Photo by: Duane Daws
Full Name: Adelaide Ruiters
Position: Founder and CEO of Adelaide Ruiters Mining & Exploration (ARME), a South African majority black-woman-owned junior mining company; MD of Structa EPCM, a subsidiary of Structa Group; and founder and MD of Lacam Contract Cleaning Services
Main Activity of ARME: Phosphate mineral exploration in Saldanha Bay, with the aim of developing the Zandheuvel project
Date and Place of Birth: January 19, 1969, Bellville, Cape Town
Education: University of Cape Town, BMus (Gen); University of Pretoria, project management; University of the Witwatersrand, introductory geology course
First Job: Music teacher, Blackheath Primary School
Career History Prior to Current Position: Deputy director for communications, National Department of Public Works; communications coordinator, Competition Commission; business development manager, Thuthuka Group; group business development manager, Structa Group
Size of First Pay Packet: R3 500 a month
First Job with Present Group: Founder and CEO of ARME and business development manager of Structa
Value of Assets under Your Control: Confidential, exploration still in progress
Number of People under Your Leadership: 12
Management Style: Hands-on, working as a team, results driven, no procrastination
Personal Best Achievement: Being a mother to my boys, learning to read Hebrew and being a qualified classical pianist
Professional Best Achievement: Being awarded my first phosphate prospecting right, developing it and setting up ARME; having Anglo American Sefa Mining Fund acquire 13% of ARME; receiving the Top Student Murray & Roberts Public Relations Institute South Africa Award in 1998; being named Top Performer of the Year in 2004
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My family
Persons Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Peter Cox, MD, Ironveld plc; Piet Coetzer, chairperson, Structa Group; and Jan van der Merwe, project geologist
Persons You Would Most Like to Meet: Thuli Madonsela and Bobby Godsell
Businesspersons Who Has Impressed You Most: Aliko Dangote, Brian Joffe and Raymond Ackerman
Philosophy of Life: If you believe in something, never give up on your dream
Biggest Ever Opportunity: Applying for my prospecting right and developing it further
Biggest Ever Disappointment: None
Hope for the Future: That my endeavours create thousands of jobs and that I assist government in bringing about transformation in mining
Favourite Reading: Digging Deep, by Jade Davenport; Mining Weekly
Favourite TV Programme: There is no time to watch TV
Favourite Food/Drink: Nando’s, Mediterranean and white wine
Favourite Music: Classical, jazz and traditional Middle Eastern music
Favourite Sport: Horse riding
Hobbies: Playing the piano; making jewellery; collecting used books, antiques and collectables; reading, cooking and belly dancing
Car: Ford Kuga
Pets: Six birds, two Jack Russells and four cats
Miscellaneous Dislikes: Being ignored
Favourite Other South African Companies: Structa Group, Pick n Pay and Bidvest
Favourite Foreign Company: Coca-Cola and Dangote Group
Married: Divorced
Children: Two boys aged 19 and 13
Clubs: Killarney Country Club