I had the great fortune to live in South Africa the year after Nelson Mandela had been elected President. The country was transforming at every level and I was thrust into the opportunity to run Text100’s South African operation. I had never run a business before, so was nervous – until my fears were quelled by the excitement of being asked to run the PR activity for Bill Gates’ first trip to South Africa to fulfill his request to meet Nelson Mandela. This was at the time when Gates was at the centre of the Department of Justice inquiry in the US and really only beginning to consider the power of philanthropy. To everyone’s surprise Mandela initially declined to meet Gates. We politely pursued the resistance and discovered that Mandela was nervous to talk technology with the world’s richest computer geek! As a result we reframed the discussion and following the now famous meeting, Bill Gates became one of the biggest donors to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. My time in South Africa and the experience of meeting Nelson Mandela was inspirational. Mandela’s humility and humanity demonstrated that great leaders can be both compassionate and courageous. And this courage was reflected throughout the country as the conviction to change conquered fears and built hope and a new reality.