Full Name: Tumi Mphahlele

Position: CEO of IG3N

(pronounced ‘i-gen’)

Main Activity of the Company: IG3N is a light manufacturing startup that assembles lithium-ion phosphate batteries used mostly in solar photovoltaic installations

Date and Place of Birth: February 25, 1974, in Pretoria

Education: BSc (chemistry), University of Cape Town; postgraduate diploma in marketing management, University of South Africa (Unisa); diploma in datametrics (Unisa); MBA, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)

First Job: Scientist at Sasol Oil Research & Development

Career History Prior to Current Position: Head of corporate strategy at the Development Bank of Southern Africa; GM: corporate strategy at the South African Bureau of Standards; special projects head at Busara Leadership Partners; and manager at Accenture South Africa

Size of First Pay Packet: I think it was R5 000 a month

First Job with Present Group: I cofounded the company

Value of Assets under Your Control: Over R2-million – it is a startup in a growth phase.

Number of People under Your Leadership: Seven

Management Style: I provide the space for the team members to operate and apply their talents and skills

Personal Best Achievement: Demonstrating our 5.6 kWh battery for the first time to a potential client, and overcoming a rare condition called external iliac artery endofibrosis

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My identical twin sister, Lebo, and my other sister, Ramatsemela

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: I cannot think of any one person

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Not stated

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Ipeleng Mkhari, founder and CEO of Motseng Investment Holdings

Philosophy of Life: What you think becomes

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Being awarded the Helen Suzman bursary at GIBS to study for the MBA degree

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Running out of money when I tried to start a business a few years ago, which forced me to go back to work to save money to start all over

Hope for the Future: Being part of the ecosystem that looks to Africa to solve African problems, and increased trade and cooperation

Favourite Reading: I have just read Chaos Monkeys, by Antonio García Martinez, which is an eye-opening account of venture capitalism in Silicon Valley. I enjoyed reading The Oligarchs, by David E Hoffman

Favourite TV Programme: I am not a huge TV fan

Favourite Food/Drink: My husband’s lasagne and good South African wines

Favourite Music: Tracy Chapman – I have all her music

Favourite Sport: Mountain biking, trail running and hiking. I am part of Everest2020SA, a team of four women who aim to climb Mount Everest in 2020. I do road running too

Favourite Website: www.i-g3n.com

Hobbies: Scrabble – when I have time

Car: I am not a big car fan; I would like to get a new car, though – a Volvo

Pets: None

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Selfishness, self-centredness and unwillingness to put in the work

Favourite Other South African Company: None

Favourite Foreign Company: Dangote Group, Alibaba

Married: To Jurjen Draaijer, since October 2018

Children: None

Clubs: Waterfall Atheletics Club