13: Culture shocks, relationship building, and from township to tech giant with Mike Masuku

It’s hard not to be impressed by a CV that includes Sega, ITV and Ubisoft to name a few. Yet Mike Masuku’s personal and professional path has been from smooth. 

Born into a low-income township in Zimbabwe to a family they would later work their way into the suburbs, Mike was forced to adjust to a new life when he and his mother relocated to London, and he found himself navigating high school in Croydon. After moving through school, university and his first few years of work, Mike decided to take on two week’s unpaid work experience – while on a break from his main role. The risk paid off, and over the years Mike has gone on to work with some of the biggest names in gaming, media and technology. 

Now part of global giant Apple’s video business unit, Mike talks about the challenges of dealing with culture shocks, how a teacher’s doubts galvanised him to go to university, the importance of investing in yourself and much more.