X-Change 2026 Agenda

Dion Govender is the Chief Executive of Connected Industrial Ecosystems and Managing Director of IS³, advancing industrial software, operational technology, connectivity, power, energy management and digital transformation across industrial and infrastructure environments.

With more than three decades of experience across technology, energy, financial services and industrial sectors, Dion has built a career at the intersection of strategy, innovation and execution. He began his career supporting early digital trading platforms before joining Siemens in 1994, gaining experience across Europe, Asia and Africa. He later served as Group CEO of Siemens Energy and held a global leadership role in Germany from 2010 to 2013. He holds an MBA from Henley Business School in the United Kingdom.

For X-change 2026, Dion brings a strong perspective on how industrial organisations can move beyond standalone technology adoption towards integrated, AI-ready industrial ecosystems that drive growth, efficiency and new business opportunities across Africa.

Renowned Business Speaker | Award-Winning Journalist | Best-Selling Author.

Bruce Whitfield is an award-winning business speaker, journalist, and best-selling author who helps leaders make better decisions and thrive in uncertainty. As the creator of the Chaos Advantage framework, he challenges conventional thinking and equips audiences to lead with confidence when certainty is impossible.

With nearly three decades in journalism, Bruce has built a reputation for analysing the forces shaping business, markets, and leadership. He is the host of Bruce Whitfield’s Business Week and The Art of Deciding podcast, and the author of four acclaimed books, including The Upside of Down and Genius.

A sought-after keynote speaker at conferences worldwide, Bruce delivers thought-provoking presentations that help leaders turn uncertainty into opportunity and leave audiences thinking differently long after the event.

Toby Shapshak is editor-in-chief of Stuff and a Forbes senior contributor.

He has been writing and speaking about technology and innovation for 25 years. His TED Global talk on innovation in Africa has over 1,5-million views – about which he has written for Forbes, CNN, Quartz, and The Guardian in London. He was named in GQ’s top 30 men in media and the Mail & Guardian newspaper’s influential young South Africans. GQ said he “has become the most high-profile technology journalist in the country”. As a young reporter, he shadowed then-president Nelson Mandela. He is a columnist for Business Day.

Nilen Bermal serves as Head of Business International, where he brings extensive technical leadership experience to drive international business growth. Beginning his career with a brief internship at a System Integrator company, Nilen joined IS³ in 2007 and has since progressed through key leadership roles including Technical Director and Technical Manager.

With a BSc in Electrical Engineering and 19 years of dedicated service at IS³, his journey from Senior Engineer to leadership positions demonstrates his commitment to technical excellence and business development in the industrial automation sector. His comprehensive industry knowledge and expertise in delivering technical solutions continue to drive the organisation’s international growth strategy.

Khaled Salah is Vice President for Africa at AVEVA, where he helps industrial, energy, and infrastructure organisations drive digital transformation through improved reliability, energy efficiency, operational performance, and sustainability. With international experience gained across Egypt, the UK, and France, Khaled has built expertise in supply chain management, industrial automation, and business strategy. He holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Ain Shams University and an MBA from Warwick Business School. Passionate about developing people and creating lasting positive impact, he is committed to helping both organisations and individuals achieve their full potential.

Head of Business Development and acting Head of Sales at IS³

Initially Combining his passions for Industrial Automation and Computer Engineering, Sameer soared into the world of Industrial Automation Systems. He has worked on many projects as a Systems Integrator and spent 4 years developing solutions that filled gaps in the automation market.

Realising that an exponential approach is required to address these gaps, he took on the role of National Solutions Architect at Wonderware Southern Africa in 2012 (Now IS³). Through client interactions, knowledge sharing, and problem solving he gained a vast amount of knowledge across all industries.

With his knowledge gained over the past 18 years, he continues to shape the future of industrial organisations by actively informing customers, across all industries, of the latest technology trends through his consultative approach.