Photo by: Dylan Slater
Full Name: Alastair Stuart Macfarlane
Position: Codirector, Mandela Mining Precinct
Main Activity of the Company: Re-establishing the research and development (R&D) capacity and capability of the South African mining industry
Date and Place of Birth: January 19, 1951, Plymouth, England
Education: Associateship of the Camborne School of Mines, MSc (engineering), University of the Witwatersrand
First Job: Mining graduate, Anglo American, 1973
Size of First Pay Packet: R373 a month
Value of Assets under Your Control: An R&D budget of R100-million a year
Number of People under Your Leadership: The Mandela Mining Precinct currently has 70 people on site
Management Style: Situational – ranging from consultative to persuasive, depending on the situation
Personal Best Achievement: Becoming a nonexecutive director of Implats, establishing a true and successful broad-based black economic empowerment mining company (Sebilo Resources) and becoming president-elect of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My wife, Diane
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: The late Frank Chilton
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un – just to understand how they think
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Bobby Godsell
Philosophy of Life: Trust people until they give you reason not to
Biggest Ever Opportunity: To be a part of the transition to democracy in South Africa
Biggest Ever Disappointment: That South Africa lost its way and failed to reach the aspirations of a better life for all, as espoused by Nelson Mandela
Hope for the Future: That, under an ethical and transparent leadership, South Africa becomes the economic powerhouse of Africa, to the benefit of all the peoples of the continent
Favourite Reading: History and historical romantic novels
Favourite TV Programme: Eastenders and Isidingo
Favourite Food/Drink: Fresh Scottish salmon with a Viognier, followed by a single-malt scotch
Favourite Music: Classical, especially nineteenth- and twentieth-century Russian composers
Favourite Sport: Cricket, golf, rugby
Hobbies: Golf, painting, enjoying a braai with family and friends, being in the bush
Car: Toyota Prado
Pets: Three dogs and three cats
Miscellaneous Dislikes: Boring people, people with fixed ideas, spiders, snakes, the smell of cooked liver and kidneys
Married: To Diane
Children: Bruce, 35; Christopher, 31; Catherine, 25; Stevie, 7; and granddaughter Seanna, 11 weeks
Clubs: Club 140 golf