NYU Africa House & Tisch Center Fireside Chat with Michael Shirima
Join the NYU School of Professional Studies Tisch Center for Hospitality, NYU Africa House, and MCW Global for a fireside chat with Tanzanian entrepreneur, Michael Shirima, founder of Precision Air in Tanzania.
Videos on Michael Shirima's entrepreneurial endeavors:
Date: April 17, 2023
Time: 12:30 - 2pm ET
Venue: 14A Washington Mews, New York, NY 10003
Speakers:
Michael Shirima was born in 1943 in the Rombo district in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania, East Africa. An early turning point in his life occurred when he was sent to primary school at the tender age of five by his education-loving father. His life took another turn as a young teenager when his father died in a bus accident. Already driven to succeed and to be the sort of oldest son his father could be proud of, Shirima took the road less traveled, choosing to study aeronautics in the UK. After graduating, he returned home and took a job with East African Airways. His career in aviation blossomed, and he was later chosen by the Tanzanian government to help create a national airline in which he was appointed Director of Operations. However, Shirima was once again inspired by his father to go his own way when that appointment proved intractable. He resigned, and--like his father before him--became an entrepreneur, a man with many irons in the fire. With his loving wife Triza supporting him along the way, Shirima learned a great deal about business through his various endeavors. When he returned to aviation, first with crop dusting in 1986 and then with the founding of Tanzania's largest privately held commercial airline, Precision Air in 1993, he brought his hard-earned business savvy to the table. Shirima has applied his problem-solving know-how to other efforts as well: He was once a board member of the Bank of Tanzania, among other government and private institutions, and took great joy in revitalizing the Tanzania Golf Union as its chairman. One of his greatest accomplishments has been the founding of the Cornel Ngaleku Children Centre, named in honor of his father. The orphanage sits at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro and opened its doors in 2006. Shirima subsequently built the Maktau Mountain Lodge, which helps to fund the Cornel Ngaleku Children Centre. Michael Shirima continues to serve as Chairman of Precision Air and Tanzania Oxygen and on the board of a couple of financial institutions. He has recently published a memoir called On My Father’s Wings: An Entrepreneurial Journey of Finding Humility, Resiliency, and a Lasting Legacy that shares his entrepreneurial journey from an aircraft engineer to a serial entrepreneur and philanthropy.
Eddie Bergman (moderator) is President of Innovative Development Services (IDS), a firm focusing on New York City real estate management and development as well as global hospitality marketing services. Eddie is also CEO of Proxima Hospitality Group, a restaurant management company which owns and manages Hill and Bay (Murray Hill, NYC). Eddie co‐founded and serves as President of the Board of MCW Global, an NGO devoted to empowering youth to make positive change in their communities, with a special focus on Africa. Eddie was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the economic development program of the African Union. Eddie served as Executive Director of the Africa Travel Association for nearly a decade (2006-2015). Eddie serves on the advisory boards of NYU Africa House, NYU Tisch Center for Hospitality, NYU School of Professional Studies, and NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study.