Full Name: Jacobus Johannes Lotheringen

Position: Ukwazi director: opencut, coal and turnaround studies

Main Activity of the Company: Mining engineering and mine planning

Date and Place of Birth: December 3, 1971, Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal

Education: BEng (mining)

First Job: Miner at Tshikondeni colliery

Size of First Pay Packet: R2 000 a month

Value of Assets under Your Control: Ukwazi is privately owned by its employees. Our assets are our exceptional and diverse mining technical teams that add material value to projects and mines for our clients

Management Style: We have a collaborative environment with a strong focus on inspired and empowered teams that expect to see and do much more than the average. We expect our teams to do the right stuff, do it right, inform and involve the client, and document it appropriately

Personal Best Achievement: Continuously working on this one

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: Joa, 5, and my father

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Pierre Bredell and Pierre Fourie

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: The Chilean architect Felipe Assadi, for his inspirational design

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Steve Jobs, for their uncanny ability to inspire people to do great things

Philosophy of Life: In this short life, we have to do things that make us proud

Biggest Ever Opportunity: A privilege I shared was starting from scratch, growing and maintaining the largest independent mining engineering and mine planning team in Africa

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Unethical behaviour by people we trust. It is never ‘just business’ – it is always about people and principle

Hope for the Future: That there are more opportunities and sustained growth for Africa

Favourite Reading: Malcolm Gladwell, Harry Kalmer and selected biographies

Favourite TV Programme: Movies. Lots of them

Favourite Food/Drink: Fillet and chops on the braai with a Gin Martini (shaken, not stirred)

Favourite Music: Tricky, Jonas Gwangwa, Bittereinder, African Treehouse with my boy, and anything fresh and South African

Favourite Sport: Rock climbing, diving, cycling and watching the Sharks and Springbok rugby

Hobbies: Working on do-it-yourself projects at home, such as redesigning the wetland pool

Car: Pajero

Pets: A 15-year-old Weimaraner called X-Ray

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Arrogance, greed and bad design. These usually go hand in hand.