Yesterday I was invited by the CEO of Microsoft South Africa, Vukani Mngxati, to be a guest at their town hall. It was a walk down memory lane. Microsoft is one of the companies that shaped who I am - and in particular how I lead. When I had the privilege of leading Microsoft South Africa, our mission was clear: to empower individuals, businesses and government to realise their full potential. That purpose informed everything we did. In South Africa we focused on being relevant to the country we served. We tackled youth unemployment through Student2Business. We made Microsoft software available at no cost to public schools. We supported emerging entrepreneurs through BizSpark. And we trained teachers and principals to use technology to improve education outcomes. Purpose first. Relevance to South Africa always. Today Microsoft is one of the global leaders in Artificial Intelligence, with a distinct advantage in Knowledge Graphs. Their focus should be on the emerging ontology layer that will determine whether AI systems actually understand the world they operate in. My message to the team was simple: use that advantage to enable more local partners in the AI ontology space. Give South African companies a real seat at the Knowledge Graphs layer. That is a genuine win-win for local partners and for Microsoft South Africa. Their team is as smart and as patriotic as ever. It is always a pleasure to be in a room with motivated people who are prepared to give the company discretionary effort. That spirit is still there. I wish my brother Vukani the very best as he takes this great company to the next level in our geography. South Africa needs institutions that combine world-class capability with a deep commitment to this country. The next chapter should be written with local partners at the centre. #LocalRelevance #Microsoft #BSG