Full Name: Joseph Breen Keenan
Position: MD of BME
Main Activity of the Company: BME supplies a full range of explosives, initiating systems, electronic blasting systems, delivery equipment, mobile emulsion plants and technical services to ensure every blast brings value to customers
Date and Place of Birth: April 23, 1969, Sudbury, Ontario
Education: BSc (geology), Laurentian University; MBA, Edinburgh Business School; Advanced Management Programme, Harvard Business School
First Job: ICI Explosives
Size of First Pay Packet: $28 000 a year
Number of People under Your Leadership: About 1 200 employees
Management Style: Inclusive and process driven, and I believe all employees have the right to go home every day better than when they arrived at work
Personal Best Achievement: My family
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My father. He was a partner in a successful accounting practice in our hometown. He was very entrepreneurial and driven to success
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: John Beevers, previous CEO of Orica Mining Services and currently CEO of Groundprobe
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Richard Branson
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Carlos Ghosn, chairperson of Renault and CEO of Nissan
Philosophy of Life: It is not about how many fights you win or lose; it is about how many you show up for in life
Biggest Ever Opportunity: With every new role, I have always tried to take the opportunity to reinvent myself and to improve on my leadership skills
Biggest Ever Disappointment: Having to relocate my family out of Australia after being in the country for only 18 months
Hope for the Future: That environmental impact will feature prominently as a differentiator among countries, cultures and companies
Favourite Reading: The Innovators Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen
Favourite TV Programme: Band of Brothers
Favourite Food/Drink: Steak and a glass of Cabernet
Favourite Music: 80s rock
Favourite Sport: Hockey
Hobbies: Skiing, golf
Car: Chevy Suburban
Pets: Yellow Lab, Lucy
Miscellaneous Dislikes: Long hotel checkout lines; being stuck in airport security lines behind families with strollers
Married: To Ana Carolina
Children: Hannah 15, Joseph and Jacob, 7
Clubs: Glenmoor Country Club, International Society of Explosives Engineers, Canadian Institute of Mining