Full Name: Jarmi Steyn

Position and Company Name: COO at Canyon Coal

Main Activity of the Company: Canyon Coal operates collieries and processing plants in the Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces of South Africa and is involved in exploration projects in various parts of the country

Date and Place of Birth: March 2, 1980, on the East Rand

Schools and Tertiary Education: A first-class Bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering, an MSc in operations and supply chain management, and a blasting certificate for opencast mines

First Job: Metallurgical superintendent at Middelburg Mines

Size of First Pay Packet: That was a long time ago! I can’t remember but I could cover my expenses

Career Path to Date: I started my career as a bursary student with BHP Billiton at Van Dyks Drift and Middelburg Mines and then worked for Umcebo Mining for three years. Thereafter, I accepted an opportunity to be the health, safety and environment and process manager at the Benga coking coal project in Tete, Mozambique, which was owned by Riversdale. From there, I moved to Zululand Anthracite Colliery as a process manager and later to Somkhele mine, which was also an anthracite operation. At Somkhele, I commissioned two plants as a process manager. In addition, I managed logistics and sales, later progressing to COO of Somkhele

Value of Assets under Your Control: R1.8-billion

Number of People under Your Leadership: 14 direct reports and a workforce of about 1 300, including contractors

Management Style: I enjoy building teams and working with people, determining each person’s strengths and weaknesses, and leveraging this insight to ensure a collaborative approach to achieve set targets

Personal Best Achievement: I have a few – I sang an opera solo at the age of ten in the South African State Theatre, was head girl in matric, completed my master’s degree while pregnant (twice), obtaining a blasting ticket (my first mining qualification) and starting up Gugulethu

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My parents and my children

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: My father, who suggested I pursue metallurgical engineering as a career; Jan du Preez, of Tendele, who pushed me outside my comfort zone into new territories which made me grow in various disciplines outside the engineering and processing sphere; and my husband, who has been my support, sounding board and sanity check for almost 15 years

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Elon Musk

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Menar MD Vuslat Bayoğlu

Philosophy of Life: I can do all things through He who gives me strength

Biggest Ever Opportunity: To be appointed COO for Canyon Coal

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Not achieving eight A’s in matric, but only four, with as many B’s

Hope for the Future: That every person achieves their set goals in life, that South Africa’s electricity and rail issues are resolved and that Canyon Coal opens more sustainable, profitable projects

Favourite Reading: My best-ever book is Can’t Hurt Me, by David Goggins, and my favourite authors are Malcolm Gladwell, Liz Wiseman, Francine Rivers and Marian Keys

Favourite TV Programme: I’m not a big TV fan, but I enjoyed Triple D and MasterChef for a while. Other programmes I enjoy are Gold Rush, fishing programmes and Alaska: The Last Frontier

Favourite Food/Drink: Biltong and coffee

Favourite Music: Classical, house, Afrikaans sakkie sakkie (I like to dance), country and 80’s

Favourite Sport: I love watching rugby and F1 when I get the chance

Hobbies: Fishing, hunting, reading and baking

Car: Toyota

Pets: Min Pins

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Dishonesty, bribery, spelling mistakes, bad table manners, children not saying “Please” and “Thank you”, pessimists, colourful Excel sheets, and entitlement

Married: Yes, for almost 15 years now

Children: Two boys

Clubs: SA Hunters Association, Sports Shooting Club, Park Run, Richards Bay Ski-Boat Club