Full Name: Gavin Young
Position: CEO of Bridgestone
Main Activity of the Company: Tyre manufacturing
Date and Place of Birth: February 2, 1959
Education: BSc Eng Chemical (minerals processing), University of the Witwatersrand,1985; BCom, University of South Africa, 1990; MBA (project management), Henley Management College, UK, 2004
First Job: Counter sales on Saturday mornings at Dave Eagar’s hardware store, in Rosettenville, during high school
Career History Prior to Current Position: I have held senior leadership positions in South Africa, the UK and the US. These have included VP: operations at Nesmont Precious Metals Corp, in Canada; MD and process director of Johnson Matthey South Africa; regional projects director of Johnson Matthey plc, in the UK; procurement and project director of Johnson Matthey Inc, in the US; and MD of Jonhson Matthey South Africa (2004 to 2007), MD of Parsopns Brinckerhoff Africa (2008 to 2012), MD of Aveng E&PC (2012 to 2013) and MD of Aveng Engineering (2013 to 2016)
Size of First Pay Packet: I cannot remember exactly, but it was about R15 a month
First Job with Present Group: CEO
Value of Assets under Your Control: More than R3-billion
Number of People under Your Leadership: About 3 000
Management Style: It varies, depending on the circumstances, but I am most comfortable when collaborating with capable teams
Personal Best Achievement: Successfully completing my MBA dissertation while also relocating from the US back to South Africa
Professional Best Achievement: Developing a new manufacturing technology from bench-scale tests to constructing and commissioning a full-scale manufacturing plant based on the new technology in less than 12 months
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My wife, Yvette
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Peter Emmel, who was MD when I was appointed production director of Johnson Matthey South Africa
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, the Croatian Prime Minister, who travelled to the FIFA World Cup flying economy class at her own expense, watched many of the Croatian games from the non-VIP stands and hugged all the cup final players (winners and losers) in the rain
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Jack Welch with his turnaround capabilities
Philosophy of Life: Be alive and take advantage of all the opportunities you get
Biggest Ever Opportunity: Living and working overseas
Biggest Ever Disappointment: There are no regrets in life, just lessons
Hope for the Future: A more just and equitable society in South Africa
Favourite Reading: A mix of genres, but probably all the books written by JRR Tolkien
Favourite TV Programme: Weekend soccer
Favourite Food/Drink: Pasta and red wine
Favourite Music: Hard rock, 1970s and current bands
Favourite Sport: Soccer (still playing regularly)
Favourite Website: Amazon, for ebooks
Hobbies: Bush trips to remote areas with as many friends and family as I can persuade to join in
Car: Audi A6, but I also have a Honda CBR600 sports bike
Pets: Four dogs and one cat
Miscellaneous Dislikes: Wasting time in queues.
Favourite Other South African Company: Nando’s, for its branding and marketing
Favourite Foreign Company: Bennetton
Married: To Yvette
Children: James, 24; Graeme, 21; Timothy, 18
Clubs: The Greek Club in Linksfield, where I have been playing veterans soccer for the longest time