Full Name: Mark Stevens

Position: Regional VP: Africa, MineWare

Main Activity of the Company: MineWare’s independent monitoring systems for draglines, electric shovels, hydraulic excavators and wheel loaders improve surface mining operations by providing actional information for machine operators in real time

Date and Place of Birth: August 12,1967, Essex, England

Education: MBL and graduate diploma in engineering (mining)

First Job: Research and development technician

Career History Prior to Current Position: I have worked in many different industries throughout my career, with a background in electronic engineering across the military, financial and mining sectors. For the past 18 years, I have been exclusively involved in leveraging technology in the mining sector

Size of First Pay Packet: R1000 a month

First Job with Present Group: Regional VP: Africa

Value of Assets under Your Control: R27-million

Number of People under Your Leadership: 14

Management Style: Collaborative

Personal Best Achievement: I was one of the few in my final year who completed the MBL degree programme in minimum time, while delivering a complex project at work. I have also represented South Africa in the World Ballroom Dance Championships

Professional Best Achievement: I believe it is yet to come, but I still get a kick out of seeing the career paths of some of the people I have mentored

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

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Joe Noci, my departmental manager when I was working as a design engineer. I still do not think he truly recognised his own great leadership skills

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Richard Bach, the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Illusions and The Bridge Across Forever. I would like to understand what motivated him to develop the concepts and beliefs he writes about in his books

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla

Philosophy of Life: You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true; you may have to work for it, however

Biggest Ever Opportunity: My current role at MineWare, as it extended my scope to work with a truly global organisation that employs an amazing team of passionate people

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Failing first-year electrical engineering at university

Hope for the Future: A world led by statesmen and stateswomen who enable us to achieve all the potential out there, and not by politicians who limit the world by focusing on personal gain

Favourite Reading: For relaxation – Bill Bryson, for his informative and entertaining style, and Terry Pratchett, for the way he depicts the absurdity of some situations; for learning – almost anything that is recommended to me by my friends

Favourite TV Programme:Better Call Saul

Favourite Food/Drink: A home-cooked Beef Wellington and a good Merlot, shared with family

Favourite Music: Rock

Favourite Sport: Watching motor racing

Favourite Website: www.WatchProSite.com

Hobbies: Scuba diving and tinkering with old analogue amplifiers

Car: An Audi TT and a VW Tiguan

Pets: Two cats

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Insincere people and petty bureaucracies

Favourite Other South African Company: AVA Solutions, because it has taken a simple concept and refined it to a world-class South African solution that I hope will become a global player

Favourite Foreign Company: Apple, because of its unique way of making technology stylish

Married: To Eleanor

Children: None

Clubs: TEDx