Our people
Letlotlo Phohole
Director of the Wits Innovation Centre
As Director, he oversees all strategic and operational aspects of the Wits Innovation Centre and provides leadership to the Innovation Support team, the innovation laboratories, and the Industry Solutions Laboratories.
“My vision for the WIC is to ignite a passion for innovation and progress in all Faculties, inter-Faculty entities and members of the Wits community, with a focus on serving society through our efforts. We will achieve this by continuously embracing the spirit of learning, challenging our own mental models and collaborating with a diverse range of stakeholders both within and beyond the university. By doing so, we will maintain Wits as a leader in shaping the future and creating positive impact.”
Letlotlo Phohole is a seasoned technology and innovation management professional with over 25 years of experience spread across industry, government agencies, academia and entrepreneurship.
He has a proven track record of integrating engineering, systems engineering, technology management and business consulting to create effective holistic solutions that benefit multiple industries like mining, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace & defence, arts & craft and freight logistics.
Christo Doherty 
Acting Angela and David Fine Chair in Innovation
Professor Christo Doherty is the Acting Angela and David Fine Chair in Innovation. He is a pioneer artist, scholar and innovator, who consistently pushes the cutting edge of art and technology in Africa. He founded the Digital Arts Department in the Wits School of Arts, where he developed ground-breaking programmes in Digital Animation, Interactive Media and Game Design – making Wits the first South African university to adapt its art curricula to embrace new technologies.
He also co-founded and became the first Creative Director of the Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival, which is still thriving today at the Tshimologong Innovation Hub, more than a decade after it was started. After joining the WIC in 2022, Professor Doherty founded the ArtSci4Innovation programme, which has stimulated unique collaborative projects between artists and scientists in engineering and physics at Wits. He also serves as the academic co-ordinator of the PGDip in Innovation & Entrepreneurship.