Full Name: Paul Keursten
Position: CEO of Workshop17
Main Activity of the Company: Provision of flexible office and shared workspaces
Date and Place of Birth: May 22, 1964, Venray, The Netherlands
Education: PhD in education
First Job: Harvesting strawberries at age 14
Career History Prior to Current Position: PhD candidate, cofounder of a consulting company, assistant university professor, cofounder of the SEE trust foundation and CEO of Workshop17
Size of First Pay Packet: R25 an hour
First Job with Present Group: Cofounder
Value of Assets under Your Control: Not stated
Number of People under Your Leadership: 45
Management Style: Participative
Personal Best Achievement: Being the best father and partner I can be (still striving)
Professional Best Achievement: Workshop17 winning the global award for best co-working space in a competition in which contestants from over 100 countries participated
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My father
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Joseph Kessels, cofounder of my consulting company
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Ricardo Semler, CEO and majority owner of Semco, a Brazilian company best known for its radical form of industrial democracy and corporate re-engineering
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: The late Steve Jobs
Philosophy of Life: Make every day a beautiful day
Biggest Ever Opportunity: Starting my own business
Biggest Ever Disappointment: Having to cut jobs in the crisis
Hope for the Future: A more inclusive and sustainable society
Favourite Reading: A Promised Land, by Barack Obama
Favourite TV Programme: Big Bang Theory – just to laugh
Favourite Food/Drink: Italian cuisine
Favourite Music: Many – from classical to jazz, soul and R&B
Favourite Sport: Soccer
Favourite Website: Wikipedia
Hobbies: Running, spending time with my family and skiing
Car: Audi Q3
Pets: Three dogs
Miscellaneous Dislikes: Arrogance and disrespect
Favourite Other South African Company: Discovery, for its Vitality programme, which changed the focus from curing disease to promoting health
Favourite Foreign Company: Apple
Partner: Tracy Russouw
Children: Florian Keursten, 19; Louis Russouw, 10
Clubs: None