Startup Grind is proud to host Fred Roed the CEO of Heavy Chef Ltd, a platform that offers education for entrepreneurs. The name ‘Heavy Chef’ comes from the saying never trust a skinny chef and aims to celebrate the ‘people that eat their own food’ as they believe it is important to learn from those who are doing the work. Heavy Chef holds monthly tech and leadership events in SA.

Fred was the co-founder and former CEO of digital transformation agency World Wide Creative, with clients such as Hyundai, Jaguar / Land Rover, City of Cape Town, Rand Merchant Bank, Vodafone, Virgin Mobile and The Foschini Group. Fred is obsessed with brand strategy and digital media. His first business was a failure and landed him in severe debt in his mid-twenties. His second business, World Wide Creative, grew to be one of South Africa’s foremost creative agencies and was sold to Saratoga Software.

Fred was Head of Agencies at the Interactive Advertising Bureau SA and was awarded “Best Individual Contribution to the South African Digital Industry” in 2015. Fast Company Magazine named him one of The Top 100 Creative People in Business. Fred is the author of the book “The Heavy Chef Guide To Starting A Business In South Africa, a practical guide to succeeding at startups.” Fred is also pretty sure he saw Elvis Presley once, at the Pick n’ Pay in Tableview.