About
Aatish Ramkaran
Aatish is a veteran solution architect who’s often been described as ‘contagiously passionate’. He thrives on discovering innovative solutions to complex problems and has been integrating and enhancing financial services for nearly a decade. He architects FinTech solutions, using a combination of Agile, Design Thinking and Lean principles for delivery. He’s an active blockchain and cryptocurrency researcher who often presents at conferences and participates in panels focusing on this field. He is dedicated to demystifying the inner workings of technology and dispelling jargon to improve accessibility and understanding.
Lisa Van Eck
Lisa is passionate about impact and innovation. In 2013, she obtained an MSc Economics from the University of Siena in Italy after being awarded an Erasmus Mundus scholarship. In 2014 she joined the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) as South Africa’s Regional Chapter Coordinator, currently as Programme Associate. Since then she has worked to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem through numerous convenings, speaking roles and research. In 2017 she founded Festive Collective, a social awareness campaign that raises support for impact heroes by encouraging anyone to #partywithapurpose. In 2018, Festive Collective joined forces with the Blockchain Entrepreneurs Club South Africa (BECSA) to promote blockchain for good.
Paresh Daya
Paresh has spent his career specialising in fintech, primarily in front office trading, working for global, tier-one investment banks. Entrenched within the digital forefront, he is currently the blockchain strategist for Standard Bank based in South Africa and also the Chairman of Technology for the South African Financial Blockchain Consortium. He thrives on driving blockchain initiatives and communities across the country – and is heavily embedded within the entrepreneurship and technology start-up sectors.
Melina Mutambaie
Melina has worked as an I.T. Business analyst for several years and is well versed in the electronic payment and collections space. She has worked on extensive projects in African remittance systems, import and export and enterprise resource planning. She holds a BCom degree in I.T Management, a BCom Honours in Informatics and a Masters of Commerce from University of Johannesburg where she did an empirical qualitative study on the effects of Blockchain technology on Corporate Governance. One of her biggest wishes for Africa is that we begin aggressively solve our own problems using emerging technologies.
Gareth Corbishley
Born in Durban, South Africa, Gareth is a Chartered Accountant with over 6 years of experience in finance, strategy, risk, external auditing and compliance. He gained valuable international exposure while living and working in New York City. Gareth recently decided to follow his passion for emerging and disruptive technology and is currently employed as a Blockchain Strategist at Deloitte South Africa. In March 2018, he founded the Blockchain Entrepreneurs Club South Africa (BECSA) fulfilling his commitment to technological education, networking, entrepreneurship and social responsibility.