Vodacom, Touchline Media and more. These companies have used Cerebra to connect more meaningfully with their consumers outside the corporate firewall, and harness the full potential of employees behind it.
Mike is a technology commentator for popular business and marketing websites, lectures at the Vega School of Branding and features as a guest lecturer on executive programs at the Graduate School of Business in Cape Town, and the Gordon Institute of Business Science in Johannesburg.  In 2009 Mike was named one of South Africa’s “300 Young South Africans to take to lunch” by the Mail & Guardian newspaper, as well as one of “35 men of influence under 35 years of age” by GQ magazine and invited to contribute a chapter on social media to Dion Chang’s 2010 Flux Trends Review publication.
Mike also co-founded Web startup Afrigator, Africa’s social media aggregator, and the 27dinner social networking movement.  He blogs at www.mikestopforth.com, and can be found on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Nicky Allen, Marketing Manager, The Grid
Nicky has been involved in the mobile and digital space since 1994. She started her career in Vodacom marketing before official switch on and spent 6 years in the marketing and product development divisions .  The most fun she had at Vodacom was product managing the launch of Vodago prepaid. She then decided to become an entrepreneur.   Founding owner of 33 Degrees interactive in 1998, now the present day Gloo digital design, she spent 6 years dragging brands kicking and screaming into the scary digital space. 33 Degrees sold 50% to BBDO worldwide, a great partnership, she sold out in 2005 to spend some time traveling overseas with her husband.
Presently a consultant to Vodacom digital and Mobile marketing division.  Really enjoys network theory.
Education: B.Bus. Sc (UCT.) Dip in Business Leadership (UNISA) Qualified Business coach.