Jill Sawers
PhD in Technology Management from Pretoria University, MBL from South Africa University, BSc in Microbiology, Zoology from Rodes University, CEO at Axess Consulting CC since 2008, Business Incubation Consultant at InfoDev at the World Bank since 2009
| Headline: | Service Provider |
| Skills: | Business, Design, Entrepreneurship, Languages, Leadership, Management, Marketing, Public Relations, Windows |
| Groups: | African Incubator Network (AIN) |
| Interested in: | Consulting opportunities, Meeting new people, Offering Expertise, Professional opportunities, Providing services to startups |
| Schools: | Rhodes University, University of Pretoria, University of South Africa |
WORK EXPERIENCE
| Employer: | infoDev, The World Bank |
| Position: | Business Incubation Specialist Consultant |
| Time period: | April 2009 - Present |
| Description: | infoDev is a global development financing program, coordinated and served by an expert Secretariat housed in the Global ICT Department of the World Bank. It acts as a neutral convener of dialogue, and as a coordinator of joint action among bilateral and multilateral donors—supporting global sharing of information on ICT for development (ICT4D), and helping to reduce duplication of efforts and investments.
InfoDev has been running their business incubation programme since 2002 and is considered to be a lead player in business incubation in the developing world. It has developed five global incubator networks for information sharing – especially south-south sharing, and has given grants and technical support to over 140 incubators worldwide. InfoDev is currently developing three self-sustaining incubators in very poor countries. Jill is assisting infoDev in the conceptualization and roll-out of these incubators. This includes developing a sustainable business model, securing local partner commitment and engagement, selecting and appointing the management and staff, and providing ongoing support. Jill is also overseeing the development of business incubation training material and for implementation in developing countries. |
| Employer: | Axess Consulting CC |
| Position: | CEO |
| Time period: | November 2008 - Present |
| Description: | Jill is the founder and CEO of Axess Consulting. The fields of specialization of Axess are innovation and entrepreneurship. Working together with select experts, Axess develops programmes and project manages these to stimulate innovation in entrepreneurship. A recent project (2009) was the development of a business case for a sustainable model for a Commercialization Office for the University of Pretoria. A current project is FemTECH: a programme to encourage women to start technology businesses. |
| Employer: | The Innovation Hub Management Company (Pty) Ltd |
| Position: | Manager: Entrepreneurship Development |
| Time period: | August 2008 - March 2009 |
| Description: | The Innovation Hub is Africa’s first International Association of Science Parks accredited science park, and is situated in Pretoria, South Africa. The Maxum Business Incubator is a programme of The Innovation Hub that focuses on improving the survival rate of technology innovative start-up companies, i.e. high growth companies, by facilitating their development and growth.
Because of the skills shortage in South Africa, the technological entrepreneurship pipeline is very small, and especially the pipeline of women in technology. Hence Jill developed focussed activities to stimulate this pipeline and attract entrepreneurs to Maxum. One such activity was the Professional Development Programme for South African Women ICT Entrepreneurs (EWICT). Maxum partnered in winning consortium to secure funding from the Office of Citizen Exchanges, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State to run a 24 month programme, in conjunction with The Meridian International Center (Washington, DC) University of Maryland-Baltimore County’s Center for Women in Information Technology (Baltimore, Maryland). This programme is developing a core of South African women ICT entrepreneurs, and an associated professional women mentorship network and has attracted national and international interest. Building on the success of EWICT, Jill and Icteum Consulting developed a second programme to stimulate women technology entrepreneurship – FEMTECH. Jill was instrumental in securing funding from the Embassy of Finland, and the success of this programme has resulted in an approach from the Embassy of Finland to expand the programme to other regions of South and Southern Africa. Jill, together with consortium partners, Icteum Consulting and The Innovation Hub, will be conceptualizing and implementing this new programme. |
| Employer: | The Innovation Hub Management Company (Pty) Ltd |
| Position: | Manager: Maxum Business Incubator |
| Time period: | October 2001 - July 2008 |
| Description: | Jill was instrumental in conceptualizing and implementing a sustainable business incubator, Maxum, for South African high-tech and high-growth start-up companies. This included:
Developing a vision, strategy and policies for Maxum in line with international good practice Developing the relevant service offering for the tenants of Maxum Negotiating appropriate agreements with service providers (e.g. soft skills training, IP consultation) Developing appropriate networking programmes and market linkages for the Maxum tenants Managing Maxum (facilities, tenants, staff, service providers, stakeholders) Appointing and managing business mentors Mentoring and coaching tenants Lobbying for and securing funds for the programme As at May 2007, 36 start-up companies had participated in the Maxum incubation programme, and 10 companies had successfully graduated. The total number of new jobs created by the 30 companies (cumulative) was 187. Of the 10 graduating companies, 2 companies boasted a projected turnover of R50 million after being in existence for less than 6 years. Maxum was recognized as a premium incubator and was often approached to share its experience with other SME and incubation practitioners, nationally and internationally. Jill developed and grew a second programme of The Innovation Hub, the CoachLab Student Leadership Development Programme, into a multi-institutional, private sector–academic partnership programme of The Innovation Hub focussing on producing young leaders for the ICT industry. This programme serves as a bridging year for ICT post-graduates transitioning them from students to employees. They are exposed to leadership training and work on projects defined by the partnering companies. As at May 2008, 86 Computer Science, Informatics and Electronic Engineering postgraduates had participated in this programme. The partners of the CoachLab comprise five private companies, 3 academic institutions, and one science park, namely: Epi-Use Systems (Pty) Ltd, Cisco Systems International BV, MTN (Pty) Ltd, The Standard Bank of South Africa (Pty) Ltd, The Resilience Company (Pty) Ltd, the University of Pretoria, Tshwane University of Technology, UNISA, and The Innovation Hub (Pty) Ltd. During 2007 the ISETT-SETA (Information Systems, Electronics and Telecommunications Technologies – Sector Education Training Authority) recognized the CoachLab programme as one of its Centres of Occupational Excellence and joined the programme as one of the sponsors – giving the CoachLab a true public-private partnership status. The value-addition of this programme has been recognized such that in 2009 the CoachLab model was established in Johannesburg in partnership with the JCSE (Johannesburg Centre for Software Engineering) of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). Partners of the Johannesburg CoachLab include Wits, BB&D, Microsoft, and Johannesburg University. |
| Employer: | National Research Foundation (NRF), Pretoria. |
| Position: | Manager: Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP) |
| Time period: | December 2000 - September 2001 |
| Description: | (The NRF is a statutory body that administers governmental funds for research at tertiary educational institutions. The mandate of the NRF is to promote the development of appropriately trained manpower in science, engineering and technology.)
THRIP, at this time, was the largest programme of the NRF (the 2000/01 budget of THRIP was R140 million, compared with the other NRF programmes combined being approximately R170 million. THRIP is a research partnership programme between the Department of Trade and Industry and the NRF. THRIP supports science, engineering and technology research collaboration that addresses the technology and human resource (expertise) needs of participating firms. Costs are shared between industry and the DTI, with some contribution from research institutions. Responsibilities included leading and managing a team of ten employees, identifying, appointing and guiding expert panels to assist in the assessment and evaluation of research proposals, deciding on a fair allocation of funds, and developing and coordinating large collaborative research projects (e.g. Deepmine, a multi-million research project involving Goldfields, AngloGold, DRD, CSIR, University of Pretoria, and the University of the Witwatersrand). |
| Employer: | National Research Foundation (NRF) |
| Position: | Manager: Competitive Industry Programmes |
| Time period: | March 1998 - November 2000 |
| Description: | Responsibilities included:
Facilitation of development of national scientific and technological expertise through co-operative activities between Higher Educational Institutions and industry. This included developing strategies and programmes to promote the interfacing of the academe and industry, as well as to facilitate the process of globalizing South African research teams. Representing the NRF at national strategic workshops/meetings which focussed on developing research strategy Representing NRF on committees aimed at assisting the local industry in becoming more competitive. Allocation and administration of research grants including allocation, distribution and control of funds. (The 2000 budget of the Competitive Industry Theme was approximately R20 million) Leading and managing a team of four employees. |
| Employer: | National Research Foundation (NRF) |
| Position: | Coordinator: Competitive Industry Programmes |
| Time period: | August 1995 - February 2008 |
| Description: | Technical assistant to the manager of the programmes and having a coordinating/organizational and operational function. |
| Employer: | Division of Water Technology, CSIR. |
| Position: | Business Facilitator |
| Time period: | January 1992 - December 1995 |
| Description: | Development and implementation of marketing strategy for sophisticated analytical instrumentation developed by the Division. |
| Employer: | Thersor International CC. |
| Position: | Director |
| Time period: | January 1990 - December 1992 |
| Description: | Founded and managed own business in the fields of international marketing, and printing. |
| Employer: | SASTO |
| Position: | Deputy Head/Scientific Assistant(Acting Head) |
| Time period: | January 1990 - March 1990 |
| Description: | Duties included monitoring of science policy and technological developments in allocated countries; information and technology exchange; arrangement of programmes for visiting scientists; recruitment of scientific manpower.
|
| Employer: | South African Science and Technology Office (SASTO) |
| Position: | Unknown |
| Time period: | January 1985 - December 1990 |
| Description: | South African Science and Technology Office (SASTO), Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany (managed by the CSIR and responsible for geographical areas: Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. |
| Employer: | CSIR, Symposium Secretariat, Pretoria |
| Position: | Liaison Officer |
| Time period: | January 1983 - December 1985 |
| Description: | Organized national and international scientific conferences. |
| Employer: | University of the Orange Free State, Microbiology Department, Bloemfontein, RSA. |
| Position: | Research Assistant |
| Time period: | January 1982 - December 1983 |
EDUCATION
| University: | University of Pretoria |
| Time period: | 2002 - 2006 |
| Degree: | Technology Management, PhD |
| University: | University of South Africa |
| Time period: | 1994 - 1997 |
| Degree: | MBL Management of Technology |
| University: | Rhodes University |
| Time period: | 1978 - 1980 |
| Degree: | Microbiology and Zoology, BSc |
PUBLICATIONS
| Papers: | Sawers, J.L., Pretorius, M. Oerlemans, A.G. June 2006. Guarding SMEs against opportunism when partnering with a large company. International Council for Small Business World Conference, Melbourne, Australia 2006. Conference Programme & Book of Abstracts. Vega Press.
Sawers, J.L. 2006. How small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can influence the successfulness of a partnership with a large company (LCO) in the technology innovation sector. Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, University of Pretoria. Sawers. J.L. et al. April 2008. Safeguarding SMEs dynamic capabilities in technology innovative SME-large company partnerships in South Africa. Technovation:28: Issue 4:171-182 Sawers, J. 2009. Creating a space for Innovation. Joburg Centre for Software Engineering, Universiy of the Witwatersrand. |
INFORMATION
| Clubs: | 2006: Member of the Technopolis Consulting Team
2005: Member of the Top Technology 100 Evaluation Panel for Emerging Enterprises March 2004: Founder member and first Chairperson of the South African Business and Technology Incubation Association (SABTIA). 2004: Member of Evaluation Panels of UNITRA, and the University of Pretoria 2005: Member of Evaluation Panel of University of Pretoria; 2007: Member of Evaluation Panel of University of Free State 2002 - 2007: Member of the University of Cape Town’s Chemical Engineering Advisory Board 2002: Member of the NRF Technikon Programme’s Research Proposal Evaluation Panel for Entrepreneurship November 2001: member of the NRF Evaluation Panel of the Rhodes/Port Elizabeth Technikon Chair of Entrepreneurship A Trustee of the NRF Pension Fund (1998 – 2001) A founding member of Deepmine |
Jill's Contacts (3)
View all-
Raphael Mmasi
Holds Doctorate Degree in Engineering Science, specialized in computer automation and electronic control system, Director of Information and Documentation at Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology
-
Mulugeta Agaze Dessie
PhD in Business Management, MBA in Finance (both from NorthWest University), Founder, CEO & Business Consultant at Dessie & Associates Close Corporation/Nile Cellular since 2005.
-
David Cromar
Facilitator and mentor, networking and supporting incubators and entrepreneurs focused upon growth. Virtual Incubator host and e-business accelerator.