D2L Connection: Johannesburg

Annie Panday

Head of Digital Learning & Design (Tertiary Division), The Independent Institute of Education (IIE)

Annie Panday is the Head of Digital Learning & Design (Tertiary Division) at The Independent Institute of Education (IIE), where she leads institutional digital learning strategy and LMS transformation across multiple brands and programmes. With over 22 years’ experience in higher education and industry, she specialises in digital curriculum design, academic governance, accreditation, and technology-enabled learning innovation. Annie has led large-scale LMS implementations, including the transition of over 1,500 modules within a six-month period, earning recognition for operational excellence. Her work focuses on driving data-led improvements in learning quality, strengthening compliance and governance, and advancing strategic, future-focused digital learning initiatives.

Corne Meintjes

Director: Centre for Academic Technologies & Associate Professor (Strategic Communication) at the University of Johannesburg

Experienced higher education professional with a strong record in teaching, research, and academic leadership. Demonstrated expertise in leveraging educational technologies to enhance student learning and provide effective support. Proven ability in cross-faculty collaboration, project management, and curriculum development. Committed to fostering student growth and success while driving innovation in education. Dedicated to creating an inclusive learning environment that nurtures informed and engaged citizens.

Key accomplishments include NRF rating, designing and teaching 40 academic courses and 14 industry-focused programs across various modalities, publishing 19 peer-reviewed articles, 2 books, and 9 book chapters, and presenting at 32 academic conferences. Successfully released three international industry reports and supervised 5 PhD and 16 Masters students to completion. Recipient of National Research Foundation (NRF) grant funding, showcasing ability to secure resources for innovative research and educational initiatives.

Dr Gerrit Wissing

PhD (Curriculum Development, Innovation, and Evaluation), NWU, Director: Centre for Learning, Teaching, and Development, University of the Witwatersrand

Dr Gerrit Wissing is the current Director of the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Development at the University of the Witwatersrand. He holds a PhD in Curriculum Development, Innovation, and Evaluation from NWU, and has over 30 years of experience in higher education, including more than 11 years of lecturing and more than 14 years of learning experience design. He is deeply interested in how people learn, is a passionate advocate for learning and learner-centredness, and believes that all learners should have the opportunity, and can be supported to find their own purpose and meaning in life. Dr Wissing has published in leading journals and has presented his work at conferences locally and abroad. He occasionally speaks at events on learning and teaching – including this one!

Jan Petrus Bosman

Director of the Centre for Learning Technologies at Stellenbosch University

Dr. Jan Petrus Bosman is Director of the Centre for Learning Technologies (CLT – www.sun.ac.za/clt) at Stellenbosch University (SU), South Africa. He trained and taught in the field of Theology at SU before becoming involved in academic development work.

After working at the Centre for Teaching and Learning at SU as well as a start-up educational software company, he became Head and later Director of the CLT, a Centre that spearheads and supports SU’s strategies for the meaningful use of learning technologies in Teaching-Learning-Assessment.

His teaching and research interests are around blended learning, graduate attributes, the evolving digital scholar, and, more recently, the scholarship of educational leadership and artificial intelligence in higher education. He is busy with his second PhD (KU Leuven & Stellenbosch University) in the field of Academic Advising and the use of AI-infused advising systems.

He currently lives in Cape Town with his wife, two kids and two cats.

Stephen Marquard

Deputy Director of the Centre for Innovation for Learning and Teaching, University of Cape Town

Stephen Marquard is Deputy Director of the Centre for Innovation for Learning and Teaching at the University of Cape Town. His portfolio includes digital learning platforms, data analytics and integrating AI applications in teaching and learning.

Sukaina Walji

Director of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT), University of Cape Town (UCT)

Sukaina Walji is the Director of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), where she leads and supports digital education to create inclusive and equitable teaching and learning experiences for diverse student and staff needs. As a strategic advisor to university senior leadership, she has facilitated the development of UCT’s Assessment Policy, Digital and Online Education Policy, and AI in Education Framework, and currently leads a University Capacity Development Project on Assessment and AI literacy.

Tiana van der Merwe

Director: Blended Learning and Staff Development Centre for Teaching and Learning, University of the Free State

Tiana van der Merwe is the Director: Blended learning and Academic Staff Development within the Centre for Teaching and Learning (UFS). She holds a master’s degree in industrial psychology, as well as in Higher Education. Tiana’s career in higher education started as instructional designer and educational technologist and evolved into a management and leadership role within the UFS.

She is currently responsible for leading and implementing blended and distance learning at the UFS through the work of the Blended Learning and Innovation Support Service (BLISS) team. Tiana has a research interest in learning and teaching, with a special focus on curriculum and learning design, as well as innovative online and classroom teaching and student engagement practices.

She has been involved in various international, national and institutional research projects in these areas.

Prof Herman van der Merwe

Dean of Teaching and Learning and Chairperson of North-West University’s Futures Task Team

Prof Herman van der Merwe calls himself a “recycled Geneticist”, but a previous Vice-Chancellor renamed him “e-Man” to capture his fascination for using and managing technology in education!

He joined the NWU in 2010 as the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and IT at the Vanderbijlpark campus, a position he held until January 2018. After completing two consecutive terms as Executive Dean, he took up the challenge of being appointed as Deputy Dean in the new Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, responsible for Teaching and Learning across the three campuses.

He is also the CEO of an expert centre called “CUTE” (Centre for the Utilisation of Technology in Education) and is one of the founding directors of the International Association for Mobile Learning (IAmLearn).

Prof Herman van der Merwe is Dean of Teaching and Learning and chairperson of the NWU’s Futures Task Team, investigating various models and strategies (including Digital innovations, multi-modal teaching and learning, OER, micro-credentials, etc.) for the future of teaching, learning and assessment at the NWU.

He is a member of the international PoMiSA project (The potential of micro-credentials in Southern Africa), where a framework for micro-credentials in Southern Africa is being developed.

A community of practice in innovative teaching and learning with technology (iTLT) supports his research initiatives and the empowerment initiatives of staff and students in a creative environment. He has established many e-platforms for teaching and learning and was instrumental in introducing a new digital assessment platform for the NWU.

“As a teacher, researcher, policy advocate, manager and leader, he is a visionary leader whose fascination with technology has been informed by his commitment to serving the highest ideals of people and education.” Prof Errol Tyobeka

Prof Mpho Chaka (CPRP) PhD

Chief Director: Teaching and Learning, North-West University

Prof Mpho Chaka is an Associate Professor in Communication. He obtained all his qualifications in Communication at NWU except for his Master’s which he obtained from UP. He is therefore a NWU alumnus and knows the NWU culture and has a thorough Institutional knowledge.

He had been the DD:TL at the FHum since 2018 where he

• Guided the faculty to become a model of teaching excellence, achieving the highest number of university teaching awards.
• Championed the PQM review and New Century Curriculum project
• Advanced the quality assurance and promotion of faculty programmes, internal and external reviews, integration ofAI, digital tools, and gamification in learning environments through international collaborations. He is therefore not new to TL and to the core business and support services CTL caters for in collaboration with faculties.

Professor Chaka’s leadership philosophy is grounded in innovation, inclusivity, and transformation. He is known for championing decolonial approachesto curriculum renewal, integrating digital pedagogy, and advancing the transformative scholarship and research informed teaching and learning. His work consistently bridges policy and practice, ensuring that institutional frameworks translate into meaningful impact on the ground.

Research and scholarly interests

• Communication Science
• Teaching and learning innovation
• Curriculum transformation
• Digital pedagogy
• Decoloniality and Multilingual education
• Humanities and social justice
• Media and governance and he have 51 articles published in accredited journals.

He also successfully supervised 8 MA degrees and 2 PHD’s Last year he was awarded as Top 2 productive researcher by his faculty.

His communication background, TL interest and leadership with his research achievements makes him indeed an excellent fit for the position of CD:TL and would enable him to liaise well with all stakeholders.

Christian Pantel

Chief Product Officer, D2L

Christian was appointed Chief Product Officer in 2024. He leads global Product Strategy, Product Management, Product Design, User Experience Research and Accessibility at D2L. Christian first joined the company in 2015 and has expanded his leadership in product, design, and engineering. He has extensive experience in Education Technology and knows D2L customers well. With deep empathy for diverse learners and educators, Christian has led D2L to develop products with a world-class user experience.

Christian has over 25 years of leadership experience building software at notable enterprise software companies including Workday, Infor, and PeopleSoft. Christian earned a Master of Science in computing science from Simon Fraser University, specializing in human-computer interaction and Web-based learning environments. He also holds a Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours) from the University of Manitoba. Christian lives in Winnipeg with his wife and four children.

Stewart Watts

Senior Vice President, EMEA and APAC

Stewart Watts is Senior Vice President, EMEA & APAC Sales, at D2L. He leads the company’s commercial activities east of the Americas—across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.

A graduate of The University of Nottingham, Stewart holds an MA (Hons) in Hispanic Studies and has worked in the software industry within education and learning since 2011. Stewart moved to D2L in January 2016 having previously spent close to five years at software and services firm Blackbaud Inc., where he ran commercial operations within the European division.

Stewart was brought up in Bolton, Greater Manchester, in the north of England and now lives in Surrey with his wife and two children. Stewart describes himself as a “spare bedroom musician,” a “wannabe Tiger Woods,” and a “long-suffering Manchester United fan,” with his passions for music, golf and football taking up the majority of his free time.

Andrew Brunsden

Regional Director Southern Africa & Middle East, D2L

Andrew serves as Regional Director for Southern Africa and Middle East at D2L, where he partners with institutions to advance digital learning through innovative LMS solutions. With extensive experience in enterprise technology across Africa he brings a strong track record of building strategic relationships and driving growth in complex, evolving markets.

Louise Plunkett

International Product Strategy Director, D2L

Louise leads D2L’s product strategy across international markets, focusing on creating innovative digital learning solutions for diverse educational needs. Based in the UK, Louise is dedicated to helping shape the future of education through strategic product development and global market insights.

Zain Qaadri

Senior Solutions Engineer, D2L

Zain is a Senior Solutions Engineer with 7 years of hands-on experience in the educational technology industry. His journey began as a Business Development Representative, where he honed his skills in understanding customer needs and motivations.
With a keen eye for identifying pain points and drivers, Zain transitioned seamlessly into the role of Solutions Engineer. His forte lies in crafting customised software solutions that precisely address the unique challenges faced by clients, leveraging his Brightspace expertise to help revolutionise learning experiences and drive educational innovation.