The Africa College Foundation UK (ACF) is a UK- based charity supporting world-leading education as the means to transform lives for the better.
Cate Bronstein
Trustee | Chief Strategy Officer
Cate is an experienced strategist and leader with a deep commitment to fostering educational and economic opportunities. With a career spanning senior leadership roles in both multinational corporations and innovative start-ups, Cate brings a unique blend of strategic acumen, governance expertise and entrepreneurial insight to the Africa College Foundation.
Currently serving as Chief Strategy Officer at Sengii Community Software, Cate has led key initiatives to drive growth and foster meaningful community engagement. Previously, as Managing Director at Color Accounting International (Schools and Universities), Cate introduced an innovative approach to teaching fundamental accounting concepts, achieving significant growth in adoption and impact. As Co-founder of The Cool Head Company, Cate spearheaded personal finance and entrepreneurship training programs that reached thousands of students, equipping them with essential life skills.
Cate‘s dedication to impactful change is reflected in her participation in the Boardroom Apprentice Programme, where as an observer on the Ofwat board, she gained valuable experience in regulatory governance. Cate is passionate about leveraging her expertise to support the Foundation’s mission of empowering education and unlocking potential across the continent. As a trustee, Cate is motivated by the belief that education is the cornerstone of sustainable development and is committed to helping the Foundation create meaningful opportunities for the next generation of leaders in Africa.
Daniella Jaff Klein
Trustee | Social Justice Advisor
Daniella is passionate about integrating ideas and bringing diverse groups together around shared goals. She recently co-founded the Future Leader Programme which is an online leadership course for young asylum seekers and refugees, helping to create community and increase confidence.
Her professional background in international and human rights law has positioned her to support non-profit organisations that promote social justice and human rights. She has advised a range of charitable trusts and foundations, working with them to conceptualise, develop and deliver strategies to support positive change on migration, integration and inclusion.She has a deep interest in the criminal justice system having worked as a public defender in South Africa and as a magistrate in the UK. She is also engaged with projects in Israel that promote co-existence and human rights for all.
She has acted as trustee and advisor to various boards including New Israel Fund UK, London School of Jewish Studies, The Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought Advisory Board, and Phoenix Court Works Advisory Board.
Kate Kuper
Trustee | Social Impact Advisor
Kate is an established board contributor and strategic leader with excellent judgement and impact focus. This is honed by 30 years of operational and board roles in emerging markets, strategy, philanthropy and impact investment. She is co-founder of Bateleur Partners. Kate’s board and investment committee experience includes BRAC, the London Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund, Access: The Foundation for Social Investment, the GROW Movement and Africa College Foundation. In her career she worked for the World Bank Group (including the IFC’s Mining Dept), Bain & Company and Government of South Africa under Nelson Mandela before building a leading education foundation. Kate’s focus is on aligning governance, management and operations through a clarity of vision and mission and building an associated culture of impact measurement, learning and excellence in delivery.
Dr. Abel Nyamapfene
Trustee | Engineering Education Leader
Professor Abel Nyamapfene is an experienced engineering education leader with
core teaching experience in Computer Science and AI, Electronics and Power
Engineering, Engineering Mathematics, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship. He has
extensive module and programme leadership experience acquired from 6
universities across Africa and the UK. This includes leading the development and
introduction of two very successful academic programmes, namely the UCL MSc
Engineering & Education, and the Catholic University of Zimbabwe (CUZ) flagship
programme – the Bachelor of Business Management and Information Technology
Honours Degree.
Professor Abel Nyamapfene is a founding member of the UCL Integrated
Engineering Programme (IEP), the award-winning teaching framework underpinning
the majority of UCL undergraduate engineering programmes. Prior to this, he led the
modernisation and transformation of the MSc Electrical Power Systems Distance
Learning programme at the University of Bath, and reformed the common first year
for undergraduate engineering programmes at the University of Exeter. He has
published extensively on his work on engineering curriculum reform and presented
over 20 keynote addresses and invited talks across five continents.
Linford Andrews
Trustee | Diplomat and International Civil Servant
Linford Andrews is Adviser and Head of the Electoral Support Section in the political team of the Governance and Peace Directorate at the Commonwealth Secretariat. He has more than 25 years’ experience in diplomacy, and as an international civil servant, influencing and facilitating the delivery of complex international projects and programmes. He has previously served in various capacities at the Commonwealth Secretariat, most recently as Political Adviser and Acting Head, Africa in the political team. He has also served as Deputy Conference Secretary for the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Rwanda, and previously as Deputy Head of the Office of the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Interim Head of the Office of the Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General, and as an Adviser for the Commonwealth Electoral Network (CEN). He has also supported the development of Commonwealth strategic and operational approaches to the development, promotion and implementation of conflict prevention and resolution strategies, and has also delivered critical support to Commonwealth Observer Missions in various political environments across member countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Pacific. Linford is a former South African diplomat, having joined the South African Foreign Service during the political transition at the end of the apartheid years in 1993, and has served on diplomatic postings in Jakarta (1996 – 2000) and New Delhi (2002 – 2003).
Dr Tahirih Danesh
Chief Executive Officer
Focussed on increasing enjoyment of socioeconomic rights and development through education and legislation, Dr. Danesh is particularly passionate about optimising impact by sustainably mainstreaming young marginalised and minority populations through universal access to and participation in education and employment sectors. A serial civic entrepreneur, an advocate of the United Nations Global Compact Principles and a member of The 30% Club, she has worked with a third of the world’s countries, primarily post-crisis and conflict, through creating a culture of growth.
She seeks and welcomes opportunities to promote philanthropy with high net worth individuals but remains most passionate about elevating shared consciousness through practical approaches to complex processes. Dr. Danesh holds a PhD in law and has contributed to a range of publications, including in human rights, policy and education.
Dr Taddy Blecher
MII Founder
Described as one of the greatest people South Africa has ever produced, Dr. Blecher’s pioneering work on exponential education and employment through six sustainable institutions is profiled in more than 50 publications. Tom Peters names Blecher as one of the top five most influential entrepreneurs in the world over the last 30 years. An actuary and management consultant, he is passionate about the impact of Consciousness-Based Education–an award-winning innovative system–that optimises success among post-crisis students. With growing concerns around access to the universal rights to education and work in post-Apartheid South Africa, he has successfully raised and managed more than GBP 20 million and reached more than 600,000 short-term students and 20,000 graduates, making social mobility a natural outcome for impoverished townships and their young residents.
Dr. Blecher is hailed by visionary extraordinaire, Sir Richard Branson, his co-founder of the Branson School of Entrepreneurship. He is a Young Global Leader of the World, Global Leader of Tomorrow Award recipient, Chairperson of the South African National Government Council on Entrepreneurship, Education and Job Creation, faculty member at the Singularity University, and leads the Maharishi Invincibility Institute, The Imvula Empowerment Trust, and The Community and Individual Development Association.
Naz Kangal
Media Officer
Naz Kangal is a seasoned professional with a passion for all things related to digital media and brand management. Her educational journey has been dedicated to mastering the intricacies of this dynamic field. She dedicates her creative talents and expertise to support various charitable organizations, harnessing her skills in branding and corporate design, visual communication, and creative marketing to make a meaningful impact.
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