Full Name: Andrew van Zyl

Position: MD of SRK Consulting South Africa and director of SRK Global

Main Activity of the Company: SRK is a firm of consulting engineers and scientists

Date and Place of Birth: 1975, KwaZulu-Natal

Education: BEng (Chemical), University of Stellenbosch; MCom (Financial Economics), cum laude, University of Johannesburg (UJ)

First Job: Learner metallurgical official at Anglo Coal, 1994

Career History Prior to Current Position: Graduate/senior plant metallurgist at Anglo Coal; process engineer/tender engineer at Envig Process Systems; health economist (mining) at Aurum Health; self-employed (mineral economics/valuation); strategic business development at AngloGold Ashanti; consultant and then MD of SRK Consulting South Africa and director of SRK Global

Size of First Pay Packet: R1 600 a month

First Job with Present Group: Consultant

Value of Assets under Your Control: Our assets consist entirely of our people, their skills and our historical knowledge of our clients and their operations

Number of People under Your Leadership: About 300 permanent staff and a number of associate consultants

Management Style: Supportive, responsive and strategic

Personal Best Achievement: The relationship I have with my children

Professional Best Achievement: Being entrusted with the MD role at SRK

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: Many of my generation who have influenced me can be traced back to my friendship with Phillip de Jager

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: David Power, my first manager at Anglo Coal

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Pope Francis or Angela Merkel. I would also like to talk economics with Mariana Mazzucato

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: The impressive people I have worked with at SRK, including Oskar Steffen, Roger Dixon, Andy MacDonald and Vis Reddy, and, as a client, Natascha Viljoen

Philosophy of Life: While we look for heroes to save us, communities are actually made through unsung heroes. As George Eliot wrote, “the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts”

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Serving as technical adviser to a government on a mining convention and concessions for a minerals terminal and railway

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Not being able to share my successes with my father, mother and stepmother

Hope for the Future: In many ways, we are falling short, but we have made progress and are generally holding ourselves to consistently higher standards

Favourite Reading: I enjoy Scandinavian noir and books like The Thursday Murder Club and Anxious People

Favourite TV Programme: The Bridge (a Swedish/Danish murder mystery series) and Bones

Favourite Food/Drink: A good steak with a peppercorn sauce, paired with red wine and finished with whisky (Scottish)

Favourite Music: A wide selection but I am biased towards good vocals

Favourite Sport: Athletics

Favourite Website: The Atlantic, The New York Times and various mining publications

Hobbies: Running, skiing and travel

Car: Volvo V90

Pets: The children have three yorkies

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Social media and opportunistic business and political leaders

Favourite Other South African Company: The journalists and judiciary that thwarted State capture

Favourite Foreign Company: The Atlantic, for its balanced, long-form journalism

Married: To Coral since 2003

Children: Melissa, 15; Tate, 14

Clubs: UJ Athletics Club