Ambassador Eric M. Bost was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa by President George W. Bush on July 20, 2006, after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Ambassador. He previously served as Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ambassador Bost provides leadership to one of the largest U.S. Embassies in the world. He supervises a staff of over 1,000 from 26 agencies including: FBI, Commerce, Agriculture, USAID, Secret Service, CDC, Treasury, and State Department.  
 
Ambassador Bost manages the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has been successful in the provision of treatment for over 300,000 South Africans, and Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission services for over 1.5 million South African women suffering from HIV/AIDS. He has also initiated efforts to increase U.S. business interest in South Africa resulting in exports increasing from $3.5 billion to $4.6 billion.

Carol Evans serves as President of Working Mother Media and CEO of Diversity Best Practices which are part of the Bonnier Corporation. Carol’s involvement with Working Mother magazine dates back to 1978, when she played a critical role in the launch.  She grew Working Mother magazine from $100,000 to $14,000,000 over the next decade, serving first as advertising director and then as VP Publisher.  In 1986 she founded the Working Mother 100 Best Companies, still the most important workplace benchmark in the country.

Between 1989 and 2001, Carol ran two publishing companies. She was President of Stagebill, serving 110 arts organizations nationwide.  In 1996, she became Chief Operating Officer of The Chief Executive Group, where she launched a highly successful conference division, hosting more than 600 leading CEOs per year.

In August 2001, Carol Evans founded Working Mother Media by acquiring Working Mother magazine and the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), becoming the first mom to own Working Mother. She has launched several key initiatives to support the advancement of women including Best Companies for Multicultural Women, Best Law Firms for Women, Best of Congress, and Best Companies for Hourly Workers.

In 2006, Working Mother Media acquired Diversity Best Practices (DBP), the leading membership organization supporting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.  DBP’s sessions, conferences, research, and publications allow companies to leap ahead on their diversity journey.  At DBP, Carol has launched the Network and Affinity Leadership Congress (NALC), CEO Roundtables, the DBP Benchmarking and Assessment Tool and the Global initiative.

A graduate of Empire State College/SUNY, Carol serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of the March of Dimes. Carol has won numerous awards including the Admiral Grace Hopper Women’s Diversity Champion Award/ U.S. Navy; Dr. Martin Luther King Visionary Award/ Walmart; Work-Life Legacy Award/ Families and Work Institute; the Highest Leaf Award/ Women’s Venture Fund; Excellence in Women’s Health Award/ Jacobs Institute and the YWCA Hall of Fame.  

She is a highly acclaimed keynote speaker on the advancement of women, work life balance, barriers facing women of color and leadership. She has appeared on every major talk show including Today Show, Oprah, Good Morning America and PBS To the Contrary. Her opinions have been heard on hundreds of radio shows and published in newspapers nationwide.

Carol’s book, the award-winning This is How We Do It: The Working Mother’s Manifesto was published in May 2006 by Penguin Group. She is most proud of being mom to Julia Rose (20) and Robert (23), and wife of Bob Coulombe, a Major in the New York Guard.  

Ms. Maureen Frank is a qualified solicitor with a corporate legal background, but decided that she was not cut out to be a lawyer.  Maureen became the National Head of Aon’s Mergers and Acquisitions team, a division she started from scratch in 2001.  Within three years, she built the department to the largest producer of new revenue for Aon. Maureen has received many public acknowledgements, winning a Telstra Business Woman of Year Award in 2004, named a BRW ‘Rising Star’ in 2005 and noted as a finalist in the 2005 Australian Institute of Management Excellence Awards.  In 2005, she released her first book, You Go Girlfriend, aimed at inspiring women to believe that they can achieve anything in the business world.

Maureen left the corporate world to start her own company, Emberin, which is devoted to ‘stoking’ the embers inside women to awaken the under-utilised potential within. She has also released a DVD and CD series to help women take charge of their careers called My Mentor: Challenging Women to Step Up. She is a single mother with beautiful twin eight-year-old daughters.

Ronald C. Glover is IBM's vice president, diversity and workforce programs, with worldwide responsibility for workforce diversity and equal opportunity programs and initiatives.
Mr. Glover joined IBM in 2003 as vice president, HR, Integrated Supply Chain, and subsequently became vice president, HR, IBM Global Services-Americas.

Prior to joining IBM, Mr. Glover was vice president, HR, for i2 Technologies, a global software supplier. Before joining i2 Technologies, he was vice president, HR, Global IT Outsourcing at Compaq Computer. Mr. Glover joined Digital Equipment Corporation 1982 as a corporate legal counsel, HR, and later held a variety of HR management and executive positions of increasing responsibility.

From 1978 to 1982, Mr. Glover was a senior trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor in Massachusetts, and is currently a member of the Massachusetts and Federal Bars.

Mr. Glover is a member of the Society of Human Resource Managers and the New England Human Resource Association. He is a founding member of both the Conference Board's Council on Workforce Diversity and the New England Labor Council. Mr. Glover is a guest lecturer and author for the Conference Board and Suffolk University's Continuing Legal Education Organization and a former adjunct professor of business and labor law at Northeastern University in Massachusetts.
Mr. Glover has a bachelor's in political science at Brandeis University in Massachusetts and a law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Massachusetts.
 

Mark Harris joined IBM as an engineer in 1981.  Since then, he has worked for IBM in management, consulting, sales and marketing and technical management positions in all divisions of the company. South African blue chip companies that have benefited from his work include Standard Bank, Allied Bank, ABSA, Bankorp, First National, Eskom, Telkom SA, the Prudential and Liberty Life.

Harris’ international work includes support and development projects for IBM in the United States, France and Germany.  While he has developed specialisations in fields such as financial services and banking, telecommunications, process, manufacturing, health, education and energy (electricity and petroleum), he has also acquired a coherent and comprehensive view of the applicability of IT products and services in the market by heading up IBM SA's Cross-Industries Business Solutions Unit.

Moving from IBM SA Director of Operations to Country General Manager in December 2000, Harris' strengths in business management, strategy development and start-up businesses as well as his exceptional knowledge and appreciation of IT industry issues make him the obvious person to head up an organisation which will make a major contribution to moving South Africa from an emerging economy to pervasive computing and e-business.

Harris has a special interest in development of the previously disadvantaged, developing and implementing at IBM SA a programme designed to assist fledgling black IT companies to become self-sufficient. Working at a national government level, he was invited on to the South African delegation which discussed with US representatives the privatisation of South African state assets.   He also served on the ICT Charter Committee.

Harris was President of the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa through 2004, and continues to serve as a member of the board of directors.   

Marilyn Johnson is Vice President, Market Development based in Armonk, New York.  In this capacity, she leads an organization responsible for developing IBM’s strategy for and marketing to businesses owned or operated by Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Women in the Americas.  Her mission includes women owned and women led businesses in selected markets around the globe.

She is an executive with extensive management experience in sales and marketing in the information technology industry. Ms. Johnson’s previous IBM positions, with US and worldwide responsibility, include director of financial services sector marketing, director of eBusiness infrastructure, and director of worldwide sales operations.  She has held executive positions in key  IBM business units. Marilyn has had management and operational responsibility in North America, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia.  In 1999 Marilyn led the merger of IBM and Sequent Corporation Web-server sales.

Marilyn is a graduate of John Marshall University and holds two Masters in Education degrees.  She has held positions on the Executive Board of the Council for Better Business Bureaus and the Executive Boards of the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Foundation,  the National Council of Negro Women and American Airlines Marketing Advisory Council.  She has been applauded for her active commitment to mentoring and coaching activities. Marilyn has been a featured speaker for numerous professional organizations around the world, including The World Diversity Conference in the City of Prague in the Czech Republic, the Black Women Executive Roundtable hosted by the Mayor of Paris, France, and B.I.G. (Blacks in Government), Washington, DC.

Laraine Kaminsky has lived on three continents and worked in over 70 countries. She is an energetic and engaging speaker and a recognized leader in the fields of global diversity, cross-cultural awareness, language training, mentoring and consulting. Given her vast experience, she is a sought after speaker on the importance of intercultural and global diversity effectiveness.  She has authored many articles on these subjects and has been a repeat presenter at many international conferences including ASAE, the IMF, SHRM, and NALP among others.

Dr. Kedibone Letlaka-Rennert is the Diversity Advisor for the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, USA. Her mandate is to drive the overall Fund diversity strategy, assist executive management and all institutional departments in the promotion of staff diversity and inclusion, as well as to facilitate workplace equity. Dr. Letlaka-Rennert is a South African psychologist of 20 years, who trained for her doctorate in the USA. Her experience includes working for an American multi-national consultancy as a Human Resources Consultant, a term as Senior Manager and then Head of Transformation for Standard Bank, Retail Banking, as well as founding and running her own human resources management consultancy, Phambili Strategies & Solutions (“PSS”) both in South Africa and the United States.

Before joining the Fund in 2006, she conducted Women’s Self-Empowerment Leadership workshops for 5 Federal Agencies, and facilitated Diversity Management workshops and Project Management training for approximately 10 Federal Agencies in Washington, DC, USA.

Shirley Machaba is a Partner in our Risk Advisory Services division of PwC’s Advisory Practice. She previously served as the head of Internal Audit at the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development for 4.5 years. She has comprehensive commercial experience on governance, risk and compliance matters as well as external audit experience. Shirley is a chartered accountant, and has 18 years internal and external audit experience in the accounting and auditing practice. She is ex- technical committee member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) South Africa. In 2002 she was honored by the Institute in recognition of her excellent achievements in the development and growth of internal auditing. In 2003, Shirley was named Internal Auditor of the Year by the IIA. She was awarded the outstanding contribution award by IPFA in 2004. She has published several articles on internal audit in the professional journals of the IPFA and IIA. She has presented at both National and Regional IIA conferences as well as at ABASA conferences. Shirley has also a council and board member of IPFA.

She has been appointed a board member of the IIA and chair of its Audit and Finance Committee. She has been appointed chairperson of IPFA Council. Shirley is also the chairperson of the PwC’s Employment Equity Forum for the Menlyn office in Pretoria and member of the governing board within PwC – southern Africa. She has been recently appointed lead Director in Governance, Risk and Compliance practice – Pretoria office. She was honored by the BWA in June 2006 with the Regional Business Woman of the year award. Shirley serves on the “Women in PwC” steering committee, and is the director of Faranani rural women training project a PwC initiative to empower rural women with business skills. She has been appointed as board member and deputy Chair of the Black Management Forum (BMF) Pretoria branch and Audit and Finance Committee deputy Chair of the BMF national. She has been appointed Deputy Partner in Charge of the Menlyn office, comprising, of 40 Partners  and Associate Directors and Risk Assurance (RAS) Leader in Menlyn office in Pretoria. She was honored by BMF in August 2007 with “Business woman of excellence” award. She has recently been nominated member of the International Membership Committee of the IIA Inc.

Shirley is a high achiever and an outstanding business woman.  In her current position she is responsible for a budget of R45m x (140/100) and has 74 professionals reporting to her.Despite her success in the business world Shirley has not forgotten her roots and where she has come from.  One of her great passions of life is to promote her profession to her people and to be a role model to aspiring Black Chartered Accountants.

Zanele Mavuso Mbatha is the former CEO of Incwala Resources a platinum mining company with mining assets valued at US$2.5 billion (R18 billion).  Incwala Resources is one of the largest Black owned and operated mining companies in South Africa, and is a joint venture partner of Lonmin PLC’s in their South African assets.

Ms. Mbatha is also a Director and Co-founder of Dema Group, one of the major shareholders of Incwala Resources. She is also a former Director at Abt Associates Inc. a US based consultancy firm where she co-established its regional office for Southern Africa.  In this capacity, Ms. Mbatha was responsible for advising some of the largest clients in the telecommunication and transportation industry in South Africa.

Prior to joining Abt Associates, Ms. Mbatha was an Investment Banker at JP Morgan and Salomon Brothers Inc. in New York. As an Investment Banker, she focused on financial analysis and mergers and acquisitions in both the U.S. and emerging markets. Ms. Mbatha performed financial analysis and advised clients on cross-border transactions.  She also assisted with the execution of long -term debt issuance on behalf of governments in Latin America.

Ms. Mbatha has a B.A. in Economic Analysis from Mills College in California, USA.

Additionally, the World Economic Forum nominated Ms. Mbatha as a Global Leader of Tomorrow in 2001. Mrs. Zanele Mbeki nominated Ms. Mbatha to the International Women’s Forum’s Leadership Programme in 2003.

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka was appointed Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa in 2005.

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka initially became a member of parliament in 1994 chairing the Public Service Portfolio Committee. She was deputy minister in the Department of Trade and Industry from 1996 until 1999, during which time she also was a founding member of the Guguletu Community Development Corporation. Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka was the Minister of Minerals and Energy (1999-2005) and briefly served as acting Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology in 2004.

Since 1997 she has served as member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress as well as being the provincial vice-chairperson of the ANC Western Cape.

She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in education from the National University of Lesotho in 1980 and a masters in philosophy from the University of Cape Town in 2003, which dealt with educational planning and policy.

Ms. Tshidi Mokgabudi is Executive Partner responsible for Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare at KPMG. She a member of the Policy Board of KPMG and a member of the Executive Committee (EXCO). Tshidi is Chairman of KPMG Network of Women (KNOW) South Africa, which  fosters networking and mentoring opportunities for all women in business and Government. Tshidi is the Independent Socio-Economic Monitor (ISEM Director) for the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link. Her responsibilities include independently monitoring, verifying and reporting on the Socio-Economic Development objectives of the project . She was appointed by The President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, to serve as Commissioner of the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers; Non-executive Director of the South African Reserve Bank and Commissioner of the Audit Commission.

Tshidi founded the African Women Chartered Accountants Forum (AWCA), and is one of the founder partners of KMMT Inc. (Kgosana, Magondo, Mokgabudi & Tshikovhi). KMMT is one of the leading black chartered accountants firms. She has an academic background in Industrial Psychology, Economics, H. Dip Tax and C.A (S.A).

Mandlakazi Mpahlwa is an anchor for CNBC South Africa. She has more than ten years experience in broadcasting, news and publishing, with lengthy stints at both You magazine and e.tv.

Mandlakazi’s career in journalism continued to flourish when she joined the SABC as a Producer/News Anchor for the 1 o’clock news. She was then promoted to the prime-time News@7.

Whilst at the SABC, she was also a producer and news anchor at SAfm. Mandlakazi was voted Best News Anchor at the SABC in 2006.

Cathy Smith has been with IBM for just over 14 years. She has had many roles within IBM, including application development, project management and people management. These varied experiences have produced many highlights, but for Cathy the most noteworthy are “project managing the IBM SA transition from 'old' VM based desktop technology to the new PC based Lotus Notes Technology”, and secondly being on assignment to IBM in the United Kingdom.

Having recently taken on the role of HR Director of IBM South Africa, Cathy believes that 2007, will be a watershed year during which she is working to change the relationship between IBM as a business and its HR department. This will be a achieved by driving focused transformation programs addressing the HR organisation and key business support services such as the sourcing and development of skills.

Prioritising quality time spent with her family and friends ranks high on her agenda outside of IBM. Cathy was born in Johannesburg, the youngest in a family of eight children and is married with two daughters. The eldest daughter is currently completing her A-levels in London, while her youngest attends Grade 6 at school in Johannesburg.  She has a passion for the elderly and their welfare, and would like to dedicate her spare time to “the management of the care of the elderly in their twilight years.”