Matthew Buckland

Matthew previously worked for the country’s largest online operation 24.com, first as the GM of Publishing, and then going on to found and head up the award-winning 20FourLabs (www.20fourlabs.com), a R20-million incubation and innovation division. The division won a continent-wide Nokia innovation competition for a health-based mobile application in 2010.

Prior to this he headed up South African online news publisher Mail & Guardian Online for seven years where he was responsible for turning the business around on both a readership and online sales level, turning the online division into a profitable entity for the first time in its history.

Named as one of “SA’s top 100 most influential media and advertising people” (The Annual), Matthew has worked on the web literally from its inception.

He developed a passion for all things digital at an early age when, as a seven-year-old, he began programming on his first computer. He has spoken and guest-lectured on online media issues around the world, including New York, London,South Africa, Berlin, Amsterdam, Ireland and Kenya.

He is the MD of Cape Town-based start-up Creative Spark, a web agency and digital consultancy with a specialisation in online publishing and social media. In April 2010 he started Memeburn.com, a site and resource tracking emerging web technologies and start-ups on the continent.

The Mail & Guardian also named him one of “300 Young South Africans you should take out to lunch”. He was also named an upcoming New Media “Mogul” by FHM magazine and in 2009 nominated for the Men’s Health “Best Man” awards.