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Herman Mashaba grew up in a small village on the outskirts of Pretoria during the dark days of apartheid South Africa. Mashaba embraced independence early in life, having lost his father at the age of two. When his studies were interrupted by state security forces during the struggle against apartheid, Mashaba decided to pursue a career as an entrepreneur instead.
Over the ensuing decades he built a business empire that included companies in the cosmetics, construction, real estate, retail, energy and financial services fields. His success earned him an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from the Central University of Technology in 2013.
During this time, Mashaba also chaired the Free Market Foundation – a public benefit organisation founded on classical liberal principles with the aim to promote and foster an open, democratic society based on the rule of law, personal liberty, and economic freedom.
In 2015, Mashaba decided that he was no longer satisfied with being an armchair critic and entered politics as Mayoral Candidate for the City of Johannesburg for the DA, South Africa’s largest opposition party.
In the historic election of 2016, Mashaba was elected as the Executive Mayor of a 7-party multi-party coalition government with a mandate for change.
Herman Mashaba stepped-back from corporate life in order to focus fulltime on leading the City government. He has received acclaim for his hands-on approach to service delivery, innovative partnerships with the private sector, and zero-tolerance for corruption and maladministration.
Herman Mashaba corporate approach to municipal governance introduced a new era in the City as Mashaba worked to turn the corner on the decay and deterioration that had become associated with Johannesburg. In doing so he won the hearts and minds of the City’s residents, who recognised his desire to serve the residents of the City and to get Joburg working.
On the 21st of October 2019, Mashaba announced his resignation from the Democratic Alliance, and consequently as the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, effective 27 November 2019.
Shortly after his resignation Herman Mashaba launched The People’s Dialogue on the 6th of December 2019, a platform to engage ordinary South Africans about the solutions required to fix South Africa and build a shared future for all its people.
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Mandla Isaacs is a public speaker, and facilitator. He is Managing Director of Zehuti Advisory, a communications and strategy firm.
His main areas of expertise and interest are: political economy, business strategy/trends, South African and African development, international relations, public policy/administration and politics.
His career has spanned management consulting, including with McKinsey – where he advised companies and governments across Africa on strategy and change management – as well as public service, where he was head of research and speechwriting for the Minister of Home Affairs and Finance.
In four years in government, Mandla wrote speeches for Parliament, investors, foreign diplomats and communities, among other stakeholders.
He also wrote two budget speeches – the October 2017 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement Speech, and the February 2018 Budget Speech – which are two of the most closely followed communications on the national calendar.
He regularly provides analysis on South Africa-focused political economy, international relations and development issues in online columns, on radio and TV.
He is a former champion debater and coach in British Parliamentary-style university debating.
Mandla Isaacs – Political Economist was educated in the United States (BA Political Science, Howard University) and South Africa (MA International Relations).
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Kevin Fine has 25 year career that has spanned Executive Leadership, National Broadcasting, Brand Management, Community Development and Entrepreneurship.
He is a regular speaker on the local and international circuit as well as inside corporates, and the media industry at large. Fine shares his collaborative views through articles, speaking panels, and keynote presentations applying his experience and interests on topics including: Company Culture, the Content Economy, Thought Leadership, Sustainability, Business Growth, Audience Monetisation and Future Trends.
More recently and after 8 years leading the biggest regional radio channel in South Africa – Jacaranda FM, Fine was appointed Managing Director of a new business called “Expedite” within the Kagiso Media Radio division. The business focuses solely on accelerating businesses by innovatively leveraging media resources and inventory. He has since left and stepped in to the Entrepreneurial and speaking world full time.
Kevin Fine was a key part of Jacaranda FM’s success and leaves the station with audience numbers in South Africa’s top 10. Digital engagement and reach achieved unprecedented levels, with both jacarandafm.com and the station’s the biggest YouTube channel in the number 1 spot in the country. Internally during 2019, the station’s culture was qualified as a Gold Best Company to Work For in the Deloitte and Touche survey.
Kevin Fine major achievements were ensuring a strong CAGR, profitability, brand presence and benevolence. Under his leadership, the station also received prestigious accolades, with more than 30 awards, from listeners and industry peers, including: “Commercial Radio Station of the Year” 2015 The Roger Garlick Award, a Gold Loerie, and an International One Show Award for the “More Music You Love” Live Billboard Campaign.
Three major sustainability projects completed included Project Khanya distributing light to 25000 homes, Project Water Drop which delivered millions of liters of water to drought stricken communities before sinking boreholes and wells, and Hearts for Mandela Day ensuring heart surgery for 67 children.
Prior to Kevin Fine time at the station, Kevin was CEO at 101.9 Chai FM, brought in to remodel, reformat and relaunch the station in 2010.
Additionally, Kevin Fine also founded (and is a director of) the Little Champs Sports Academy, A sports development programme for early childhood. His passion for sport, and sports marketing also saw him manage the EA FIFA game Franchise in South Africa for 3 years and running the FIFA Interactive World Cup Event for South Africa. He also went on to head up the Football For Hope Program, Alexandra at the FIFA World Cup 2010.
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Vasti Geldenhuys will make most people feel a bit uncomfortable in a court room, but for Vasti, it is a familiar territory.
In a world of exploration, dominated by men, Vasti always watched and supported from the sideline as her now husband, pioneering explorer, Riaan Manser, completed 3 World first’s. This inspired Vasti to do something extraordinary with her own life.
After a seemingly innocent request for a holiday to New York, Vasti never imagined that she would exchange her legal surroundings to something very, very unfamiliar. The mighty Atlantic Ocean. On a journey humorously but aptly called “Take Me to New York”, Vasti and her husband embarked from Morocco, enduring a 6 month journey at sea on a 6.9 meter rowing boat.
On landing in Miami, USA on 7 May 2014 the pair became the first people ever in history to have rowed from mainland Africa to North America. Vasti also became the only woman from the African Continent to have ever rowed across any Ocean.
They continued their journey by tackling the East Coast of the USA to finally reach New York City on 20 June 2014. Rowing up the Hudson River and passing by the iconic
Statue of Liberty.
In 2015 Vasti Geldenhuys completed her pupillage at the Cape Bar and was admitted as an Advocate. The thrill of exploration remained. In 2016, after tying the knot, the now husband and wife pair decided to set new a standard for the term “Honeymoon”.
Vasti Geldenhuys again tackled the Ocean, this time the mighty Pacific, on the exact same row boat. They rowed from California to Hawaii in a record breaking time of 39 days. They earned themselves another Guiness World record for the fastest mid-Pacific row. This record was previously held by a 4-man rowing team.
Hit by a 6 meter wave and capsized, 2000 km from shore; Riaan getting separated from the boat and Vasti unable to stop the boat drifting further and further away; 12 hour rowing days while managing a new marriage in life threatening situations are just a few examples of life at sea.
Storms and ship traffic provided for harrowing escapes from natural and human threats. But there were the quiet moments when the couple could reflect, savour the sunsets on the ocean and be intrigued by the amazing wildlife.
Vasti Geldenhuys will intrigue the audience with a unique woman’s perspective of the world of adventure; a world usually reserved for rugged and very brave men. Her talk will not only inspire the audience to new possibilities but show ordinary men and women that one is capable of much more than one thinks.
Being inspired lasts longer than being motivated, real stories of having gone out and actually achieving what you set out to do.
As of July 2015, Vasti Geldenhuys can deservedly add the title of Advocate Geldenhuys to her growing status.
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Vito Di Bari resides in Miami, FL. He maintains a global reputation of excellence as the world’s premiere futurist, innovation strategist and inspirational keynote speaker. His charming and entertaining style leaves nothing to be desired.
Vito is the only keynote speaker who has given a TEDx Talk in five world continents. Vito is an esteemed former professor of Project Design and Management of Innovation at both the Polytechnic University and Bocconi University in Milan.
He has also served as Executive Director for the IMI Institute of UNESCO in Paris; the candidate city of Milan has chosen Vito Di Bari to be the Innovation Designer of the World Fair Expo 2015.
Founder and CEO
In 2001, Vito Di Bari has secured his visions and legacy by founding Next Media Lab – a cutting edge international research laboratory, named “Milan’s think tank” by Wired Magazine, where he currently serves as CEO. After moving to Miami Beach, Di Bari has founded Di Bari & Associates – a design studio is changing the world a neighborhood at the time through his cutting edge artistic iconic urban installations, using recent discoveries in various fields such as AR, sensors and 3D printing.
Author
Vito di Bari is a recognized author on innovative theories, Di Bari has published a multitude of works including the books: Social Killer, Short Circuit, Web 2.0, The Future is Already Here (but we don’t know it yet), 2015, Weekend in the Future, Strategies for the Next Economy, The Digital Economy Encyclopedia, Key Words for the Net Economy, and Multimedia Management. In addition to his books, Di Bari is a contributing writer for various magazines including WIRED, Harvard Business Review, Panorama (Italy) and Il Sole 24 Ore (Italy). He has also appeared as a host for television’s Discovery Channel and the Italian broadcasting network Italia 1.
University Faculty
Di Bari has held numerous titles of professorship, including: Professor of Design and Management of Innovation at the Faculty of System Engineering of the Polytechnic University and Professor of Innovation Design at the Bocconi University in Milan; Professor of New Media Theories and Techniques at the Communication Science and Technology Faculty of the IULM University in Milan; Professor of Multimedia Innovation Management at the Computer Science Faculty of the Polytechnic University in Milan; Professor of Design and Management of Multimedia Systems at the Design Faculty of the Polytechnic University in Milan; Scientific Director of the Master in Marketing, Communications and New Technologies at the Business School of Il Sole 24 Ore.
Boards and Committees
Executive Vice-President of SPN (Satellite Program Network) – America’s first satellite television network based in New York, member of the Scientific Committee of the International Institute for Opera and Poetry of UNESCO, Member of the Fiction Financing Committee Euro-Aim MEDIA with the Council of Europe (Bruxelles), Chairman of the Arts & Communication International Fellowship of Rotary International (Evanston, IL).
In Italy, Chairman of the Scientific Committee of ASCAI (the Association of Corporate Communications Executives), member of the Advisory Board of the Accenture Foundation, the Scientific Committee of Harvard Business Review and the Executive Board of the Industrial Districts Association.
MORE THAN A KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Nicknamed The Dream Team, DiBari & Associates is a unique Associated Studio bringing together star-artists and star-designers from five continents to deliver the best that the world has to offer.
Mission
We design the cityscapes of the future, today.
We all share the same vision: creating memorable, metaphorical, iconic art installations while implementing new materials, new technologies and brand new ideas. We design Emotional Cityscapes.
Vision
With everything we do, Vito di Bari believes that beauty will save the world, one place at a time. Vito di Bari looks at these sites as canvases waiting to be painted with emotions, becoming the pride of residents and destinations for visitors.
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Mike Walsh is the CEO of Tomorrow, a global consultancy on designing companies for the 21st century. A global nomad, futurist and author of the bestselling book, The Algorithmic Leader, he advises some of the world’s biggest organizations on digital transformation and disruptive innovation in this new era of machine intelligence.
A prolific writer and commentator, Mike’s views have appeared in a wide range of international publications including Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, BusinessWeek, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal. Each week he interviews provocative thinkers, innovators and troublemakers on his podcast, Between Worlds.
His latest book, The Algorithmic Leader: How to be smart when machines are smarter than you, offers a hopeful and practical guide for reinventing leadership and organizations.
Mike’s other books include Futuretainment (winner of the design award by the Art Director’s Club in New York), published by Phaidon, and The Dictionary Of Dangerous Ideas.
Mike travels over 300 days a year worldwide: researching trends, collecting case studies and presenting on the future of business and leadership.
Take a moment to sign up for Mike’s newsletter and receive a weekly thought piece on how leaders can leverage emerging technologies, new ways of working and transformative mindsets to reinvent their organizations and their role in them.
FUTURIST
Rather than focusing on the distant future, Mike takes an anthropological approach – scanning the near horizon for emerging technologies and disruptive shifts in human behavior, and then translating these into pragmatic plans for digital transformation. A prolific writer and commentator, Mike’s views have appeared in a wide range of international publications including BusinessWeek, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal.
Global Nomad
Constantly traveling the world for the best ideas, Mike Walsh spends more than 300 days a year on the road interviewing innovators, entrepreneurs and corporate revolutionaries to provide his clients and audiences with a fresh and compelling vision of tomorrow’s opportunities.
Speaker
Mike Walsh has delivered close to a thousand keynote speeches around the world to companies in almost every industry. His customized presentations leave audiences prepared and inspired to transform the way they do business.
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