All of our work is the result of extensive collaboration. Every year the Institute connects with academics from a variety of backgrounds, business leaders, marketing experts and students. We resource each project according to the research challenge at hand and are guided by our team of experts. Our staff and full time associates are listed below.
Paul Egan
Paul manages the Institute on a day to basis and is responsible for overseeing all major research assignments. Paul has an MBA from the University of Stellenbosch and has more than 15 years marketing experience with companies like Barclays, Telewest, London Waste and The Qualitative Consultancy.
Assoc Professor James Lappeman
James is the Head of Projects at the UCT Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing. He has a PhD in Business Science specializing in marketing and consumer behaviour. His research interests include low-income consumer behaviour and segmentation.
Virusha Pather
Project Coordinator: Virusha supports the Institute’s research activities and manages the membership portfolio. She assists with project implementation, member communication, and information requests related to membership. She holds an honours degree in psychology and is currently completing an MPhil in monitoring and evaluation at UCT.
Dr Siphiwe Dlamini
Siphiwe Dlamini has a PhD in Business Science specialising in Marketing from Wits University and is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Marketing Section in the School of Management Studies. His research interests are in the areas of brand management, green marketing (environmentally sustainable consumerism), and the impact of marketing on low-income consumers.
Dr Raeesah Chohan
Dr. Raeesah Chohan is a Senior Lecturer of Marketing with an interest in Services Marketing and Business-to-Business (Industrial) Marketing. She holds a PhD in Industrial Marketing from Sweden's Luleå University of Technology. Dr. Chohan's research focuses on opportunistic behavior, professional service relationships, and entrepreneurial mindsets. Her work is published in the International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, and the British Food Journal.
Nqobile Bundwini
Nqobile Bundwini is a lecturer in Marketing at UCT and has interests rooted in Consumer Behaviour and Brand Building. Her current research focuses on Stigmatised Industries and Religious Marketing.
Martin Neethling
Martin is an experienced marketing all-rounder, having held senior positions in various local and multi-national businesses in the retail, advertising and FMCG sectors. His career spans more than 25 years and includes positions such as managing director of Berry Bush BBDO, director of marketing and financial services at Ackermans Group, chairman of Jay-Jays and VP of groceries at PepsiCo sub-Saharan Africa.
Lebogang Mototo
Lebogang has an affinity for marketing in a digital world and is a certified Digital Marketer. Her main areas of interest is the marriage of marketing and psychology as well as research on cohorts that the dominant discourse keeps on the periphery of marketing communications. This includes: Social Marketing, Alternative/Non-Normative Marketing and Queer-Centric Marketing.
Prof Nkosivile Madinga
Nkosivile is an Associate Professor in the School of Management Studies at the University of Cape Town. His research focus is in consumer behaviour.
Dr Pragasen Pillay
Dr Pillay completed his Doctor of Commerce degree specialising in the Marketing discipline and is registered as a Chartered Marketer with the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA). He has functioned in various management roles in the corporate and academic sectors prior to joining the University of Cape Town as a senior lecturer. His areas of research specialisation include consumer behaviour, brand management and consumer neuroscience.
Dr Tendai Chikweche
Tendai is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Business at Western Sydney University and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). He has an interest in brand building, consumer behaviour and international marketing. His research interests include social marketing challenges and how marketers ‘engage low and middle income consumers.
Amu Mathebula
Amu is Research and development specialist at KayaFM. He has an MBA and is obsessed about how people think, shop, feel and is on an journey to be an expert in human understanding. With expertise covering brand, innovation, cultural strategy, media he has helped clients define what brands should stand for, how to connect with audiences. He is equally passionate about Marketing, Brands and Research in general.
Thabang Ramogase
Thabang is Group Executive for Marketing, Communications and Corporate Citizenship at the Liberty Group. Thabang is one of South Africa’s foremost strategic marketers with extensive experience across various sectors, including FMCG, telecoms, agro processing and media. He is a Chartered Marketer CM (SA) and holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Degree from Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). Previous employers include the Coca-Cola Company, Nando’s, MTN, National Brands and the SABC.
Zandile Makhoba
Zandile is lead specialist in research and insights at the Liberty group. She has over 14 years of work experience as a research lead and consumer economist. Her work has included market research, investment banking, risk analysis and economic consulting. Her broad academic experience includes the fields of economics, statistics and mathematics, developing competencies and techniques which are ideal for strategic thinking and problem-solving.
Graham Easton
Graham is Divisional Executive for Research & Insights at the Liberty Group. Graham has an Economics degree from the University of the Western Cape, as well as a Commerce Honours degree in Marketing Research from the University of South Africa. He has worked in market research and strategy for leading insurers in South Africa for more than 25 years.
Neo Makhele
Neo is the Chief Strategy Officer at Ogilvy SA. The communications and creative industry is a calling for Neo Makhele. Neo is a strategist at heart - whether it comes to creative strategy, brand strategy, positioning strategy or integrated communications strategy and has developed cross-cultural communication, global and Pan-African Campaigns for Pay TV, sparkling beverages and political advertising. She is also a board member of Ogilvy SA.
Tumelo Chaka
Tumelo is an award-winning strategist specializing in Emerging Markets. Currently a PhD candidate in Business Science with a focus on Consumer Behaviour, Tumelo has established a strong track record in consumer behaviour and revenue growth strategies. He has held key strategic roles at Showmax, FNB, and the Gautrain Management Agency.. Additionally, Tumelo is a Board Member of the CMO Africa Advisory Board.
Pramod Penceliah
Pramod Penceliah is a social innovator and entrepreneur dedicated to advancing financial inclusion and sustainable development in South Africa. As Co-Founder of Fair Score, he has collaborated with the UCT Institute of Strategic Marketing, the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), INSETA, and UNIDO to pioneer alternative credit scoring models that empower underserved communities. His work bridges research and implementation, applying data-driven insights to design scalable solutions that improve access to finance and economic participation. Pramod’s focus lies in transforming research into impact through innovation, partnerships, and community-driven initiatives.
Stuart Hendry
As Lecturer and Course Convenor at the University of Cape Town, Stuart focuses on entrepreneurial leadership and venture creation. He is a double recipient of the UCT CHED Outstanding Collaborative Teaching Award (2009 & 2013), won an International Award for Distinguished Research in Entrepreneurial Leadership Development (2010), the UCT Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Social Responsiveness (2014), and the National EDHE Award for Entrepreneurship and Teaching Excellence (2022).
Waseema Petersen
Administrative Officer: Waseema is a key member of the Institute team, bringing strong experience from her previous role at the DPRU. She also holds a postgraduate diploma in Management Practices.