Ezlyn Barends (South Africa)
Founding Director, DreamGirls AcademyRecognised as one of Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans and named as one of FastCompany SA’s Top Creative People in Business, Ezlyn is a dynamic visionary and self-starter.
In 2011, Ezlyn brought together a group of professionals to start an influential female empowerment organisation that has mentored and supported hundreds of young women across multiple cities in South Africa. The organisation now helps shift female youth from economic dependency to economic opportunity through education, employability, and entrepreneurship in the technology and innovation sectors.
Ezlyn’s key focus is specifically vested in guiding female youth to incorporate technology & innovation skills development into their lifelong learning and to build a strong pipeline and hub of top young female talent for who are forward-thinking, relevant, and well-prepared to thrive in the digital age.
Ezlyn is widely acknowledged as an effective change leader who is able to make an impact wherever she goes, and as such, she is passionate about inspiring and equipping others to initiate and implement their own positive change movements and initiatives.
Ezlyn holds an MBA and Bachelors in Business Administration.