I am founder and CEO of World Wide Worx, a high-tech market research organisation that strives to uncover the dynamics shaping business and consumer use of technology; editor-in-chief of Gadget magazine, South Africa’s longest-running consumer technology publication (founded 1998); and author of 21 books, including the current best-seller, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI”.

I do not know why I was nominated but it may be because of having received lifetime achievement awards in 4 disciplines: the Distinguished Service in ICT Award in 2013, the Southern African Speakers Hall of Fame in 2020, the Insights 250 Honour Roll of the world’s top innovators in market research in 2022, and the Southern African Educators hall of fame in 2023.

I wrote South Africa’s all-time best-selling ICT book in 1995, which provided the country with its first definitive guide to the Internet, and in 2023 wrote the equivalent book on AI, maintaining the role of guiding the country in its embrace of cutting edge technology over four decades.

Our research and insights serve as a trusted source that decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and ordinary citizens turn to when they need clarity amid noise and confusion. We constantly advocate for a society that uses technology to create opportunities, narrow divides, and build resilience; to drive inclusive growth; and to shape a country that is both competitive globally and compassionate locally.

My vision for the future is built on three levels: personal, professional, and national.
1. On a personal level, I want to continue developing as a thought leader who makes technology understandable and meaningful. I believe that my role is not only to interpret change but to equip people to navigate it with confidence. That means remaining a student myself: always learning and engaging with new ideas, so that I can help others do the same.
2. For my business, World Wide Worx, the vision is to keep producing research and insights that are both rigorous and accessible. We want to be the trusted source that decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and ordinary citizens turn to when they need clarity amid noise and confusion.
3. For South Africa, my vision is of a society that uses technology to create opportunities, narrow divides, and build resilience. I see the potential for technology to drive inclusive growth, if paired with ethical leadership, education, and a focus on human dignity. My contribution is to help ensure that the conversations we have around technology help shape a country that is both competitive globally and compassionate locally.