It is with great sadness that we report the passing away of Matthew Buckland, our Entrepreneur-in-Residence, after battling illness.
Professionally, Matt was a genuine pioneer in digital media in South Africa and across the continent. He led the Mail & Guardian’s digital platform in the early 2000s, ensuring that it became Africa’s leading news site. After leaving M&G, he became a digital entrepreneur, founding the highly successful agency Creative Spark.
Matt’s accomplishments in digital media in South Africa led us to ask him to serve on the Advisory Board of our South Africa Media Innovation Program, where he would share his business acumen with the next generation of media companies transforming the country.
After leaving Creative Spark, he joined MDIF as Entrepreneur-in-Residence, where he was able to share his expertise beyond South Africa, advising and consulting media companies across the world from Indonesia to Peru, and running workshops and trainings from Berlin to Yangon.
Personally, we shall greatly miss Matthew’s warmth, energy and passion, and would like to pay tribute to a wonderfully able and supportive colleague.
Our thoughts are with Matt’s family at this difficult time.