WHAT CAREER MILESTONES ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF HAVING ACHIEVED?
There are various milestones; here are some of them:
• The South Deep Main and Ventilation Shaft Sinking project, the largest shaft-sinking project ever – it has two 3 000m vertical shafts;
• Winning the Association of Mine Managers Gold Medal for the technical paper in 1997 titled “Construction of concrete plug on the South Deep Main Shaft to seal off a major water intersection”;
• Completing multiple shaft-sinking projects with no fatalities;
• Working with Placer Dome consultants at South Deep Gold Mine on revising the industry standard for mortar intruded bulkhead plugs, and co-authoring technical papers on the topic;
• Impala 12 North brattice wall installation;
• Impumelelo and Shondoni underground bunker projects;
• Being appointed managing director of Murray & Roberts Cementation in 2017; and
• Achieving five million fatality-free shifts for Murray & Roberts Cementation on 2 January 2021.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN YOUR CURRENT ROLE?
There are three main challenges:
• The retention of talent and skills;
• Inspiring the belief and collective accountability that Zero Harm is achievable in underground mining; and
• Balancing commercial risk mitigation with winning work.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE?
Tennis, fly fishing and fly tying, boating and travel. I also enjoy spending time outdoors, be it time in the bush game viewing and birding, or simply braaing in the company of family and friends.

WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?
You can’t move up the corporate ladder unless you have trained your own successor.

WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Not much – what you see is what you get.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
I worked as a Mining Graduate Learner official at Elandsrand Gold Mine, part of Anglo American’s gold division.

TRACE YOUR CAREER JOURNEY FROM WHERE YOU STARTED TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW.
After studying Mining Engineering at Wits University, I did my two years of national service. I spent the next 10 years at Anglo American, on the Elandsrand (now Kusasalethu), TauTona (one of the three Western Deep Levels mines of the West Wits gold field west of Joburg) and President Brand gold mines. I then moved to Murray & Roberts Cementation and have worked for the company for the past 27 years, holding various positions. From starting out as a senior project manager, I became a project executive, then operations director, then technical director and I now hold my current position as managing director.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
In Johannesburg – I was born, bred and educated here.

WHAT CAREER MILESTONES ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF HAVING ACHIEVED?
Throughout my career I have focused on setting clear and specific goals for myself in each position I’ve had the opportunityto occupy. I am most proud of the fact that I have managed to achieve these goals. I continue to challenge myself by setting new goals whenever I identify an opportunity for career development and growth because I believe you never stop learning. I must say, though, that my transition to the role of financial director has proven to be the toughest yet, but I am confident that with hard work and consistency, the goals I’ve set for myself will be achieved.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN YOUR CURRENT POSITION?
Making a meaningful impact in any role, professional or personal, is always top of mind for me. I have been in my current position for two years now, and I’ve found that understanding the environment and making sense of all the different components and aspects that make up the organisation to be the biggest challenge. As I continue to navigate my position, I am confident that once I have a firm grasp of it, making a meaningful impact will be well within my reach.

WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE IN YOUR INDUSTRY?
In the context of the Cementation Africa business, I am excited about the opportunities that exist in various mining regions outside of South Africa. Exploring other regions is an exciting challenge. It is a different but interesting world out there, and we have to navigate it and make good on the opportunities that exist.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE?
I have a one-year-old son who keeps my wife and I on our toes, so I spend most of my time outside of the office with my family. I come from a relatively big family and enjoy spending time with my siblings. We see each other often and we love to braai. I also enjoy sport: I play golf when time allows, and lately, I’ve been playing rugby at The Wanderers Club in Johannesburg to keep fit.

WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?
It’s the old saying: “You need to see the wood for the trees.” Also this: Better decisions come from leaders who are level-headed and focused.

WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Most people don’t know that I have a passion for agriculture, particularly cattle farming.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
A trainee accountant at KPMG. I was paid peanuts and was overworked, but it served as a good foundation for my career.

TRACE YOUR CAREER JOURNEY FROM WHERE YOU STARTED TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW.
I went from being a trainee accountant at KPMG to audit supervisor. I left KPMG for Murray & Roberts Limited and worked as the group reporting accountant. I was then appointed financial accountant at Murray & Roberts Cementation, then financial manager at Murray & Roberts Power & Water, and I am now the financial director at Murray & Roberts Cementation.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I was born in a small town called Tsolo in the Eastern Cape (formerly the Transkei). My roots are in Tsolo as that is where my family is based. During my primary and high school years, I went to boarding schools in both the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. I moved to Johannesburg after matric to attend what was then called The Rand Afrikaans University, now the University of Johannesburg.