https://www.miningweekly.com

Bruce Shapiro

26th April 2013

By: Martin Creamer

Creamer Media Editor

  

Font size: - +

Full Name: Bruce Shapiro

Position: President of MineAfrica and of the Canada-Southern Africa Chamber of Business

Date and Place of Birth: October 7, 1943, Johannesburg, South Africa

Main Activities: MineAfrica arranges Investing in African Mining seminars in Toronto and London; the Canada-Southern Africa Chamber of Business facilitates high-level networking and holds risk mitigation and corporate social responsibility seminars

Education: BCom, University of the Witwatersrand; MBA, University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business

First Job: Checking goods at the back door of the OK Bazaars (1929) warehouse

Size of First Pay Packet: A miniscule £40 a month (in those days it was equal to R80)

Value of the Assets under Your Control: We do not hold any assets; we are a service company

Number of People under Your Leadership: I may influence some people but do not lead any

Management Style: Each person operates best in his or her own style. I encourage that by simply stating that “such and such needs to be done by …”. I am also available for advice at all times

Personal Best Achievement: I was the first person in South Africa to be sponsored to do a full-time MBA by a commercial organisation

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: My boss in the statistics department of OK Bazaars when I was 21, who helped significantly in promoting me in the organisation

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Nelson Mandela

Person Who Has Impressed You Most: Winston Churchill

Philosophy of Life: In life, you only really have one thing – your name. To me, that means integrity and fairness. It also means that one should have a well-developed ability to laugh at oneself

Biggest Ever Opportunity: To work for and earn a significant stake in Pick n Pay when it had only three branches. At the time, I thought that completing my education was more important. Today I would question that

Biggest Ever Disappointment: That, owing to my conscience, conditions prevailing in South Africa in the late 1970s forced me to leave the country

Hope for the Future: That fairness and justice will eventually prevail in the world and that in some way I can help promote socially responsible development in Africa, especially South Africa

Favourite Reading: Cutting-edge science of most kinds, science fiction, historical fiction and spy stories

Favourite TV Programme: I watch very little TV other than the news

Favourite Food/Drink: Caviar, oysters, crayfish (and lobsters in Canada), with a little champagne or excellent wine

Favourite Music: Classical or jazz

Favourite Sport: Golf and hiking in the country in Canada in summer and cross-country skiing in winter

Hobbies: Photography

Car: I really don’t care as long as it starts

Pets: Cats (of any kind) – at one time, I even nearly got a lion cub but had problems with the wife over that

Dislikes: Pretentiousness, greed and ignorance

Married: To Debby Ruben (not the same one who wouldn’t let me have the lion cub)

Children: Two lovely daughters

Clubs: A fitness club where I pay a membership fee in the hope that one day I will actually go

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION