Ian Merrington

CEO of Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi)

Ian is the CEO of The Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative and the Bandwidth Barn. He is responsible for the development and execution of organisational strategy and operations and for leading both organisations.

The Bandwidth Barn is Africa’s oldest incubator and is today regarded as one of the leading ICT business incubators in the world.

Ian also sits on the advisory boards of the University of Cape Town’s Information Systems department and also the Computer Sciences department. He is also a lead mentor for Techstars.

Ian is passionate about the role of innovation in solving the challenges faced by modern societies. He believes that FinTech and the blockchain have enormous transformative potential in Africa and that inclusive innovation can improve lives across the continent.

In his current role as CEO of CiTi, he has a focus on supporting and incubating inclusive tech-enabled innovation, creating job-ready candidates for the ICT sector and also accelerating tech entrepreneurs.

Ian has a wealth of corporate experience, with extensive experience in the technology, innovation and creative sectors. Prior to his present role, he spent several years in advertising and consulting services, during which time he was Group Financial Director of BBDO SA, a director of Gloo Digital Design and later Chief Operating Officer for iKineo, a leading Pan-African customer engagement firm. Ian was part of the team that created an installer network programme for satellite operator SES (SES Elevate) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Prior to that Ian spent 12 years in senior Financial Management roles within the FMCG sector with a focus on Food Manufacturing.

http://www.citi.org.za