Christine Mitter is Professor of Management Accounting and Finance at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences in Austria, and Research Fellow in the Department of Economics and Finance at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Prof Mitter specialises in the design and impact of corporate governance as well as management accounting and corporate finance in various life-cycle stages of companies of different sizes and ownership structures. In particular, she is interested in corporate restructuring and organisational resilience in various types of companies and the way in which management accounting and funding can support these processes. She has published and presented more than 40 papers in academic journals and at international conferences, served as editor (book on risk management, special issue on Entrepreneurial Finance) and contributed more than 20 book chapters.

Prof Mitter has professional experience as a management accountant and financial manager in international companies. As Head of the Finance and Accounting Group at Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, she designed numerous courses in the field of finance and accounting, in particular Financial Risk Management. As a lecturer, she has taught several courses in the field of corporate finance, management accounting, risk management, and corporate restructuring at Austrian universities and institutions of higher education, as well as at international universities.

Together with Prof Johan Coetzee, she initiated the Consecutive Master’s Degree Programme in International Finance, a collaboration between the University of the Free State and Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, for which she is the programme coordinator at SUAS.

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Dr Richard Chamboko is a seasoned applied econometrician and development finance expert with more than 15 years of experience. His expertise spans applied research, econometrics, strategy, and project management, focusing on digital finance, fintech, microfinance, SME finance, financial sector development, financial inclusion, credit risk modelling, and financial distress measurement.

He has led impactful projects with global institutions such as the IFC-World Bank Group, USAID, EU, and UN agencies, as well as local governments and NGOs. Dr Chamboko excels in designing and managing large-scale studies to improve service delivery and inform policy and private sector strategies. His work includes rigorous data analysis, developing M&E systems, and enhancing access to finance for MSMEs and smallholder farmers in developing economies.

Dr Chamboko holds a PhD in Econometrics and has published extensively in leading journals such as World Development, Risk Management, and International Journal of Financial Studies.
 

Dr Blessing Katuka is an award-winning economist with extensive research in climate change, financial stability, country governance, public finance, bank lending, and performance. He has spent more than a decade working in various departments at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, gaining extensive experience in financial services and central banking. Currently, he is leading research on climate change, as well as financial and price stability with the South African Reserve Bank.

In addition to his professional roles, Dr Katuka is a visiting lecturer in the Department of Economics at Bindura University of Science Education in Zimbabwe. His academic achievements include a PhD in Economics from the University of the Free State awarded in 2023, where he received the Best PhD Book Prize. He has also been recognised with book prizes at both master’s and undergraduate levels.

As a Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, Dr Katuka focuses on fiscal space, climate change, and political regimes. His work and research continue to contribute significantly to the field of economics.