A motivational artist living his brand, and leading others by example, to be their best. WarriorRic (aka Ricardo Gressel) gravitated towards the limelight from an early age. He was born and raised in California, USA, and was an outspoken over achiever from grade school, culminating in his matriculation as valedictorian from Saint Mary’s High School. He subsequently graduated from Stanford University with an International Relations degree, and was destined to be an entrepreneur from the moment he stepped off campus and into his career.

His first venture was as designer and manufacturer of his very own leather apparel firm where he partnered with a colleague from Stanford. From his exposure to the world of fashion throughout the US, he became a model and actor appearing in television commercials and fashion magazines the world over, including South Africa.

Because of the timing of his assignments in South Africa’s unforgettable year of 1994 and his interest in the de-colonisation of Africa, he found himself more often traveling the country in support of galvanizing voter registrations for the ANC and enjoying outdoor political rallies led by Nelson Mandela, than working in front of the camera. Today, with over 17 years of marketing experience as a brand specialist for various agencies in the US and Africa building formidable brands, such as McDonald’s, Cell C and Kenya Power, to name a few, WarriorRic is now keenly focused on inspiring individuals and companies to achieve greatness by developing personal brand vision and mission statements for individuals, and aligning their values to the organisations they serve.

WarriorRic is the Chief Inspirer and Brand Ambassador of South Africa’s largest Obstacle Course Racing series, Jeep Warrior Race, which is gearing up for its fourth year in 2016, and boasts more than 150,000 Warrior participants to date.