Full Name: Farouk Abrahams
Position: Sales director at Weba Chute Systems
Main Activity of the Company: Weba Chute Systems is a South African-based original equipment manufacturer of engineered transfer points and chute systems
Date and Place of Birth: November 21, 1967, Cape Town
Education: LLM, University of California, Los Angeles, US
First Job: Law article clerk
Career History Prior to Current Position: Investment banker in mining finance and private equity
Size of First Pay Packet: R1 200 a month
First Job with Present Group: Non-executive director, since 2014
Value of Assets under Your Control: Not stated
Number of People under Your Leadership: 20
Management Style: I am part of a team, and I happen to be the team leader
Personal Best Achievement: Completing my first Iron Man South Africa in 2012 in weather conditions regarded as the worst in the history of the race
Professional Best Achievement: Entrepreneurial success when I left the corporate world in 2003
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My father
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Stephen Koseff
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: I already did: Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Jack Ma
Philosophy of Life: Gratefulness and humility
Biggest Ever Opportunity: Receiving a scholarship to study in the US
Biggest Ever Disappointment: Investing in a mobile loyalty app in 2010, which did not take off because it was ahead of its time – corporate South Africa was not ready to dispense with plastic loyalty cards
Hope for the Future: Our youth
Favourite Reading: Cosmology
Favourite TV Programme: Nothing specific
Favourite Food/Drink: Home-made Southern fried chicken, corn on the cob and mash/San Pellegrino drink
Favourite Music: Anything that appeals to the senses
Favourite Sport: Motorsport
Favourite Website: www.blessthisstuff.com
Hobbies: I am mechanic to my son – he races go-karts
Car: A 1974 Land Rover Series 3, a Ford Everest and a Triumph Bonneville T100
Pets: None
Miscellaneous Dislikes: All talk, no action
Favourite Other South African Company: Those in sales and marketing can learn from the persistence and entrepreneurship of our street vendors. If we can harness that energy and ‘hustling’ into our South African fibre, we will become less obsessed with formal education
Favourite Foreign Company: Petronas
Married: To Denise Abrahams
Children: Mika, 12
Clubs: None 