Our People - Meet the Umuzi Team

Executive team

Leading Umuzi’s strategy and operations, ensuring we deliver on our mission and scale our impact.

Lyndi Lawson-Smith

Chief Executive Officer

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Nthabiseng Lethoko

Community Experience Director

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Fiona Tabraham

Chief Commercial Officer

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Nduduzo Nyanda

Launch Lab Lead

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Catherine Bailey

Head of Partnerships

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Liezel Vorster

Chief of Staff

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Andrew Levy

Founder + Chief Innovation Officer

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Nina Holderness-Parker

Head of Experience Lab

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Sara Brakeman

Chief Technology Officer

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Lyndi Lawson-Smith

Chief Executive Officer

Lyndi Lawson-Smith

Chief Executive Officer

Lyndi is a purpose-driven leader and strategist at the intersection of education, technology, and social justice. With nearly two decades in digital education, she leads Umuzi with a focus on systems thinking, sustainability, and impact. As CEO, she advances a global community developing frontier skills in tech, the green economy, and entrepreneurship. Beyond work, she continues to grow as a mother, partner, leader, runner, and feminist.

Nthabiseng Lethoko

Community Experience Director

Nthabiseng Lethoko

Community Experience Director

Nthabiseng is a strategy and customer experience leader with 19 years of cross-sector experience spanning advertising, online education, digital health, NGOs, and financial services. She specialises in turning complex data into actionable, human-centred insights that shape meaningful services and drive measurable impact. With a career rooted in collaboration across creative, analytical, and innovative teams, Nthabiseng brings a deep commitment to customer centricity and building experiences that truly serve people.

Fiona Tabraham

Chief Commercial Officer

Fiona Tabraham

Chief Commercial Officer

Fiona is a powerhouse in workforce development, with 20+ years of experience driving job creation and youth employment in the UK and South Africa. At Umuzi, she leads Experience Lab - a social capital accelerator helping youth access high-value careers. She’s led efforts that have connected over 6,000 marginalised young people to meaningful work.

Nduduzo Nyanda

Launch Lab Lead

Nduduzo Nyanda

Launch Lab Lead

Nduduzo is a builder and fixer at heart. He’s passionate about turning bold ideas into systems that work - and believes in rolling up his sleeves to make the vision real. He’s here not to reinvent the wheel, but to ask: what happens when the road ends and it’s time to cross water?

Catherine Bailey

Head of Partnerships

Catherine Bailey

Head of Partnerships

Catherine leads our global partnerships work, connecting youth to learning and earning opportunities across Africa. She’s passionate about building effective teams and expanding Umuzi’s mission through strategic collaboration. Outside of work, she’s often on a trail - running, stretching, or adventuring.

Liezel Vorster

Chief of Staff

Liezel Vorster

Chief of Staff

Liezel works for people. She believes purpose matters more than praise, and she is driven by outcomes where everyone wins. Her work lives at the intersection of people, operations, and purpose - turning vision into action and building momentum for collective progress.

Andrew Levy

Founder + Chief Innovation Officer

Andrew Levy

Founder + Chief Innovation Officer

Andrew is a social entrepreneur focused on reducing inequality through digital education. As co-founder of Umuzi and the African Coding Network, he builds ecosystems that unlock youth potential. He’s a regular global speaker on AI, psychedelics, the future of work, and youth employment in Africa.

Nina Holderness-Parker

Head of Experience Lab

Nina Holderness-Parker

Head of Experience Lab

Nina Parker is a strategic leader with 12+ years of experience in higher education, edtech, and organizational strategy. She holds a PhD in Medical Biochemistry and a Postgrad Diploma in Health Professions Education. Passionate about unlocking human potential through learning, she has held leadership roles at GetSmarter/2U, Learning Sandbox, and iO-Sphere. Her work spans executive leadership, operational design, and cross-functional collaboration, aligning people, ideas, and systems for impact.

Sara Brakeman

Chief Technology Officer

Sara Brakeman

Chief Technology Officer

Sara is a tech leader with a passion for user-centered design and scalable systems. As Umuzi’s CTO, she leads the evolution of our digital products. With deep experience in Salesforce and product management (including at African Leadership University), Sara brings global expertise in designing for impact - and always keeps the user at the heart of the solution.

Tech advisory board

Advising on emerging technologies and innovation to keep Umuzi at the forefront of digital learning and workforce development.

Daniel Mould

Principal Software Engineer at Arrived

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Thabang Ledwaba

Delivery Lead at BET Software

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Whitney Tennant

Technical Product Manager at Chess.com

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Aseidas Blauvelt

Senior Director of Engineering & Innovation at Vera Solutions

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Aseidas Blauvelt

Senior Director of Engineering & Innovation at Vera Solutions

Aseidas Blauvelt

Senior Director of Engineering & Innovation at Vera Solutions

Aseidas is a technology leader working at the edge of innovation and social impact. As Senior Director at Vera Solutions, he leads tech solutions for measurement and management in the social sector. His experience spans CTO roles at Camara Education and ALU, and his PhD research explores AI use by INGOs. He’s especially focused on ethical AI and scalable tech in developing economies.

Whitney Tennant

Technical Product Manager at Chess.com

Whitney Tennant

Technical Product Manager at Chess.com

Whitney is a technical product manager at Chess.com with over a decade of experience in software development and 5+ years in product leadership. Previously, she was Head of Programmes at Umuzi and founded a tech consultancy serving impact-driven orgs in medtech. She thrives at the intersection of programming, strategy, and tech-for-good.

Thabang Ledwaba

Delivery Lead at BET Software

Thabang Ledwaba

Delivery Lead at BET Software

Thabang Ledwaba is a passionate technology professional with over a decade of experience spanning software development, architecture, and technical leadership. Previously serving as an Executive and Software Developer at BBD, Thabang has built a strong track record in solution design and innovation, driving high-impact technology initiatives from concept to delivery. Known for his hard work, self-motivation, and pioneering spirit, he is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the world of technology.

Daniel Mould

Principal Software Engineer at Arrived

Daniel Mould

Principal Software Engineer at Arrived

Daniel is a seasoned engineer with over 20 years in software development. While he’s worked across full-stack, web, desktop, and mobile, his recent focus is backend systems - particularly architecture, data storage, scalability, and cloud computing.

Work with people who care deeply and show up fully

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Executive team

Tech advisory board

Work with people who care deeply and show up fully

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