Alasdair Harris is a marine ecologist with an unhealthy obsession for corals and has spent the past decade developing conservation initiatives in the Indian Ocean. Alasdair is recipient of the IUCN World Conservation Union’s Young Conservationists Award, winner of the Conde Nast Environment Award, an Ashoka Fellow, and a passionate ambassador of Australia’s penguins.
His work developing sustainable business approaches for financing conservation has twice been commended by the UK Chancellor in the ‘Enterprising Young Brits’ awards, and was highly commended by HRH the Duke of Cambridge in the 2013 inaugural Tusk Conservation Awards.
My Definition Of Success | The sense of knowing that I’ve made the most of opp ortunities that have come my way, that I’ve done my utmost to learn from my experiences, and to grow both personally and professionally in meeting the challenges and adventures that I’ve encountered along the way.
My Primary Motivation | Has always been my concern for the loss of the beauty and diversity of nature that’s happening all around us as a result of man’s impact on the natural world.
My Highlights | My damascene moment – the first time I dived underwater on Indian Ocean coral reef, and bore witness to the bewildering diversity and fragility of our tropical seas.
Lessons I Have Learnt | Without a doubt; always seize every opportunity to swim in the ocean. Even in midwinter when it doesn’t necessarily feel like a good idea at the time.
Dealing With Doubt | Recognise that anxiety and self doubt are largely irrational – they’re rarely based on substance, yet are a necessary part of the human condition – in fact it would be more worrying if we didn’t get gripped by mortal fear before (for example) we stand up on stage to give a presentation that we feel under-qualified to deliver, but it’s important to keep our fears in perspective; be aware of them, but recognise that they’re rarely fair to ourselves.
Performing At My Peak | Sleep, exercise and time out!
The Best Advice I’ve Received | When you get into work try to tackle first the task that you feel you least want to grapple with – chances are it’s the most important
Advice On Building Wealth | Ask yourself whether financial wealth is really what your primary motivation in life should be; do you really think this will provide you with fulfillment? Anyone can sell out to work for a bank, but would you really want to live the life of a banker when you can use your short time on earth to achieve something that actually has meaning?
With a wealth of knowledge from years spent in the IT sector, Keith Jones founded Start With 7 (SW7) to fulfill his passion to grow startup technology businesses in Africa. Recognising the dynamic changes facing this industry, Keith rolls up his sleeves to share his considerable experience through mentoring and gives us now an insight […]
Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist who has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. He has written five books – The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference; Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking; Outliers: The Story of Success; What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures; and David […]
Gary Kirsten is a former South African cricketer and the World Cup winning coach of the Indian Cricket Team. He played 101 Test matches and 185 One-day internationals for South Africa between 1993 and 2004, mainly as an opening batsman. He has recently established a cricket academy named the Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy (GKCA). Kirsten […]
Matt Frazier is a marathoner and ultrarunner from Baltimore. His life as an endurance athlete changed when he found that he could run longer and faster on a vegetarian diet. After going vegetarian in March 2009, Frazier qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon with a time of 3:09:59, more than an hour and a half […]
Victoria Verbaan is an established designer, artist and illustrator. Working in a wide variety of artistic disciplines ranging from illustration and painting to the design of bespoke rugs, wallpaper, limited edition fine art prints, fabric and more recently, ceramics. Commissioned artwork and fabric can be seen in local and international homes as well as restaurants […]
In 1984, at a time when South Africa was beginning to feel the consequences of international isolation and sanctions, and when the tourism and hospitality industries faced bankruptcy and failure, Protea Hotels was launched – without a cent of capital and with just four hotels. Under the leadership of Arthur Gillis, the Protea Hotels Group […]
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is the Founder and CEO of iconic footwear brand soleRebels, the planets fastest growing footwear brand from Africa, and the founder & creator of Republic of Leather a super cool new company that is changing the way people around the world buy & love luxury leather goods. From the humblest of beginnings, […]
Josh was born in England and moved to South Africa when he was just two years old. After graduating from the University of Stellenbosch in 2004 Josh tried to set up his own business in Pretoria. He was driven by entrepreneurial spirit, but sitting with an enormous student loan, with no contacts and no network […]
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
