Once the preserve of dilettantes exchanging formal communiqués in cloistered offices, today’s diplomacy — call it Diplomacy 2.0 — should be a wide-ranging discussion that involves individuals at all levels from the echoing marble halls of government buildings in the world’s most powerful countries to the 16-year-old with a mobile-enabled cellphone texting with a US […]
Donald Gips
Ambassador Donald Gips serves as the personal representative of US President Barack Obama in South Africa. Prior to his nomination by the president, Ambassador Gips had a varied career inside and outside of government. Notably, the ambassador served as group vice-president for global development at Level 3 Communications, a company that focuses on providing internet services to organisations with large bandwidth requirements. His position at Level 3 complemented his passion for high technology and communications, a passion which continues today in South Africa. Ambassador Gips is keenly interested in how new media platforms are changing South African society, from democratising opinion-making to building social networks.