Becoming a Changemaker: Intro to Social Innovation

Dr. François Bonnici is a physician, professor, and social change practitioner with over 20 years of experience across various countries and sectors. His early career was deeply rooted in frontline work, collaborating extensively with civil society, foundations, public sector entities, multilateral organizations, and the private sector to foster progressive partnerships aimed at transformative social change. Since 2019, he has served as the Director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, an international foundation focused on impactful social change models. Previously, he was the Founding Director of the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the University of Cape Town from 2011 to 2018, establishing a globally recognized center for advancing social innovation in Africa. A Gold Medal graduate from UCT's medical school, he holds a Master's in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and an MBA from the University of Oxford, where he graduated at the top of his class. Dr. Bonnici's extensive career includes clinical medicine, humanitarian programs, and innovative social change projects, earning him numerous accolades such as Rhodes Scholar and Archbishop Tutu African Leadership Fellow. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at UCT and has contributed to various academic initiatives in social entrepreneurship.

Marlon Parker is an entrepreneur and advocate for using technology for social good. He is the founder of the Reconstructed Living Lab (RLabs), a global movement that operates in 23 countries and has impacted over 9.2 million people since its inception. His commitment to community development has earned him recognition as one of the 100 World Class South Africans in 2013 and 2014, as well as being an alumnus of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative. In 2014, he was selected as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and an Ashoka Fellow. Parker co-founded JamiiX, a mobile chat counseling network that has reached over 4.5 million people, and has collaborated with organizations such as Mozilla, BBC, UN Women, and the World Bank to promote social change through technology.

Warren is currently an Associate Professor specializing in Social Innovation at the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town. He earned his Ph.D. in Management from McGill University, studying under renowned scholar Henry Mintzberg. His research centers on the organizational dimensions of deep institutional transformation, particularly focusing on shifts related to social and environmental sustainability. Warren has collaborated with various social purpose organizations to investigate the relationship between engaging organizational practices and broader social change patterns. He has been recognized for his teaching excellence, having taught nearly 40 courses across undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels in subjects ranging from organizational strategy to social innovation and sustainability. His extensive professional experience in community development fuels his passion for connecting academic research with practitioner-driven social initiatives. Notably, he conducted research at Kufunda Learning Village, a grassroots sustainability project in Zimbabwe, and further expanded his research by visiting social change organizations in India.