Isla Haddow-Flood

Communications Director
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

A Zimbabwean by birth, and a Capetonian by adoption, Oxford-educated Isla Haddow-Flood is a writer, editor, and a communications and marketing expert and a project strategist. She has worked within the education, arts, culture, film and broadcast sectors across Africa. The main focus of her career thus far has been to leverage platforms (online and offline) to facilitate access to, and the amplification of, voices from Africa, in whichever medium they choose.

As the Director of Communications for OE Global, Isla oversees communications (internal and external) and promotional initiatives to facilitate the success of Open Education Global’s projects and events.  

Since 2011 she has been focused on developing the WikiAfrica movement by activating and supporting the growth of aligned open, and specifically, Wikimedia-based, communities across Africa. This was initially with the Africa Centre and then through Wiki In Africa, an NGO that is co-run with Florence Devouard. Isla has co-created and continues to lead ground-breaking projects such as Wiki Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Women, WikiFundi and a number of education and training initiatives. She is proud to work with a thriving network of open activists in 24 countries across Africa, and beyond.

In 2019, Isla was a member of the Advocacy Working Group for the recently completed Wikimedia Movement Strategy 2030. Across 2020, she researched, wrote and published an analytical report on the motivations, needs, expectations and philosophical intentions of the members of Creative Commons’ Global Network. The report is compiled from the thoughts and experiences of 188 Creative Commoners members.

Prior to working within the WikiAfrica movement, she was the Marketing and Communications Manager for the Africa Centre raising the brand and national profile of event-based arts brands. Prior to that she worked as a writer to accelerate and support the growth of Africa’s film industry both as a skilled destination and burgeoning creative force.

Contact:  isla@oeglobal.org
Twitter: @havingaflood