Stephen Gelb: Executive Director

Stephen Gelb is an economist with more than 20 years of experience in South African economic policy issues. He studied economics in Cape Town and Toronto annd was an activist in the Canadian anti-apartheid movement between 1976 and 1984. Returning to South Africa in 1984, he was an advisor to COSATU, the South African Council of Churches and the UDF on economic policy issues until 1990. Stephen then worked as an advisor to the ANC government during the early 1990’s. He has been a consultant to a number of South African government departments and agencies, including the treasury, the Department of Trade & Industry, the Office of the Deputy President and NEDLAC. He worked with the Office of the President from 1999, as leader of a major study of domestic fixed investment in South Africa, and was research coordinator in the Government’s MAP Technical Team between November 2000 and July 2001. He has taught at various universities including York University (Toronto), The New School for Social Research (New York City), the University of Durban-Westville, KZN and currently the University of the Witwatersrand where he is visiting Professor in Development Studies. Stephen also spent more than 4 years at the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

Alison Gillwald: Associate Director

Alison Gillwald is Director of Research ICT Africa, an 18 African country ICT policy and regulatory research network which is hosted by The EDGE Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to this she was Associate Professor at the Witwatersrand University Graduate School of Public and Development Management, where she founded the Learning Information Networking and Knowledge (LINK) Centre in 1999 with the purposes of fast tracking ICT policy and regulatory training in Southern Africa. Prior to that she was appointed to the founding Council of the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (SATRA). Before joining SATRA in 1997 she was responsible for establishing the Independent Broadcasting Authority’s Policy Department. In 2002 she chaired the National Digital Advisory Body appointed by the Minister of Communication. She serves on the board of the public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation. She is founding editor of the Southern African Journal of Information and Communication and is published in the areas of telecommunications and broadcasting policy and regulation, gender and politics more broadly.

Christoph Stork: Senior Researcher

Christoph Stork is Senior Researcher at the Edge Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa. He holds a PhD in financial economics from London Guildhall University, UK, a Diplom Kaufmann (MA) from the University of Paderborn, Germany, and a BA Economics from the University of Nottingham, Trent, UK. His main research interest is in measuring the impact of ICTs on economic growth, employment creation and poverty alleviation.

Alex Comninos: Researcher and Network Coordinator

Alex Comninos holds a Masters degree in international relations from the university of Cape Town. He has worked previously for the Human Sciences Research Council and has published two co-authored chapters on South African investment in Africa and intra-african investment. As well as being a researcher Alex is Network Co-ordinator for the Research ICT Africa network and webmaster for www.the-edge.org.za, www.researchictafrica.net and www.southafricaconnect.org.za.

Marie Ndlovu: Office Manager

Marie Ndlovu is office manager at the EDGE Institute. She has previously worked as Personal Assistant to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs and Tourism Chairperson and as a Trade and Investment Officer at UK Trade and Investment, the Trade Office of the British High Commission in South Africa.