Global business leader, Gareth Penny to share business insights with SA’s teens

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Feb. 12, 2015 - PRLog -- South Africa and the African continent as a whole is home to some of the world’s most valuable natural resources. From gold, to diamonds, chromium, cobalt, and hydroelectric power potential, manganese and millions of acres of untilled farmland Africa is in reality the world’s richest continent.

Despite the potential of the continent’s natural resources and the incredibly skilled and talented people calling this continent home, leaders across the continent have failed to stimulate and retain the most powerful resource – the people.

It is with this view in mind that the SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation continue to promote the course of creating a culture of entrepreneurship amongst teens and leaders that influence the lives of the country’s youth.

Since its inception, the Teen Entrepreneur Foundation has created a number of workshops, seminars and competitions in partnership with schools, to nurture and encourage entrepreneurial thinking.

“We know that innovative thinking and business acumen can be developed through connection and learning from leaders that have gone before us and paved a way in business,” says Lydia Zingoni Founder and Director of Teen Entrepreneur Foundation.

“For this reason, we have created the Awaken the Giant in You breakfast series, which aims to create a platform for leaders and mentors in business to practically share their journeys with South African youth to not only inspire them, but teach them that hard work, commitment and determination will reap a future reward.” She continued.

The success of the breakfast series to date is the calibre of speakers that the foundation has managed to attract, to share their skills and expertise. The next speaker in the series is global business icon Gareth Penny.

Gareth Penny is non-Executive Chairman of MMC Norilsk Nickel, the world’s biggest producer of nickel and palladium and a leading producer of platinum and copper.  He has worked in various forms of mining over the past three decades and holds positions on several boards across Europe, Africa and the United States.

His passion to inspire and stimulate the interest of young people in business is evident in his role as regular visiting lecturer at the London Business School’s MBA and Sloane programmes.

Born in Cape Town, Gareth is a prime example of the richness of the people resources that this country has to offer the world. His experience of building a career in the mining industry will also teach one valuable insights about the resource rich continent we live in and how to find opportunity in some unlikely places.

“I have always regarded myself as an entrepreneur from a very early age.  At school I spent time organising fetes and other business ventures.  My National Service was done at the Small Business Corporation, focusing on start-ups, and my first job at Anglo American was to launch an Anglo American/De Beers small business initiative, which today has assisted or built 25,000 jobs.  My next role in De Beers was to start from scratch a diamond cutting factory in a small village in Botswana called Serowe,” says Gareth Penny.

“I have always tried to be an ‘intrapreneur’ (an entrepreneur inside a big corporation),” he continued.

Gareth will speak on the topic of “Preparing for Business Leadership” and will share his life and business lessons. The event is open to youth, their parents, teachers, community leaders, government departments, the broader business community and particularly those who are tasked with teen and youth development.

The event is taking place on Saturday 7 March 2015 at 08h30 at the Vineyard Hotel in Newlands. Tickets cost R150 for adults and R75 for students. Bookings for the breakfast can be made on-line at www.teenentrepreneur.co.za or by contacting Nadia Snyders on 021 447 6183 or nadia.snyders@teenentrepreneur.co.za.