Full Name: Farouk Abrahams

Position: Sales director at Weba Chute Systems

Main Activity of the Company: Weba Chute Systems is a South African-based original equipment manufacturer of engineered transfer points and chute systems

Date and Place of Birth: November 21, 1967, Cape Town

Education: LLM, University of California, Los Angeles, US

First Job: Law article clerk

Career History Prior to Current Position: Investment banker in mining finance and private equity

Size of First Pay Packet: R1 200 a month

First Job with Present Group: Non-executive director, since 2014

Value of Assets under Your Control: Not stated

Number of People under Your Leadership: 20

Management Style: I am part of a team, and I happen to be the team leader

Personal Best Achievement: Completing my first Iron Man South Africa in 2012 in weather conditions regarded as the worst in the history of the race

Professional Best Achievement: Entrepreneurial success when I left the corporate world in 2003

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

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Stephen Koseff

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: I already did: Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Jack Ma

Philosophy of Life: Gratefulness and humility

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Receiving a scholarship to study in the US

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Investing in a mobile loyalty app in 2010, which did not take off because it was ahead of its time – corporate South Africa was not ready to dispense with plastic loyalty cards

Hope for the Future: Our youth

Favourite Reading: Cosmology

Favourite TV Programme: Nothing specific

Favourite Food/Drink: Home-made Southern fried chicken, corn on the cob and mash/San Pellegrino drink

Favourite Music: Anything that appeals to the senses

Favourite Sport: Motorsport

Favourite Website: www.blessthisstuff.com

Hobbies: I am mechanic to my son – he races go-karts

Car: A 1974 Land Rover Series 3, a Ford Everest and a Triumph Bonneville T100

Pets: None

Miscellaneous Dislikes: All talk, no action

Favourite Other South African Company: Those in sales and marketing can learn from the persistence and entrepreneurship of our street vendors. If we can harness that energy and ‘hustling’ into our South African fibre, we will become less obsessed with formal education

Favourite Foreign Company: Petronas

Married: To Denise Abrahams

Children: Mika, 12

Clubs: None