Full Name: Deon Van Den Berg
Position: Production manager at SBS Tanks
Main Activity of the Company: SBS Tanks is a manufacturer of liquid storage tanks
Date and Place of Birth: May 30, 1971, Pietermaritzburg
Education: Matric, Alexander High School; diploma in mechanical engineering, Durban Technikon; diploma in production management, Varsity College
First Job: I was a paramedic for six years
Career History Prior to Current Position: After working as a paramedic, I joined Dunlop in 1996, before moving to Concord Refrigeration Manufacturers, where I was operations manager for two years
Size of First Pay Packet: R3 500 a month
First Job with Present Group: Production manager
Value of Assets under Your Control: A few million rands
Number of People under Your Leadership: 67
Management Style: Everyone is unique and different management styles should be applied to manage different people
Personal Best Achievement: Fathering four children
Professional Best Achievement: Achieving quality ratings at Dunlop and implementing systems that are still being followed
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: God, and my best friend, Johan
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: One of my first bosses, Alison Lindsay
Person You Would Most Like to meet: Liam Neeson
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Dave Douglas
Philosophy of Life: Make a difference in someone else’s life and build relationships with people
Biggest Ever Opportunity: Working with different types of people over the years
Biggest Ever Disappointment: Failing my ex-wife and children – I am twice divorced. Professionally, my biggest disappointment was when I was mentored to become operations director, after which another person was brought in to take the position, although I continued to do all the work
Hope for the Future: South Africans working together to make the country a better place for all
Favourite Reading: The Bible
Favourite TV Programme: Suits
Favourite Food/Drink: Lamb chops and Flying Fish
Favourite Music: No specific genre – I like to listen to songs with meaningful lyrics
Favourite Sport: Rugby and mountain biking
Favourite Website: Gumtree and Facebook
Hobbies: Mountain biking
Car: Ford Kuga
Pets: Four dogs
Miscellaneous Dislikes: Conflict
Favourite Other South African Company: Ford
Favourite Foreign Company: Samsung
Married: To Yolandi, since November 6, 2016
Children: Macheila, Natasha, Stephanie and Owen
Clubs: Giba Gorge Mountain Biking Club (BMX Club)