Meet Malven Mtombeni!
And discover his thoughts on why Financial Markets are ready for widescale disruption
Born in Zimbabwe, Malven migrated to South Africa at the end of 2007, after the country went through an unprecedented financial crisis in which most banks were either closed, merged or put under curatorship. Among his many other achievements, while based in South Africa, Malven obtained his full-time MBA from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business in 2015. In January 2019 Malven moved to New York to undertake his Executive MBA at Columbia Business School. In New York, he started to interact with different tech communities which led him to pursue further learnings in the fields of IT, Machine Learning and Data Science to complement his existing skills.
Malven was selected to take part in the 2020 MIT Innovation Leadership Bootcamp that ran between October and December 2020, where he interacted with a “very diverse, forward-looking cohort”.
Read more about Malven in the short interview below, and watch the video of the dialogue with him on why he thinks Financial Markets are ready for widescale disruption, and how he believes that inclusion and diversity drive innovation: Malven says that “talent knows no colour”, and that “Main Street is coming to Wall Street.”
Who were the first to believe in you?
My parents and family. They provided a conducive environment for growth and development in the context of very limited resources. Right from my primary through to high school, I attended the leading schools in the country.
How do you define success for yourself?
Life is one indivisible whole. Success in my career will have to complemented with success in all other aspects of life.
How do you define success for the path that you’re on?
Due to its adverse effects on i) Weather & Climatic Conditions ii) Water Access & Availability iii) Food Production, Nutrition & Health and iv) Ecosystems, Habitats & Environment Systems, Climate Change is the single most-important risk to global economic, social and political stability and progress.
My definition of success is collective leadership in driving multi-stakeholder collaboration in meeting the needs of the present without compromising on the ability of future generations in meeting their own needs.
Does your current activity tie in with your personal entrepreneurial projects or aspirations past, present and future?
Yes, I believe each strand of fiber used in weaving the basket plays a crucial role in holding together the completed basket. Each person one meets has a role to play in one’s life. Everything happens for a reason.
Describe to us a typical day in your life
I typically wake up at 5:00 AM and Pray. I then head for my early morning track cycling sessions at a nearby park. Meetings, collaboration, and all-things work follow from 8:00 AM to end of day, which is typically 5:00PM. However, often-times meetings, work, mixed with social and extra-curricular activities extend to 12:00 midnight.
What’s been the most important skill you’ve developed on your path?
Organizations think in teams. One of the most important skills that I have developed during my life is believing in others and myself.
What resources have helped you the most during your career?
Being able to believe in others and oneself is a powerful force for mutually beneficial work and life interactions.
Technologies you cannot live without?
TensorFlow, FastAPI and VS Code to only mention but a few.
What’s been your greatest reward in the choices you’ve made?
I deliberately made a choice to believe in the potential of others. I have seen people grow to be influential leaders just because someone, at some stage in their own continuum of life chose to believe in them.
What’s your definition of gratitude and how do you express it?
Gratitude is when one appreciates the seemingly ordinary things in life such as being able to see another day, sunshine, clean air and family. I express my gratitude for having these extraordinary facets of life through treating everyone with dignity and respect regardless of what they do and where they are in their continuum of life.
How do you keep your mind and body in shape?
I eat a lot of fruits, nuts and vegetables. I complement what I eat with my cycling sessions, push-ups and a combination of early-morning and late-night strolls in the park. I also watch a lot of inspirational movies. Praying while having a shower cleans both the outside and inside.
The words you live by:
“Just before something is a breakthrough, it is a crazy idea.” — Peter Diamandis
And: most of the ideas that changed the world originated from where they were least expected.
Video Interview
You can view the entire video above, or else jump directly to the different Chapters by clicking on the time stamps, below
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
03:50 Presentation start
07:38 Traditional banks are under threat
09:19 Main Street is coming to Wall Street
13:20 OneChronos case study
21:00 Start of Q&A
21:40 Entry to Financial Markets as an immigrant
26:05 The Gamestop fiasco
34:11 What possibilities does this disruption open up?
40:50 What about the digital divide?
You can connect with Malven on social media:
Linkedin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Malv2012
Clubhouse ID: @malven2050
Malven’s Portfolio Page highlighting the Projects he has worked on : https://scrimba.com/scrim/cg2badhP
