Full Name: Thomas Marshall

Position: COO of the Africa division of SMEC and CEO of Vela VKE

Main Activity of the Company: Infrastructure consulting engineering

Date and Place of Birth: August 11, 1955, Springs, South Africa

Education: BEng (civil engineering), MEng (transportation and geotechnical engineering), DEng (engineering management)

First Job: Site engineer, SA Piled Foundations, Grinaker Construction

Career History Prior to Current Position: After short stints in construction with Grinaker and with another consultant, I joined VKE in 1982, where I served in various management roles until the VKE group joined the SMEC group in 2012

Size of First Pay Packet: R750 a month in 1979

First Job with Present Group: Railway design engineer in the VKE group in 1982

Value of Assets under Your Control: Our really valuable assets are our experienced, innovative staff members

Number of People under Your Leadership: 1 300 in SMEC’s Africa division

Management Style: Collaborative
Personal Best Achievement: Marrying my wife

Professional Best Achievement: The Baía de Luanda urban regeneration and environmental rehabilitation project

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

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Dr Johann Buhr, an earlier executive chairperson of the VKE group

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Dr Desmond Tutu

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: The late Dr Anton Rupert

Philosophy of Life: Live and let live

Biggest Ever Opportunity: My current job

Biggest Ever Disappointment: When Fulcrum Bank (of which I was a founder) lost its intended focus of being an infrastructure bank

Hope for the Future: A vibrant, prosperous and ‘normalised’ South African society

Favourite Reading: Bill Bryson

Favourite TV Programme: The Simpsons and the History Channel

Favourite Food/Drink: Italian food/South African red wine

Favourite Music: Folk rock

Favourite Sport: Mountain biking (as participant) and rugby (as spectator)

Favourite Website: Google Earth

Hobbies: Reading, music and sea kayaking

Car: Land Rover Discovery and Audi

Pets: Two cats

Miscellaneous Dislikes: People who are late or do not show up for appointments

Favourite Other South African Company: SABMiller

Favourite Foreign Company: GE

Married: To Gesie (née Theron) since 1979

Children: John; Gesie; Marie

Clubs: I am not a club person – Virgin Active and Johannesburg Mountain Bike Club are my kind of club