Chris Lubbe was Nelson Mandela’s bodyguard for eight years, and always by his side as he continued on his mission to unite his country, South Africa. DLD were delighted to welcome Chris to the college as the first keynote speaker of 2018 to give a moving and inspirational talk to students and staff on the topic of discrimination.

The informative and interactive session left the audience spell-bound, inspiring them to take action and bring about change to find solutions to many of life’s challenges. Determination, courage, perseverance and the power of forgiveness were key themes of the motivating message.

Chris Lubbe visited the college to encourage the entire student cohort to understand that successful achievement is possible regardless of race, gender or disability.

Born during a very difficult period in South Africa’s history, Chris discovered in high school he had a gift for speaking and made a decision early on in his life to become an activist and oppose the racially based system of ‘apartheid’. This decision was to put him on a direct collision course with the ‘apartheid’ regime which was to result in several spells of incarceration, torture and near death experiences. It was these experiences that encouraged him to use his passion for people to connect, communicate and inspire positive change.

DLD College London Principal, Irfan Latif commented: “Chris delivered a deeply thought-provoking and engaging speech emphasising a philosophy and core values that run parallel with those of the college. He has a wealth of knowledge and determination to inspire positive change for success in the face of adversity.”

“This motivational talk resonated with our students, standing them in good stead for both the short term, and going forward for a healthy, happy and successful life.”