Full Name: Paul Keursten

Position: CEO of Workshop17

Main Activity of the Company: Provision of flexible office and shared workspaces

Date and Place of Birth: May 22, 1964, Venray, The Netherlands

Education: PhD in education

First Job: Harvesting strawberries at age 14

Career History Prior to Current Position: PhD candidate, cofounder of a consulting company, assistant university professor, cofounder of the SEE trust foundation and CEO of Workshop17

Size of First Pay Packet: R25 an hour

First Job with Present Group: Cofounder

Value of Assets under Your Control: Not stated

Number of People under Your Leadership: 45

Management Style: Participative

Personal Best Achievement: Being the best father and partner I can be (still striving)

Professional Best Achievement: Workshop17 winning the global award for best co-working space in a competition in which contestants from over 100 countries participated

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

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Joseph Kessels, cofounder of my consulting company

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Ricardo Semler, CEO and majority owner of Semco, a Brazilian company best known for its radical form of industrial democracy and corporate re-engineering

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: The late Steve Jobs

Philosophy of Life: Make every day a beautiful day

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Starting my own business

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Having to cut jobs in the crisis

Hope for the Future: A more inclusive and sustainable society

Favourite Reading: A Promised Land, by Barack Obama

Favourite TV Programme: Big Bang Theory – just to laugh

Favourite Food/Drink: Italian cuisine

Favourite Music: Many – from classical to jazz, soul and R&B

Favourite Sport: Soccer

Favourite Website: Wikipedia

Hobbies: Running, spending time with my family and skiing

Car: Audi Q3

Pets: Three dogs

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Arrogance and disrespect

Favourite Other South African Company: Discovery, for its Vitality programme, which changed the focus from curing disease to promoting health

Favourite Foreign Company: Apple

Partner: Tracy Russouw

Children: Florian Keursten, 19; Louis Russouw, 10

Clubs: None