Emily is a Youth Empowerment Expert with over 20 years’ experience in the space. Emily co-founded Amathuba Collective, offering extensive programmes to strengthen young people’s emotional and mental wellbeing.

Their passion to help youth to love themselves and grow into positive and confident humans has informed the V&A Academy approach. At the Academy she guides and oversees activities from an impact perspective to ensure we achieve measurable, lasting change in the young people and their hosting businesses.

Brett leads the V&A Academy team and is responsible for strategic partnerships to create job opportunities for young people across the V&A Waterfront.

He focuses on enabling career paths for under-resourced youth in Cape Town’s tourism, retail, and hospitality sectors. Brett is passionate about supporting young people’s transition into the workplace and ensuring host businesses nurture their growth. He works to help businesses improve customer service excellence by developing young talent. Brett oversees the design and delivery of training programs, collaborating with employers, funders, and partners to create lasting, positive change across the V&A Waterfront ecosystem.

Thabile in a seasoned HR Practitioner with a special focus on youth employment. She leads young teams and develops talent in administrative and compliance roles.

At the Academy she liaises with hosts, managers and supervisors to support the development of the young people and their ability to add significant value to their employers. She guides the administrative processes to ensure smooth and impactful implementation the Academy’s projects.