Rapelang Rabana: Digital Leadership

Quick Facts:

Highlights:
Formats:
Audiences:
Outcomes:
Reviews: (0 reviews)
  • Travels from: Johannesburg

Keynote Topics

HOW IMMERSIVE DIGITAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES COULD CHANGE THE FACE OF EDUCATION

Subtitle: Leveraging AI and VR technology to skill at scale

Synopsis: We desperately need a shared language that speaks precisely to the skills and capabilities  we need to develop in young people to thrive in a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

Charles Darwin hints at what we need to thrive in the future – it is not the strongest species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change’.

Darwin speaks to ‘responsiveness’ being the decisive survival trait. Should we not then define intelligence, in terms other than IQ or EQ, and rather our ability to respond to change, to react to the tasks of work and life, to demonstrate the agility we seek in businesses today?

Subtitle: Realizing your potential through greater awareness

Synopsis: Self-awareness is the meta-skills of the 21st century. The research shows that when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident, more creative, we make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively.

Subtitle: Creating sustainable value for all

Synopsis: The age of sustainably achieving profits by making money out of others is fast disappearing into the distance.

It is no longer sufficient to score singular wins. The new economy demands that innovation and new solutions create shared value, where you make money, by making money with your customers – for your customers.

Creating value for all, entails applying a form of innovation that is inspired by experiential wisdom – experience of the context and problem; raising awareness beyond one’s immediate end-goal to see the whole chain of needs for all players; and step-wise iterative progress that integrates data and feedback gained from each step forward.

Rapelang Rabana brings her experience as a technology entrepreneur as well as global examples to drive key lessons for creating sustainable value for all.

  • HOW I FAILED AS A CORPORATE
  • MAKING BUSINESS SENSE OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
  • THE AFRICAN ADVANTAGE: HOW AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY WILL BE CONSUMED BY THE WORLD

Talent Short Bio

With Rapelang Rabana, you get to see digital technology through the eyes of a practical, hands-on innovator. From her first startup, straight out of university, Yeigo, to Chief Digital Officer of South Africa’s largest IT company, Rapelang is a true digital native. Her talks and masterclasses reverse-engineer her 16+ years of experience in building tech companies, unpacking all things digital in a meaningful way to extract tangible business and social value.

Featured on the cover of Forbes Africa magazine before the age of 30, named Entrepreneur for the World by the World Entrepreneurship Forum, and selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum – Rapelang is an internationally lauded technology entrepreneur.

Rapelang Rabana provides hands-on digital innovation expertise, as well as a founding partner at FFWD (fast forward) Innovation, which helps companies innovate faster through data-driven experimentation. In 2021 she co-founded $6.5m VC fund Grindstone Ventures, as well as Norrsken Impact Accelerator, part of one of the world’s largest impact funds, all to support and fund high-impact entrepreneurs.

In 2023, Rapelang Rabana became the Co-CEO of Imagine Worldwide, an NGO operating across 7 African countries, providing tablet-based learning programs to develop literacy and numeracy skills in millions of young children. In partnership with the government of Malawi, Imagine is implementing the tablet program in all primary schools — projected to serve 3.5m students annually at full scale.

Rapelang is also the Founder of Rekindle Learning, a dynamic edtech company that enables organizations to easily codify and share institutional know-how amongst their teams to drive business performance. Rekindle Learning, which was profiled in the McKinsey Lions go Digital report as a striking innovation in learning.

Rapelang Rabana has spoken at over 300 occasions on local and international platforms and has shared a stage with the likes of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell. She obtained B. Business Science (Computer Science Honours) and an M.Sc from the University of Cape Town, giving her a technical and business background. She has since believed that there had to be better, simpler more effective ways to do things – and there is using digital technologies.

Recipient honours and awards: Young Global Leader; Cover Forbes Africa before 30; Forbes 30 under 30 – Africa’s Best Young Entrepreneurs; Fast Company Maverick; Choiseul 100 Africa; World Summit Awards Juror; Harambe Entrepreneur, Endeavor High-Impact Entrepreneur; Oprah Mag O Power List

Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on Facebook

Rapelang Rabana | Digital Leadership
Speakers Contact

Speaker Enquiry Form

Talent Resources

Talent Resources to download

Speaker Gallery

View further speakers

At the age of 21, Devi Sankaree Govender started her career in journalism. She landed a freelance job at the SABC, whilst completing a BA degree at the University of Natal in Durban. Devi quickly moved from presenting music shows and reading the news to becoming a talk show host for the national public broadcaster, […]

  • Current Affairs
Modeling leadership as personal branding, she helps professionals champion identity, performance, and diversity through reputation-driven strategy.
  • Business Leadership
Serial tech entrepreneur and investor who shares practical lessons from building mobile and startup ecosystems to help teams scale digital products and business models.
  • Expert Technology

Maya Fisher-French is a celebrated keynote speaker, author, and financial journalist renowned for her deep insights into personal finance and economic trends. As the face behind South Africa’s leading finance column, Maya on Money, she has spent over two decades demystifying complex financial topics, empowering individuals, and helping organizations navigate the economic landscape with clarity […]

  • Finance
  • Promoted
Empowerment coach who guides leaders to embrace purpose, build resilience, and translate personal growth into measurable professional impact and confidence.
  • Motivational Speaker

The Parlotones singer and songwriter, Kahn Morbee, started learning to play the guitar at the age of 17, where he began a journey into song writing that would eventually end up defining The Parlotones sound. In the summer of 1998, Morbee was introduced to Neil Pauw, a drummer who had attended the same high school […]

  • National Band
Alex van den Heever and Renias Mhlongo, master wildlife trackers and storytellers, deliver transformational lessons on trust, teamwork, and resilience drawn from 25 years in the African wilderness.
  • Power of Relationships
Inspiring storyteller blending frontier adventure and leadership insight to teach teams resilience, accountability, and practical tools for change.
  • Inspiring Storyteller
Disclaimer
The profiles and images embedded on these pages are from various conference entertainers and other talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Speakers Inc.

Fee ranges where listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only.

All talent fees exclude VAT, travel and accommodation where required.

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

Newsletter Signup

* indicates required

Intuit Mailchimp

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get connected:

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Speakers Inc Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated.

We use Brevo as our marketing platform. By submitting this form you agree that the personal data you provided will be transferred to Brevo for processing in accordance with Brevo's Privacy Policy.

We promise to not spam you!

Our Mission:

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025.  Designed using Voxel

speakers inc
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.