Full Name: Quinton van der Burgh

Position: CEO of Burgh Group Holdings

Main Activity of company: Coal mining – we are an owner-operator mining group, with our own fleet of mining equipment

Date and Place of Birth: December 17, 1977, Witbank

Education: High school, Witbank High School

First Job: I worked for a marketing company called Lezmin

Size of First Pay Packet: R100 000 a year

Value of Assets under Your Control: We took the view in early 2015, when the coal market was at its worst, that the market would have to correct, and we used the opportunity to grow a very nice portfolio. We have had 500% growth in the last six months

Number of People under Your Leadership: About 1 000

Management Style: I lead by example and encourage entrepreneurial thinking

Personal Best Achievement: Outside mining, which is my main priority, I am also president of Generosity Water Global, a charitable organisation with a worldwide footprint. I am proud to have been involved in bringing clean drinking water to as many as 700 000 people in the developing world

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My mother, Jeanette

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: My father – he taught me the value of money and to work for what I want to achieve

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: I would have loved to meet Nelson Mandela

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: The Rothschild family, who gained immense power by controlling interests globally, and amid a great deal of secrecy. That secrecy around power intrigues me

Philosophy of Life: Nothing is going to happen unless you do it yourself

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Thirteen-odd years ago, when legislation in South Africa changed to afford entrepreneurs a fair chance to compete with the five major coal mining groups, my brothers and I took a leap of faith. Without knowing the industry at all, we invested and started our business

Biggest Ever Disappointment: I was in my early 20s, working in London in mobile phone trading, and I made a naïve trade deal that went south. It was a large deal and I lost all my client’s money

Hope for the Future: I would like to be recognised as an entrepreneur who made an impact across a variety of sectors and took on a range of challenges and made them work

Favourite Reading: Reading contracts

Favourite TV Programme: Suits

Favourite Food/Drink: Chicken, and Generosity Water – it has an alkaline pH of 10, so it is the healthiest bottled water you can get

Favourite Music: Commercial music

Favourite Sport: Last Fighter Standing – hand-to-hand combat sports; and rugby

Hobbies: Golf and racing cars

Pets: I have two French bulldogs, Emily and Vegas

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Dishonesty and lazy people

Married: Not married

Children: None