Mark has been a practicing lawyer for 15 years. He has appeared in the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court in a series of cases that seek to determine the boundary between freedom of expression and genuine hate speech. He ran a widely televised hate speech trial against the EFF and Julius Malema for the infamous “Kill the Boer” song. He is frequently a guest on South African television to discuss human rights and the rule of law. Mark has authored submissions to Parliament on the Hate Speech Bill and to the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on escalating racial tensions. He is the President of the Institute of Race Relations, which is South Africa’s oldest classical liberal think tank. He is a Council member of the University of Cape Town. He is the executive director of the Free Speech Union of South Africa. He also runs the popular philosophy podcast Brain in a Vat which has aired over 200 interviews with academic philosophers from around the world. He has delivered guest lectures on free speech at Rhodes College Memphis, the University of Austin, the University of St Andrews Scotland, Stellenbosch University, and Wits University.

Asher Marcus is an award-winning architect and founder of Hubo Studio, one of South Africa’s fastest-growing design practices, recognised internationally for a highly focused specialism: the design of extraordinary educational spaces. Under Asher’s leadership, Hubo has built a global reputation for rethinking how schools can shape learning, wellbeing and community. His landmark Redhill Early Learning Centre has received major international recognition, including World Architecture Festival’s Best Use of Natural Light, SCAPE Educational Build of the Year, and two Architizer A+Awards – Jury Winner for Kindergarten and Popular Choice Winner for Educational Interiors. Hubo has also been shortlisted for Best Small Firm, while Asher has been recognised through the National Arts & Culture Awards and invited to judge at the World Architecture Festival. His work is rapidly expanding internationally, with major educational projects underway in Miami, including Lanaar School, and in Surrey, England, where Hubo is leading the transformation and masterplanning of Danes Hill School. Asher’s influence extends beyond practice. He is a sought-after speaker on the future of learning environments and has been invited as a keynote speaker for GLSN in India. His strength lies in a clear niche and growing global influence: making education spatial.

Brad Shorkend is a highly regarded behavioural specialist who, since 2005, has been powerfully impacting thousands of people around the world with his Still Human Method™. He is the co-author of “WE ARE STILL HUMAN (and work shouldn’t suck!)” and was recently recognized in the prestigious Global Gurus Top 30 Organizational Culture Professionals for 2026. Brad is a TEDx speaker and a frequent contributor to numerous publications, radio shows and podcasts. His clients are a dynamic array of many of the leading blue chip organisations around the world, in addition to exciting early-stage start-ups and high impact scale-ups. Brad has coached, facilitated and/or consulted to leaders and organizations across Europe, the United States of America, Asia, the Emirates, Australia and Africa. He is a relentless entrepreneur having founded and successfully led over 20 businesses across numerous industry sectors… architecture, telecommunications, fashion, start-up acceleration, music retail, beauty, technology, consulting, and others… Brad is also adjunct faculty at GIBS and Duke CE business schools. In his free time Brad loves to travel and climb big mountains… he has summited three of the seven summits (the tallest mountain on each continent) and has also expeditioned to Everest Base Camp in Nepal.

David Zidel is an award-winning lecturer, author, business coach, keynote speaker and radio host with almost three decades of experience helping individuals and organisations make better business decisions. He holds a BCom, BCom (Hons) and MBA from Wits University and has been a freelance lecturer since 1997, teaching MBA and executive-education programmes at leading institutions including Wits Business School, GIBS, UCT Graduate School of Business, Henley Business School, Duke Corporate Education and MIT Sloan School of Management. David specialises in business acumen, finance, strategy, behavioural economics, business simulations and practical financial decision-making. His career began in finance before moving into IT and consulting, where he focused on value creation and financial modelling. He is the author of Basic Business Calculations and Life on the Run – 18 Steps to Success, and has co-created business simulation games. His teaching excellence has been recognised through awards including Wits Business School Lecturer of the Year and ORT Mentor of the Year. He has also been awarded the title of Executive Fellow at Henley Business School (South Africa), University of Reading (UK). David also hosts The ORT Jet Business Show, interviewing business leaders on leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation and success.

As I traversed through the fields of medicine in my training, it soon became apparent that this world needs more top-notch approachable primary care doctors. Today’s doctors can dissect an artery at a microscopic level, but do we adequately manage our medical needs on the ground? I have dedicated my professional life to building a network of doctors who seek out evidence-based medicine and advocate for patients to receive it. I studied a postgraduate degree in Diabetes through Cardiff University and used my interest in Preventative Medicine to build our thriving practices and diabetes clinic with a special focus on disease prevention. This same thirst for making people live better has inspired the doctor webinars, articles, and radio podcasts that I have been blessed to create. I have always held the philosophy that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. My business has, therefore, never requested remuneration at more than a base rate, but through our focus on real care, we have built a thriving business – caring for a community of Jewish and non-Jewish patients who we communicate with daily. My roles have moved from formal community leadership in my student years to nurturing individuals and public education. I accept this nomination without the need for a win, but rather with a pride that our community recognises the value of Jewish doctors across Johannesburg, who spend their lives investing in the lives of others. I accept this nomination on behalf of all of them and their practices. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our community saw the value of our gold standard of primary health care. This is a commodity that is missed by so many who now live abroad. Nearly seven years later, we are proud that this standard has only grown stronger.

After obtaining his medical degree, Dr Goodman worked for several years in emergency medicine and trauma surgery. He participated in the South African rescue missions to Phuket and Haiti. Having completed his MBA, Dr Goodman headed up the Southern Africa healthcare practice of a leading international consulting organisation before moving into the healthcare funding industry. Dr Goodman joined Discovery Health shortly after its inception and is currently the Chief Medical Officer of Discovery Health. Dr Goodman is a Trustee of the Discovery Foundation which invests in postgraduate research and the training of South African medical specialists in identified areas of need. He Chaired the Foundation’s Medical Student Loan Guarantee Fund. He is also a Trustee of the Discovery Fund which is dedicated to improving individuals’ quality of life through the funding of primary health care services in indigent communities. Dr Goodman serves on the Wits Foundation Board of Governors and is a past Acting President and a current Member of Convocation Exco of the University of the Witwatersrand. He is a Member of the SA Medical Association (SAMA) Health Policy, Law and Ethics Committee and a Counsellor on the SAMA Gauteng Provincial Exco. Dr Goodman serves on the Executive Committee of the Medical Advisors Group and is a Trustee of The Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa. He serves on the Steering Committee of the Africa Telehealth Collaboration. He is also a guest lecturer on the Wits Business School’s MBA in Healthcare Leadership. Dr Goodman remains very active in the Jewish Community for some 30 years. He was a founding member and long time Board Member of Ohr Somayach Sandton and is currently a Board Member of the Union of Orthodox Synagogues.

Max Price was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town in 2008, completing his ten-year term in 2018. During his tenure, UCT experienced growth and success in research and teaching, and global recognition. Between 2015 and 2017, higher education in SA was disrupted and transformed by country-wide student protests which started at UCT with Rhodes-Must-Fall and subsequently the Fees-Must-Fall protests. Price led the university through these storms and back to safe harbour in 2018, the focus of his book, Statues and Storms: Leading through change, published in 2023. Prior to UCT, Price served as dean of the Faculty of Medicine/Health Sciences at Wits for ten years. Price studied Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand. Active in student politics, he became SRC president a year after the Soweto uprising. He subsequently read for a PPE degree at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Following clinical work in academic and rural hospitals in South Africa, he gained a master’s degree in Community Health in London, and then worked as an academic in the areas of health policy and economics, rural health services, and health science education. He is on the executive of the Jewish Democratic Initiative. He runs and plays sax in a jazz band.

Born in Pretoria. Attended Pretoria Boys High School. Attended medical school at Pretoria University and graduated Cum Laude. Internship at Baragwanath Hospital Johannesburg and senior housemanship at Groote Schuur Hospital Cape Town followed by 6 months in Internal medicine at Hammersmith Hospital London. Residency in psychiatry in Vancouver University of British Columbia (UBC) and residency in neurology Boston City Hospital Boston University qualifying in both specialties . Returned to Canada and joined the department of psychiatry UBC where I started the Neuropsychiatry Program. This program was formerly recognized in 2000 and I became the medical director, a position which I still hold. This program has become the biggest neuropsychiatry program in Canada and have been responsible for the development of neuropsychiatry programs in Edmonton and Calgary as well as at the University of Witwatersrand. I am a clinician-researcher-educator, hold the position of Clinical Professor and have published peer reviewed scientific articles, books and book chapters. I am one of the founding partners of Kosherworld JHB. I was appointed to the Order of Canada in June 2026. I am one of the founding partners of Kosherworld. I am married with one son and my chief recreational activity is exercise which I do 4-6 times per week.

For over 30 years, I have led major projects and delivered impact at scale. My work and life is driven by a philosophy of building for longevity, creating timeless designs, and lifting up the next generation for achievement and hope.

At just 30, Jason Berkowitz has established himself as a rising voice in South African property law and a young leader within the profession. As Associate Director at Van Deventer Dowlath & Marx Inc. (VDM), he co-leads the firm’s litigation team, specialising in property disputes, evictions and landlord-tenant matters. Jason is increasingly recognised not only for his legal practice, but for his ability to translate complex and rapidly evolving areas of property law into practical insight for the industry. He has been featured and quoted by leading platforms including Daily Investor, Real Estate Investor Magazine and Bizcommunity, commenting on landmark judgments and emerging issues shaping South Africa’s property landscape. Beyond his own practice, Jason is passionate about leadership and developing the next generation of lawyers. He actively mentors and trains junior attorneys, promotes knowledge-sharing within the profession and advocates for a more commercially minded, collaborative approach to legal practice. His leadership extends beyond the law. A karateka of 25 years, Jason has represented South Africa at world championship level and is a member of the national karate team. His journey reflects the qualities that define his approach to both law and leadership: discipline, resilience, composure under pressure and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

Leora Hessen is an award-winning entrepreneur, AI educator, international speaker, and business leader with more than 30 years of experience spanning education, technology, retail, manufacturing, and the creative industries. She holds a BCom in Information Systems, is certified in Applied Blockchain Technology and AI, and is passionate about using innovation to create meaningful social impact. She is the founder of Hello Aida, a multilingual AI tutor designed to improve educational outcomes through responsible, curriculum-aligned artificial intelligence, helping learners across South Africa access personalised support in their home language. She is also the co-founder of Artjamming South Africa, one of the country’s leading creative entertainment businesses, which has inspired creativity and connection for thousands of children, families, schools, and corporate teams over the past 18 years. Leora is deeply committed to community leadership. She serves on the United Herzlia Schools Board of Governors and is a Board Member of Ben-Gurion University. She also serves on numerous community organisations, contributing her expertise in education, governance, innovation, fundraising, and long-term sustainability. Recognised internationally for her work in technology and innovation, Leora is driven by a vision of empowering people through education, building stronger communities, and ensuring that technology creates opportunity for future generations.

My nominator feels that I am top in class in tax law advisory in the Private Capital and M&A sectors. My clients include many of the top Private Equity firms in South Africa and abroad. I spearheaded the growth (4 times profits) in partner count in our Tax practice from 4 in 2018 to 15 currently. And we are regarded as the premier tax practice in the country. Chambers Ranking.

I was in fact nominated by Dion Friedland an ex south African doyen of business who recognised my ability and prowess whilst undertaking a major business restructuring of one of his international companies worth circa 750 Million Rand.

Born in Johannesburg 1943, schooled at King Edward IVII High School, matriculating in 1961. Medical degree Wits University 1968. College of Edingburgh (General Surgery 1973). Registered Plastic Surgeon in SA 1975. Private Practice (Plastic Surgeon) from 1979 attached to the Wits Plastic Surgery Department and Jhb Group of teaching Hospitals, Honorary Professor at Wits in 1999. My main interest has been treating people born with a cleft lip and palate, Cerebral Palsy and Microvascular Surgery. I have at the same time been involved in the whole spectrum of Plastic Surgery both from a reconstructive and cosmetic angle. I have also had a parallel career in Sculpting for the last 53 years. I have 9 public sculptures in Johannesburg and surrounds and pieces in corporate and private collections around the world.

I am currently Head of Legal for the group of companies under the Consumer Division of Lesaka Technologies Proprietary Limited. I am specialised in advising private and listed companies in a number of industries relating to M&A, private equity, corporate restructures and general corporate commercial law. My experience includes advising clients in relation to various aspects of the South African Companies Act, 2008, due diligence investigations, corporate restructures and general South African corporate governance, drafting commercial agreements, including memoranda of incorporation, shareholders agreements, subscription agreements, sale of shares agreements, share repurchase agreements, asset for share agreements and restructure agreements as well as extensive advice on broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE). I also advised a diverse range of listed and unlisted companies in local and international markets. My experience in this regard includes advising clients on cross-border/multi-jurisdictional M&A transactions, securities dealings, initial public offerings, listings (primary and secondary), domestic and international capital raisings and B-BBEE structuring, advisory and compliance. I am also skilled in dispute resolution and has experience in a number of litigation matters. I have been involved in cases in the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Labour Appeal Court and the Labour Court. I have acted for a number of clients in a variety of sectors, including in insurance, mining, procurement, pension funds, corporate and commercial and public and regulatory.