Full Name: Thabi Patricia Malatji

Position and Company Name: Partner at EY

Main Activity of the Company: EY is a professional services firm (audit and consulting)

Date and Place of Birth: March 24, 1988, Limpopo province, South Africa

Education: BCom (Hons) (Financial Management Sciences)

First Job: Performance and risk analyst at Anglo American

Size of First Pay Packet: R25 000 a month

Career Path to Date: I started my career as a performance and risk analyst at Anglo American (Supply Chain), before progressing to strategy and business development analyst at Anglo American (Copper) and business improvement specialist at Anglo American subsidiary Kumba Iron Ore. I joined EY as assistant manager: supply chain operations consulting. I then rose to manager: supply chain and operations consulting, senior manager: strategy and customer consulting, associate director: strategy and customer consulting, and partner: EYP Strategy

Value of Assets under Your Control: $1.1-million in service revenue

Number of People under Your Leadership: 15

Management Style: Collaborative, leading with empathy, leading by example, and investing in team health and wellbeing

Personal Best Achievement: Motherhood – my children are the highlight of my life so far

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My parents – my father taught me to pursue my dreams boldly and to be resolute in how I go about achieving the goals I set for myself, while my mother taught me to be independent from an early age and to set an example for my siblings as the first-born in our family

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Mentors at both Anglo American and EY. Maryanne Trollope gave me my first opportunity at Anglo and guided me through each transition, which ultimately saw me join EY

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Thuli Madonsela

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Former Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll

Philosophy of Life: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Living and working in Santiago, Chile

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Ending my international assignment early, owing to health complications

Hope for the Future: That the lessons learnt through the Covid-19 pandemic will help us (me, my family and those in my circle) to appreciate what we have, to be more resilient and to live each moment to the fullest

Favourite Reading: Conversations with God, by Neale Donald Walsch; Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg; and We’re Going to Need More Wine, by Gabrielle Union

Favourite TV Programme: Ashamedly, the Real Housewives franchise

Favourite Food/Drink: Sushi and champagne (or a really good MCC)

Favourite Music: Old-school RnB

Favourite Sport: I am not a sports fanatic, but I enjoy watching basketball with my husband

Hobbies: I love playing around with interior decor, cooking for my family on Sundays and baking with my seven-year-old

Car: Volvo SUV

Pets: None

Miscellaneous Dislikes: None

Married: To Advocate Katlego Malatji

Children: Mogau, 7; Moagi, five months

Clubs: None