Profile

Fasie Malherbe

Chief Executive Officer
Smart Operator

Fasie Malherbe is a serial entrepreneur whose last venture - the hospitality edutech company Lobster Ink - was acquired by a Fortune 500 company in 2018. Today, as CEO of Smart Operator, he's building AI that does the opposite of what most people fear: instead of replacing frontline workers, it gives them a voice-first assistant, turns hard-won institutional knowledge into real career growth, and brings confidence and autonomy to industries known for high churn. In this personal, energetic session, Fasie shares the story behind the leaps and setbacks of building businesses as a young South African on the global stage - and why, in a machine-driven world, the human edge of judgement, trust and relationships is exactly what the next generation should be investing in.