Ismail Mahomed is the Director for the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is a multi-award winning and multi-published arts management strategist and playwright with more than 35 years’ experience in cultural leadership positions. His previous roles include holding the positions of Artistic Director of the National Arts Festival, Senior Culrual Specialist at the US Embassy and Chief Executive Officer of the Market Theatre Foundation. At the latter institution he invoked the Protected Disclosures Act and won a case in which he exposed corruption and financial maladministration by the Council appointed by the Minister of Sports, Arts & Culture. He serves on the board of several arts organisations including the STAND Foundation, KKNK Festival, Aardklop Festival, ASSITEJ SA, Cape Town City Ballet, TWIST Development and Centre for Animation And Drawing. He is the founder and director of the Artfluence Human Rights Festival. Mahomed was one of three persons from the African continent selected to participate in the Cultural Leadership for the 21st Century programme at Kings College (London)