South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 and was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by confronting racism and promoting racial reconciliation.  Mandela later became an elder statesman and focused on charitable work, combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Reflecting on the scale of his legacy, he gained international acclaim for his activism, receiving more than 250 honors including the Nobel Peace Prize, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Soviet Lenin Peace Prize.

Nelson Mandela holds a deep belief that is as relevant on the political stage as it is in the hearts and minds of every entrepreneur and reinventor:

“There is no passion to be found playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”