Full Name: Jeremy Edward Clarke

Position: Director, Paradigm Project Management (PPM)

Main Activity of the Company: Project management in the Southern African mining industry

Date and Place of Birth: January 27, 1954, London, England

Education: BSc (Hons), Salford University, England

First Job: Metallurgical graduate trainee, Anglo American Corporation

Size of First Pay Packet: About R400 a month

Number of People under Your Leadership: None directly – PPM’s business model is based on the use of associates. This allows maximum flexibility in the project industry, reduces overheads and minimises costs to the clients. PPM can have up to 200 associates working on projects at a time

Management Style: Maximum delegation based on the development of an extremely strong and dedicated project team, managing structured innovation projects using Strategic Value Management tools developed by PPM

Personal Best Achievement: Successfully starting my own business

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My wife, Anne

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: No one person. Since I started as a graduate trainee, I have had a series of excellent bosses, all of whom had a significant impact on my career. They all had different managerial styles and motivational techniques and I learnt an awful lot from them about the need to tailor management to the people and the problems

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Historically, Leonardo da Vinci: a brilliant Renaissance man who understood the synergies between art and science. Currently, Eric Clapton: to teach me how to play the blues properly!

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Harry Oppenheimer

Philosophy of Life: Make sure that there’s a good blend of work and play. Take the opportunities when they arise; they will not come again

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Starting my own business

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Not making the grade at professional football

Hope for the Future: A stable and prosperous South Africa, driven by the mining industry

Favourite Reading: Science, the philosophy of science, history and good novels

Favourite TV Programme: Mainly the sport channels, Grand Designs, Top Gear and the news

Favourite Food/Drink: Curry, tea, beer and wine

Favourite Music: Classical music, 60s and 70s rock, avant garde jazz

Favourite Sport: Football

Hobbies: Playing cello in the Rand Symphony Orchestra; playing the guitar; model engineering steam locomotives

Car: Corsa bakkie

Pets: Two golden retrievers and two cats

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Poor workmanship, bad cellphone etiquette, being late

Married: To Anne

Children: None

Clubs: Parkview Golf Club, model engineering societies, Rand Symphony Orchestra