Full Name: Nandipha Rambau
Position: Director of Diba
Main Activity of the Company: Diba has two divisions – construction and health and safety consulting – both of which I oversee
Date and Place of Birth: July 5, 1983, Cape Town
Education: Matric, Fezeka High School, 1999; national diploma in environmental health, Technikon Witwatersrand, 2003; BTech (environmental health), University of Johannesburg (UJ), 2004; environmental noise management certificate, Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), 2006; project management course, UJ, 2006; project management course, UJ, 2006; introduction to environmental management course, TUT, 2007; air quality management certificate, TUT, 2007; introduction to environmental management certificate, North-West University, 2007; integrated five-star system navigator course, Nosa, 2011; introduction to concrete certificate, Cement & Concrete Institute, 2011; international construction certificate, Nebosh, UK, 2013; national diploma in civil engineering, University of South Africa
First Job: Environmental health practitioner for the Gauteng Department of Health
Career History Prior to Current Position: I have worked for the Gauteng Department of Health as an environmental health practitioner and the Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality as a senior environmental health practitioner
Management Style: Bureaucratic, coupled with empowering people to independently and creatively carry out their duties
Personal Best Achievement: Reaching a state of self-awareness, which enabled me to constructively criticise myself and make peace with the best and the worst of me
Professional Best Achievement: Growing my construction and occupational health and safety business gradually for the past ten years
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My mother, grandmother and husband
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: All women who have made names for themselves, including Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Malawi President Joyce Banda and the very tenacious Dr Thandi Ndlovu, of Motheo Construction Group
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Cyril Ramaphosa and Michelle Obama
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Cyril Ramaphosa and Allon Raiz
Philosophy of Life: Live! Love! Have! Give!
Biggest Ever Opportunity: It’s just around the corner
Biggest Ever Disappointment: I never allow disappointments to stick around in my mind for a long time
Hope for the Future: That all tertiary institution courses include an entrepreneurship module
Favourite Reading: Many, including The Power of Focus, by Jack Canfield and Own Your Industry, by Douglas Kruger. I am currently reading What I Know for Sure, by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite TV Programme: I do not really have one, but I enjoy business and educational programmes, with psychic detectives and cartoons on my downtim
Favourite Food/Drink: Any creamy and cold dessert/Coke with lots of lemon
Favourite Music: Afro pop (Thandiswa, Lira, Camagwini, Ringo) and hip-hop. One also needs a bit of Mendelssohn and Mozart from time to time
Favourite Sport: Cycling and swimming
Favourite Website: www.diba.co.za
Hobbies: Casually cycling around with my family, and road trips
Pets: Bubbles, my Terrier dog (small mixed breed)
Miscellaneous Dislikes: Long queues and crime
Favourite other South African Company: Aurecon and Royal Haskoning.
Favourite Foreign Company: None, but I closely follow health and safety consulting companies, especially those in the UK, since that country’s health and safety laws are similar to South Africa’s