Ashraf Garda, known for his popular show on SAfm Radio, is a seasoned Programme Director and MC, who is highly-skilled in conference facilitation and moderation. Ashraf is the chief driver behind the project titled Champion South Africa – a nation building movement with the vision to move South Africa from a mid-table nation to a champion nation. Ashraf promotes excellence with his keynote talk titled ‘Champion People Build Champion Nations’ – a project that is great for team building, kickstart events, and organisations that need assistance in adopting a champion mindset
In this week’s Business Unusual Podcast, Fiona Wakelin, Group Editor at Topco Media, chats with Ashraf Garda on themes surrounding success, building champions, and the media’s impact on society. Ashraf talks passionately about surviving the Covid-19 pandemic, partnering with strategic partners, and how South Africa has the potential to grow into a winning nation.
Key takeaways to listen out for in this podcast:
- Life’s journey is never an A to B trajectory. For example, Ashraf started out in the fashion and fabric industry before moving into community radio – the rest is history. It’s all about finding your passion and using it to make a positive impact on society.
- When you start out in broadcasting and media, you may not have a huge audience. This is why it is important to carefully look at dynamics, figure out what works and what doesn’t, and cater to what the public actually wants and needs – it’s a process, not a race.
- Champion SA is a personal commitment to building optimism in the country. We celebrate in many ways, but we often don’t celebrate individuals as actual ‘champions’. We need to identify the champs in our nation, uplift them, and tell their stories to inspire others – inspire ‘championness’ in people.
- Having a champion-thinking mindset involves linking personal success to the country’s success. It’s all about collective participation, synchronicity between all pillars, creating conducive environments for productivity, and partnering with strategic partners to identify and solve critical issues.
- We need to speak about things that truly matter – especially those individuals who have an established platform and influence. We need to push the envelope and see how far we can go.
- Entrepreneurship needs to be given a front seat in our country – it needs to be a part of the nation’s DNA for empowering the economy. The government cannot do the hard work all on their own.
- Government and big business players need to be ‘enablers’ and assist startups where possible. There needs to be easier access to becoming an entrepreneur to create a strong entrepreneurial culture in SA.
- Economically, it’s been difficult lately. We are a developing nation. So we are a unique case study which requires unique processes and procedures in order to see significant growth.
- Support is vital right now, on all fronts. Take note of the fact that we are all experiencing some sort of ‘pain’ at present. Not everyone has been ‘infected’ with the virus, but we are all ‘affected’ by it. Supporting one another is part of fostering a champion mindset.
- It is important to have difficult conversations, especially with thought leaders. This will provide food for the mind.
*To listen to the full podcast, please click here
Ashraf Garda is a multiple award winning broadcaster with many years of media experience under his belt. He is a former host of SAfm Radio, which was awarded ‘Best Weekend Show’ at the MTN Radio Awards. Ashraf was also voted ‘Best News and Actuality Presenter’ at the MTN radio Awards, and he is a recipient of the Turquoise Harmony Institute Media Award (Turkey). To complete his cycle of versatility, he has been invited to be an analyst on international channels, such as CNN, AL Jazeera, and CBC TV: Canada.
#ChampionSouthAfrica identifies and elevates champions and facilitates networking opportunities to uplift and create more champions across the nation. This project, along with its podcast, is a movement which celebrates the champion mindset as a crucial tool for fostering winning citizens and a winning nation.
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