His official job title(s) include the words 'angel' and 'dragon'. Who is this business enigma?

Originally from South Africa and now living in Silicon Valley, Lingham is lauded as one of the successful tech executives ever to emerge from Africa. He’s the founder and CEO of three companies – Yola, Clicks2Customers, and Gyft. He currently leads Gyft, the mobile gift-card company founded in 2012 and backed by Google Ventures and Ashton Kutcher.

The business buck doesn’t end there for Lingham as he’s also an angel investor with close ties to his homeland as one of the stars of Dragons’ Den.

He’s also received international acclaim for his work in creating the Silicon Cape Initiative. Who better then, to share with attendees his thoughts on digital privacy and security?

Vinny Lingham

In this IAB Digital Summit teaser, Lingham shares what he’s most looking forward to from this year’s line-up of industry heavyweights and personal interaction sessions with digital's leading thinkers, set to marks an evolution for digital as a field that’s no longer confined to the creative industry, but a language that savvy business leaders across all sectors must speak….

1. What are you most looking forward to from this year’s IAB Digital Summit?

Lingham: Reconnecting with old friends from the industry. It’s been a while, and I’m always excited to hear about the latest and greatest coming out of my home country.

What do you hope the audience will get out of your presentation in particular?

Lingham: I hope the audience gets a sense of all the talented individuals out there who find meaning in their work and are able to create and deliver real value. Too often we look at the negative macro political landscape and forget about the day-to-day successes that we are all collectively responsible for.

They surely shall, as the summit will focus on some of the most important topics relating to the current digital landscape, including native advertising, ad blocking, diversity and transformation in SA media, measurement and media planning, and the possible effects of impending legislation.

And that’s just meant to whet your appetite for all things digital. If you’re eager to delve in deeper, click through to this podcast interview with Josephine Buys, CEO of IAB South Africa, to find out more about the highly anticipated IAB Digital Summit 2016, taking place at Turbine Hall in Johannesburg on 3 March 2016. You can also click here for the full list of speakers and watch for our in-depth coverage next week!