Most Innovative Companies 2019 (MIC) conference, gala dinner and awards ceremony, 5 March 2020 at The Cape Town Convention Centre 2

It is with great pride that we present the first ever Most Innovative Companies (MIC) conference, gala dinner and awards ceremony. At Fast Company South Africa, we think, dream, and live innovation. These events are a celebration of innovation and progress, and epitomise what we believe is driving our present and future.This is Fast Company South Africa’s way of honouring those who are at the apex of innovation in this modern era. A total of 25 companies will be recognised for their efforts and awarded accordingly.

The top five of those are the crème de la crème of innovation and disruption in Africa. The companies that will be honoured have all supplied a product, service or process that is valued by the population in 2018/2019. These are companies that have taken into consideration the needs of our fast-paced society.We congratulate and applaud the companies that have made the cut.

As one of the most progressive business media brands in the world, Fast Company South Africa’s MIC Conference & Awards brings together some of the most interesting minds in the industry to discuss topics such as technological breakthroughs, innovation and digital transformation of the future.

With engaging discussions by industry leaders such as Jayshree Naidoo, Basha Pillay, Rory Moore and Reshaad Sha, the event is guaranteed to provide great insight into the world. Hosted on 5 March 2020 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre 2, the event will consist of a day of informative seminars and the opportunity to get a first-handlook at some of the latest technologies, solutions and support systems in the industry. Make sure not to miss this opportunity to meet some of the greatest movers and shakers in our industry, and engage with like-minded individuals.




SPEAKERS


Simon CarpenterDr Adriana Marais
Basha Pillay
Carl ThomenRory Moore
SAP Africa
SAP Africa
Internet SolutionsOld Mutual FinanceLiquid Studio
Simon Carpenter is the Chief Technology Advisor at SAP Africa. Simon has 33 years of wide-ranging experience in the IT sector. Over the last 21 years he has held a number of leadership positions. 

Simon has worked predominantly in the area of operations and logistics solutions, ranging from on-board computing in transport to large-scale enterprise systems. He has broad experience, having worked in sales, marketing, support management, project management, consulting and systems development. He has good insight into the soft issues (such as change management) that must be addressed for any technological initiative to be successful. 

Simon has spoken at numerous local and international conferences and universities on a wide range of topics.


 

Dr Adriana Marais is the Head of Innovation at SAP Africa. She leads the IoT Lab, the Co-Innovation Lab initiatives, as well as other innovation streams for SAP, while taking the company’s Digital Platform solutions to market. She also drives strategic co-innovation projects and takes responsibility for the SAP Start-up Focus programme – which provides SME’s with digital solutions to help accelerate growth.

Dr Marais is one of the top 100 candidates in the Mars-One project and aspires to be one of the astronauts involved in the development of a human settlement on the planet. 

Before joining SAP Africa, Dr Marais was a Postdoctoral Quantum Researcher at UKZN and lectured in physics at UCT. She received her BSc in physics and philosophy from UCT in 2003 and a BSc Honours in theoretical physics in 2004. During 2007-2009, Dr Marais completed her MSc at UKZN in quantum cryptography and started working towards her PhD in quantum biology at the UKZN in 2010.   


Basha Pillay is the Executive Head for Cloud and Collaboration at Internet Solutions. With almost three decades of experience, he is well-seasoned to provide astute insider information on the digitisation of Africa and the world.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       















         
Carl Thomen is the Head of Digital at Old Mutual Finance. He holds a PhD in Technological Philosophy, and before discovering a passion for digital strategy and customer-centricity was a research fellow and lecturer at universities in South Africa, Australia and the UK.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
 
Rory Moore is the Liquid Studio Director and Innovation Lead for Accenture in Africa, where he leads a dynamic team that brings the best of lean, agile and design thinking into a fast-paced environment. There is a strong focus on concept development and proof of value through tangible high fidelity prototypes around Artificial Intelligence, immersive reality and blockchain. 

Rory is also Adjunct Faculty at top business schools where he lectures on innovation, design thinking and digital disruption. 

He has an MBA from UCT which focused on innovation in complex environments.    



                           




                                                                                                              




NOMINATIONS

Each year Fast Company SA recognises companies that are transforming industries and shaping society, in our Most Innovative Companies issue. 

This year, for the first time, we are honouring these companies at our MIC event. 

Nominations for the 2019 Most Innovative Companies will be individually evaluated by the Fast Company SA team and a specially selected judging panel. Nominate your choice for the Most Innovative Company.

Categories:

1. Cleantech/ sustainable tech
2. Artificial Intelligence/ Machine-learning 
3. Mobility 
4. Advertising/ Branding 
5. Architecture
6. Health/ Beauty/ Wellness
7. Design
8. Education
9. Energy
10. Biotech
11. Fintech
12. Gaming
13. Retail
14. Media
15. Robotics
16. Social good
17. Transport/ Travel
18. Virtual/Augmented Reality



EVENTS

Most Innovative Companies 2019 (MIC) conference, gala dinner and awards ceremony, 5 March 2020 at The Cape Town Convention Centre 2

 

Who will be attending

Top Corporate, 

government,

finance and 

Tertiary institutions

Influencers, changemakers and disruptors

Entrepreneurs, innovators and emerging creatives

Investors, mentors and eco-system creators


Sponsorship


 

Meet captains of industry and key decision makers 

Showcase the latest products and solutions driving our business environment

Participate in networking opportunities and engaging discussions from top influential businessmen

Capitalise on high level exposure for your company through the exhibition as well as brand exposure through the event marketing material pre, during and post event

Key sponsorship opportunities ensure that you brand benefits from exposure at the event through AV Loops and top tier branding

Sponsors are given key speaking slots on the day

Promotional video’s are done on the day of the exhibition and shared through the Fast Company network

Sponsors are offered the opportunity to send representatives to all discussions on the day as well as invitation to attend the awards evening