Full Name: Martin Peterson

Position: CEO of Rutherford Makita

Main Activity of the Company: The company is a distributor of Makita, Mercury and Topcon products

Date and Place of Birth: Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, September 28, 1963

Education: I graduated from Rhodes University with a BCom degree in 1986, before completing articles in 1990 to become a chartered accountant

First job: Articled clerk at KPMG

Career History Prior to Current Position: On completion of articles with KPMG, I was appointed FD of ARWA, which was part of the Sara Lee personal products group. I was with that group until 1995, when I started my own auditing practice, which I ran for six years. In April 2000, I joined Filter & Hose Solutions (FHS), which, in 2010, was sold to the Hudaco group. I remained at FHS until September 2013, when I was appointed CEO of Rutherford Makita, also part of Hudaco.

Size of First Pay Packet: R 1 300 a month

First Job with Present Group: FD of FHS

Value of Assets under Your Control: R 100-million

Number of People under Your Leadership: 205

Management Style: Creating a team environment

Personal Best Achievement: Selection as provincial tennis player

Professional Best Achievement: I turned an insolvent company into a financial success story

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

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: My father

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Nelson Mandela

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Former Sara Lee Personal Products CEO Alan Falconer . He created an environment where one would do anything for him

Philosophy of Life: Take the rough with the smooth and stay positive

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Appointment as CEO of Rutherford

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Nothing, really

Hope for the Future: To be a success at Rutherford

Favourite Reading: Fictional books

Favourite TV Programme: Generally, sport

Favourite Food/Drink: All the bad stuff – food, hamburger; drink, Castle Lite

Favourite Music: Pop music, but not the ‘duf, duf’ stuff that teenagers listen to

Favourite Sport: Golf

Favourite Website: None

Hobbies: Working out in the gym

Car: Range Rover

Pets: None

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Smoking

Favourite Other South African Company: South African Breweries

Favourite Foreign Company: Callaway Golf Company

Married: Divorced

Children: Twins, Nicholas and Matthew, 17

Clubs: Johannesburg Country Club