Went to a post-Davos breakfast at Discovery’s Head Office yesterday. Love engaging with Adrian Gore, one of my favourite CEOs, so jumped at the invitation despite being very much in “gardening leave” space. Over the years my respect for Adrian’s entrepreneurial vision has grown – and any opportunity to hear him talk about his passion for creative disruption is grabbed. Outside of that, he’s a tonic on a broader stage, too. Apart from the sharp, disciplined mind, Adrian’s enthusiasm about South Africa is infectious.
He was at his buoyant best yesterday sharing his Davos experience with a group of about 30 editors and Discovery execs. To keep the conversation honest and flowing, everything was off-the-record. So no details here. In general terms, though, Adrian reckons the South African delegation in Davos did the country proud, once again punching well above its weight. No disputing that from my side.
Adrian spent most of his five days in the healthcare sessions. Including one we both attended, Arianna Huffington’s one-on-one interview with Dr Mark Hyman, the industry’s poster boy for wholistic health which focuses on how live: stress-levels, exercise and what we eat (or, rather, what we don’t). This theme has long been at the core of Discovery’s business. The firm is clearly on the right track. Judging from the CEO’s feedback, financially incentivising people to become healthier is gaining momentum worldwide.
A couple of interesting take-aways from the breakfast. Adrian shared that earlier in the month his team hosted IBM President and CEO Ginni Rometti and her top team. Ms Rometti apparently said she regards Africa as the next big opportunity for Big Blue. So showed her intent by not only bringing her entire executive committee on the trip, but did so around America’s biggest sporting weekend – the SuperBowl.
Also, it’s through the little things that you pick up the true culture of a business. I’ve been exposed to some pretty swanky corporate cappuccinos in my time, but never one bearing the imprint of the host’s logo. As you can see from the pic, yesterday’s breakfast changed that. Discovery’s attention to detail is legendary. Never expected it would stretch to guest refreshments.
