Hosted by Dr Puleng Makhoalibe  –  Alchemist, Educator and Speaker

The corona virus has had a devastating impact on humanity and life, but is also an undercurrent of deep reflection and connection that may potentially create a permanent positive change. It is a necessary pause for humanity. To stop and think about life, purpose and destiny. Ikigai is a Japanese term that roughly translates to “reason for being.” The first step to living with purpose is to regain control of your destiny. How do we navigate the paradoxes of the Covid era using design thinking. In this masterclass, Dr Puleng will talk about the power of Ikigai and its ability to generate creative tension to unleash the alchemy of design thinking in order to reframe, reimagine, reinvent your career path.

Dr. Puleng has a passion for creativity, design thinking and innovation. She has twenty years of experience working in the private sector, government and in higher education institutions. Her academic background entails a BSc in Computer Science and Statistics, an MBA and a PhD in Business Management from the University of Cape Town.

Her international peers have recognised Makhoalibe as a global leader in creativity and innovation. In 2013, she received an award recognising her contribution to the international community of innovators and creatives. In 2016, she received an Africa Social Innovation Leadership Award. In 2019 she received an award to be part of the women leaders of the world and became a lead for the cohort. She has now joined the women leaders of the world council. She headed up the center of Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) at Henley Business School. She co-founded two start-ups: the Alchemy Inspiration and Upside Global as well as Knowinnovation, a company accelerating interdisciplinary scientific innovation and for Inclusive Innovation, which focuses on innovation in developing countries. She is a speaker, panellist, facilitator, and an innovation and design thinking consultant.