Full Name: Emile van Druten

Position: Founder and director of Environmental Assurance (Envass)

Main Activity of the Company: Environmental consulting and project management

Date and Place of Birth: December 20, 1973, North West province, South Africa

Education: BSc (Hons), North-West University; Education Diploma, Rhodes University; MSc, MPM, University of Pretoria

First Job: I worked as a waiter until I became an environmental officer in the granite mining industry

Career History Prior to Current Position: Environmental manager at BHP Billiton; group environmental manager at Telkom South Africa; senior manager at Telkom South Africa; COO of Dekra Norisko

Size of First Pay Packet: R58 000 a year

First Job with Present Group: Environmental Management Programme conversion of old-order mining rights into new-order mining rights in the clay and sand mining industry

Value of Assets under Your Control: As a consultancy, which is purely a service provider, Envass’s assets are limited to environmental monitoring, screening and assessment equipment, buildings, a fleet of vehicles, technical resources

and company intellectual property

Number of People under Your Leadership: 20, but the number varies

Management Style: Forward planning focused, open communication and an open structure

Personal Best Achievement: Representing South African in ten consecutive Artlure Angling World Championships

Professional Best Achievement: Establishment and growth of Envass and completing a thesis-based master’s degree while fully engaged in work and family life – this involved many, many late nights and early mornings

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My wife

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Claudia Ottermann, a human resources senior executive at Telkom – she believed in me and gave me wings, while many others taught me how to fly and navigate

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: I would like to meet my children when they are grown-ups – a true test of my influence and character

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: The man selling hand-made craft under his ‘Springbok vel’ tent shop in the Grootberg offroad pass, in northern Namibia

Philosophy of Life: Work hard and clever to earn time to spend on the more important things in life

Biggest Ever Opportunity: To be able to study with a study loan

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Losing out on an international opportunity to work with a Norwegian consulting company as a result of logistical matters, and not winning the Artlure World Cup in South Africa in 2018

Hope for the Future: That the current South African social and socioeconomic models evolve drastically in the next five years, that there are fair opportunities for all, and that our youth are driven by proactive innovation instead of reactive survival tactics

Favourite Reading: Scientific papers, poems of dead people and the living Bible

Favourite TV Programme: How It’s Made, Top Gear

Favourite Food/Drink: Many favourites, including spicy foods, traditional goulash, South African braai and seafood with a good ‘sharp’ white wine

Favourite Music: Traditional 80s and soft rock

Favourite Sport: Rugby (watching) and fishing (participating)

Favourite Website: Social gossip

Hobbies: Gardening and fishing

Car: Toyota Land Cruiser 200 – it is heavy on fuel, but long trips into harsh mining terrains are often required

Pets: Minni, the most intelligent Jack Russel alive, and Blitz – she is actually a reincarnated women rugby player

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Proud and disrespectful people

Favourite Other South African Company: Too many to mention, but I have deep respect for those that started from nothing

Favourite Foreign Company: WWF — awesome international footprint

Married: To Dina du Toit, since October 2003

Children: Emile, 11; Rome, 14

Clubs: Angling club and bowling club