The Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) announced the appointment of Mahlatse Tolamo as managing director for GEN South Africa.
Appointed by the GEN South Africa board of directors, Tolamo succeeds Kizito Okechukwu, the previous managing director who launched and has led the organization since 2017. Okechukwu continues to lead 22 on Sloane, one of three GEN Campus locations and the largest startup campus on the African continent.
The announcement comes as GEN South Africa prepares to kick off Global Entrepreneurship Week on November 13 with the fifth anniversary of 22 on Sloane and the inaugural National Presidential SSME Awards, hosted by the Department of Small Business Development in partnership with the Small Enterprise Finance Agency, Small Enterprise Development Agency and 22 On Sloane.
As managing director, Tolamo is leading these celebrations, along with GEN South Africa’s national Entrepreneurship World Cup competition, advocacy work, policy hackathons, and collaboration with the local and global entrepreneurship ecosystems.
“Entrepreneurship ecosystem building in South Africa has been focused on Johannesburg and Cape Town, leaving out the rest of the country,” said Tolamo. “Our vision is to use the GEN South Africa platform to integrate other provincial economies, startups and entrepreneurs in South Africa's entrepreneurial activities.”
Tolamo has dedicated her career to supporting the growth of the African continent. She has worked for three years as the ecosystem enabler at 22 on Sloane, where she has helped the organization scale and create awareness of the entrepreneurial community and the startups within it. She is skilled at bringing together like-minded startups who understand the value of collaboration and can positively contribute to each other’s development.
"Startups can flourish in all parts of the world, not just well-established tech hubs like Silicon Valley,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. "Our collaboration with ecosystem builders like Tolamo in South Africa is proof of that. Tolamo has helped grow 22 on Sloane’s programming over the years and is the right leader to expand startup support across her country.”
“GEN South Africa is a great platform to encourage collaboration and co-creation within the country,” said Tolamo. “GEN has programs we can leverage to achieve our vision of strengthening the country's startup ecosystem. We are excited to renew this commitment during Global Entrepreneurship Week, with support from a growing team.”
Mashudu Modau, an ecosystem specialist, community partnerships manager and a small business advocate, recently joined Tolamo’s team as the lead for Global Entrepreneurship Week South Africa.
GEN South Africa is supported by Allan and Gill Gray Philanthropy South Africa.