What’s your one top tip for doing a deal?
For anything to land sustainably, all parties involved must feel like they have been treated fairly. This usually means that the deal must be client-centric or advice-centric. It should also be commercially viable for the product provider. If these three elements are addressed, the deal is set to close successfully and can be sustainably implemented.
What was your first job?
My first permanent job was working in the accounts department of an insurer.
How much was your first pay cheque, and how did you spend it?
I got paid R3,500 for the month during the late 1990s. With this I paid for all my living and travel expenses, including funding my own studies. It was a tight budget and I had to learn how to prioritise very quickly.
What is the one thing you wish somebody had told you when you were starting out?
I wish I knew more about managing money. And I wish I acted with more courage back then. This beautiful country is ripe with opportunity for many young, energetic entrepreneurs.
If you could fix only one thing in South Africa, what would it be?
The significant loss of critical skills to other countries. We need to retain much-needed skills in various areas such as the built sciences, financial services and medical sciences.
What’s the most interesting thing about you that people don’t know?
I love animals and initially wanted to be a veterinarian.
What’s the worst investment mistake you’ve made?
I bought an investment property many years ago without understanding enough about it and the challenges that come with new developments.
What’s the best investment you’ve ever made? And how much of it was due to luck?
I considered my long-term financial planning early because I had the advantage of being in the industry. This has become invaluable to me 25 years on.
What’s the best book you’ve read recently and why did you like it?
The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil by South African author Shubnum Khan. It’s a literary adventure. It addresses the lives of the early Indian settlers, the biases that we all carry — both conscious and unconscious — and the beautiful love shared by two people from very different backgrounds. The book was descriptive; the characters had such complex, textured personalities; and the flow was on point.
What’s the hardest life lesson you’ve learnt?
After having to deal with a child who was diagnosed with leukaemia, I learnt that I cannot control everything. I learnt that the challenges we face are sometimes bigger than we could ever imagine, and I learnt that there are good people out there and even greater collectives. I learnt that there is a massive need for great health care in this country, and I learnt that there are institutions with higher purposes — like medical aid, which enable people to save lives. I learnt that at the core, most human beings default to love and compassion, and that there is sometimes a rainbow after the storm.
What phrase or bit of jargon irks you most?
Too many corporate phrases like “align”, “strategy” and “touch base”.
What is something you would go back and tell your younger self that would impress them?
Everything turned out OK, and I am enough.
If you were President Cyril Ramaphosa, what would you change, or do, tomorrow?
Improve health care by working with the public and private sectors more, retain our critical skills like doctors, engineers and scientists, and support entrepreneurship for our youth.
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