The youngest CEO advises young people to follow their dreams

The phrase ‘the sky is full of stars, and there’s room for them all to shine’ describes the South African youth.

As part of the youth month celebration, which aims to inspire and get young people to focus more on their careers, the Sandton Chronicle had a chance to chat with the humble and brilliant Morningside-based Zareef Minty.

Recently, Minty levelled up to be the youngest CEO of a multibillion-rand media company (Afribiz Media) in South African history.

Minty is a Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list maker, a lawyer by profession, a dynamic entrepreneur, and a best-selling author who has made a name for himself at the age of 29.

“I am humbled and extremely grateful; it is such an honour to be given this responsibility if we look at the investment leg of the business in South Africa.”

He highlighted that, as this is a significant opportunity for him, he hopes that he can be an example to many people and companies on what they can do in terms of elevating young people within their industry.

“I think every single entity, whether a government position or cooperation, needs innovation and young thinking, which is what we need as South Africa.”

Minty elaborates that the challenge he has faced is age, where people do not take him seriously because of his age and experience. He gave an example of when he was 19 when he sent his first book to 14 publishers and got rejected by all of them.

“I was told that I have no idea what I am talking about and that I am just 19 and cannot write a motivational book that is about a mindset change.”

His biggest advice to young people who look up to him is to go for what they want in life and also to find the right mentor, even if it is hard to find the right person.

“Having someone who will guide you and pull you in the right direction is the best advice one can get from me. It can be either a relationship, work, or life mentor.”

In terms of his new position, his vision is to create a world-class media conglomerate that will change the global narrative about Africa.

“I believe the new dawn has started already, but yes, we can play a very important role in escalating the process to a better future for the youth, and we promise to disrupt and be unapologetic about that,” Minty concluded.

Related Article:

https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/292014/get-your-business-back-on-track/