Full Name: Andrew Phillip Barton

Position: CEO De Beers Consolidated Mines (DBCM)

Main Activity of the Company: Diamond mining and trading

Date and Place of Birth: April 19, 1962, Cape Town

Education: BCom, AGA, MBA

First Job: Finance clerk, Department of Posts and Telecommunications

Size of First Monthly Pay Packet: R325

Value of Assets under Your Control: R15-billion

Number of People under Your Leadership: 2 600 (own employees), 4 000 (contractors, including at the Venetia underground mine project)

Management Style: Participative, empowering and supportive

Personal Best Achievement: Being part of a fantastic team that is successfully leading De Beers operations in South Africa out of the global recession and into the future

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My wife

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Every manager that I ever worked for, good and bad

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: It would have been Cecil John Rhodes

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Steve Jobs

Philosophy of Life: Be open-minded, tolerant, amusing and good company

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Taking over as CFO of DBCM at the height of the global recession

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Not being able to share some of my success with my late father, who passed away in 1992

Hope for the Future: A peaceful, prosperous South Africa

Favourite Reading: Jeffrey Archer

Favourite TV Programme: Sport (and Binnelanders)

Favourite Food/Drink: Leg of lamb, any good red wine

Favourite Music: An open ear to the familiar

Favourite Sport: Cricket

Hobbies: Clay pigeon shooting and weekend cooking

Car: Land Rover

Pets: My daughter’s Jack Russell (we share a house with him!)

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Long-winded people

Married: To Verna, for over 30 years

Children: Berna, Carel, Elaine and Jenny

Clubs: Kimberley Club