Full Name: Jason Rowan

Position: Manager of Merz & McLellan, which was acquired by the Mott MacDonald group in 2010

Main Activity of the Company: Merz & McLellan is an engineering and development consultancy. The sub-Saharan African power division covers the renewables, transmission and distribution, generation and nuclear sectors

Date and Place of Birth: March 16, 1971, Johannesburg

Education: Electrical engineering, Technikon Natal, 1996; MBA, Oxford Brookes, 2005

First Job: Student site engineer

Career History Prior to Current Position: I started out as a site engineer, working in the high-voltage electrical construction industry, and then moved into consulting engineering

Size of First Pay Packet: R1 300 a month

First Job with Present Group: Overhead line engineer in Brighton, UK

Value of Assets under Your Control: A turnover of R50-million – the group’s worldwide turnover is around R15-billion

Number of People under Your Leadership: 50 in the local Merz business and 14 000 employed by the group worldwide

Management Style: Consultative

Personal Best Achievement: Completing my first Duzi Canoe Marathon at age 15 with my father

Professional Best Achievement: Current position with Mott MacDonald

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

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: All my managers over the years

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Elon Musk

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Jack Welch

Philosophy of Life: It’s a long game; try to be nice

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Being in Africa in the twenty-first century

Biggest Ever Disappointment: South Africa losing in any competitive sport

Hope for the Future: A truly democratic Africa

Favourite Reading: Dean Koontz

Favourite TV Programme: Discovery

Favourite Food/Drink: Lasagne/single malt whisky

Favourite Music: Modern indie

Favourite Sport: Rugby and kayaking

Favourite Website: www.banksy.co.uk

Hobbies: Snowboarding and golf – when I get the opportunity

Car: VW

Pets: Two cats and two dogs

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Being late

Favourite Other South African Company: BMW South Africa (for its local production achievements)

Favourite Foreign Company: GE

Married: To Janine since March 24, 2001

Children: None

Clubs: None