Sharron McPherson is one of Africa’s leading experts on the impact of technology disruption for emerging market growth and development, future work and the disruption of education. Her passion is to help improve the lives of a billion people in the developing world by helping leaders in emerging markets to harness the power of disruptive technologies to transform the business investment landscape and to create new market opportunities.

In addition to teaching Project Finance at UCT’s GSB, she is also a member of the Faculty of Singularity University (Silicon Valley). Sharron is also Co-Founder and a Director of the Centre for Disruptive Technologies. A former Wall Street investment banker / attorney turned serial social impact investor, Sharron is an advocate for the disruption of corporate and traditional educational systems that are failing to equip people with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in the age of disruption. She is the creator of an AI enabled personal learning platform, SuperSchool, as well as the “Launchpad” school enterprise development initiative.

A noted advocate for gender smart investing and smart city development in Africa, Sharron is a founding director of Africa’s largest women’s investment company, Women in Infrastructure Development & Energy (WINDE), which boasts over 2,000 women owned and operated businesses as its shareholders and has measurably increased women’s participation in some of Africa’s most iconic smart city development projects. She’s a pioneer in systems thinking for inclusive and sustainable development; is one of the creators of NEXUS thinking for smart city development and sits on a number of high level UN Committees on sustainable public private partnerships.

Sharron was a founding board member of the Graça Machel Trust for Women in Finance. She also sits on the Brains Trust of UnitedSucces (a global network of high impact women entrepreneurs) as well as the Katerva Council for Social Innovation.

Sample Topics

The Future of Learning

Reimagining Cities and the Built Environment

Digital Transformation as a Strategic Response to Disruption

The Art of Leading Transformation