Full Name: Desan Naidoo

Position and Company Name: VP for Africa at SAS

Main Activity of the Company: Through innovative analytics, business intelligence and data management software and services, SAS helps customers at more than 75 000 sites to make better decisions faster

Date and Place of Birth: January 6, 1971, Durban

Education: National diploma in electrical engineering

First Job: Network technician at Eskom

Size of First Pay Packet: About R1 500 a month

Value of Assets under Your Control: Market capitalisation of R500-million

Number of People Under Your Leadership: 120 employees

Management Style: I like to empower my team to deliver results

Personal Best Achievement: Appointment as VP Africa at SAS

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My father, a retired school principal

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: My father

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Locally – Altron’s Mteto Nyati; globally – Microsoft’s Satya Nadella. I admire them because of the way they have been able to transform their organisations

Philosophy of Life: If I get into something, I give it my all

Biggest Ever Opportunity: My first job at Eskom soon after completing my studies

Biggest Ever Disappointment: When I embarked on my sales career at my previous company, one of my biggest disappointments was that the work that I put in was not enough to seal the deal

Hope for the Future: That we have a better society in which to raise children, and that there is no poverty and no divide between the rich and the poor

Favourite Reading: Books on leadership and how to improve oneself

Favourite TV Programme: NCIS New Orleans

Favourite Food/Drink: Pasta/single-malt whisky

Favourite Music: I like old-school music, such as Dire Straits and Roxette

Favourite Sport: Football

Hobbies: Golf, although I have not been playing lately, owing to surgery to my shoulder; scuba diving

Car: BMW

Pets: Two dogs, a Jack Russell and a Pekingese

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Taxi drivers cutting me off

Married: To Lenny

Children: Two girls – Jaimie and Teagan

Clubs: None