Full Name: Nosipho Siwisa-Damasane
Position: CEO of Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) since July 2012
Main Activity of the Company: Coal export from the RBCT, a 24-hour operation with a design capacity of 91-million tons a year. The facility is responsible for the export of coal for all the coal mining companies in South Africa. The operation is wholly dependent on rail logistics and port marine services provided by Transnet Freight Rail and Transnet National Ports Authority
Date and Place of Birth: Peddie, Eastern Cape
Education: Ayliff Primary School; Thembalabentu Secondary School; BCom (Accounting), University of Transkei; Senior Executive Programme, London Business School; Port Management, Antwerp; Port Management and Logistics, Singapore; Port Logistics, Rotterdam; currently reading for an MBA, Rhodes University
First Job: Aitken & Peat (now KPMG), 1992
First Pay Packet: R1 500 a month (before tax)
Value of RBCT Assets: R11-billion
Number of Employees: 1 060 (527 full-time employees and 530 full-time contractors)
Management Style: Participative, personal and transformational; in 2013, I went undercover to learn what RBCT employees experience day to day – and discovered much, including that simply putting a microwave oven into a work station, where people operate round the clock, makes a big difference to their lives
Previous Positions: GM: port operations, Port Elizabeth and East London, 2002; GM: supply chain management, port and rail Integration, 2004; GM: business development, 2006; COO, South African Port Operations, from 2009 until joining RBCT. My Transnet career included developing the Mercedes-Benz car terminal, in East London, the Gabcon inland container terminal, in Botswana, infrastructure and efficiency projects, and the Port Elizabeth–Hotazel manganese ore corridor
Best Achievement: My children. (Siwisa-Damasane was last month named 2015 Business Women of the Year by the Business Women Association of South Africa)
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence On Your Career: My father, MK Siwisa
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Oprah Winfrey
Person Who Impressed You the Most: Richard Branson
Philosophy of Life: Every dark cloud has a silver lining
Biggest Ever Opportunity: Sharing with other people and impacting on other people’s lives
Biggest Ever Disappointment: Trusting people blindly
Hope for the Future: The youth of South Africa
Favourite Reading: The Leader Who Had No Title and The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari – by Robin Sharma
Favourite TV Programme: Sporting news
Favourite Food and Drink: I love eating and drinking wine – it brings people together
Favourite Music: Jazz
Sport: Rugby
Hobbies: Writing
Car: Audi RS5
Pets: My travel schedule does not allow for pets, but I would love to have a dog
Dislikes: Dishonesty
Children: Two daughters, Vava, 33, and Abu, 16
Clubs: None