Full Name: Mabedle Livingstone Mashele
Position: MD of Hoxana Consulting Engineers, Hoxana Construction and Hoxana Farming, and CEO of the newly created clothing store, ZenStone Dignified Wear
Main Activity of the Company: Civil engineering consulting, with a strong inclination towards township infrastructure and project management
Date and Place of Birth: July 19, 1982, Burgersdorp village, in Tzaneen, Limpopo
Education: NDip and BTech (civil engineering), Vaal University of Technology; MBA, Henley Business School
First Job: Engineer-in-training at Blasting & Excavating, 2006
Size of First Pay Packet: R6 500 a month
Career History: I worked at Blasting & Excavating for three years before joining SBA, where I spent another three years. I then moved to Bigen Africa as a civil engineering technologist, but left in April 2012 to start my own civil engineering consulting firm, Hoxana Consulting Engineers
Value of Assets under Your Control: R4.5-million
Number of people under Your Leadership: Eight at Hoxana Consulting Engineers and 22 at Hoxana Farming
Management Style: Consultative
Personal Best Achievement: Being allowed to study for an MBA at Henley Business School
Professional Best Achievement: Completing the MBA degree programme in record time
Businessperson Who Has Influenced You the Most: I have always admired what Given Mkhari, CEO of MSG Africa and chairperson of Power FM and Capricon FM, has achieved. I am also amazed by what young businesspeople like Elias Mabitsela have achieved
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Leon Boshoff, a manager at Bigen Africa – he understood my decision when I chose to leave the company and open my own firm with little experience of running a business. He was always there when I needed advice
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Trueman Goba, executive chairperson of Goba (Pty) Ltd, a consulting engineering and project management firm, to understand how one can become a successful entrepreneur in the civil engineering industry and how to manage change (both internally and externally)
Philosophy of Life: Always be humble and respect other people, regardless of their status or background
Biggest Ever Opportunity: A R600 000 project for Hoxana Consulting Engineers by the Council for Geoscience – it was Hoxana's first project
Biggest Ever Disappointment: Losing my father and being hijacked in a car I loved
Hope for the Future: That, as a country, we fully implement the vision and objectives of the National Department Plan 2030. I hope that we will truly emancipate people through the eradication of poverty, unemployment and inequality
Favorite Reading: Business and political books
Favorite TV Programme: News channels, soccer and National Geographic
Favorite Music: Hip-hop, jazz, house and kwaito
Favorite Food/Drink: Roasted salmon fish with Greek salad and red blend wine
Favorite Sport: Soccer
Hobbies: Working out in the gym
Car: A 2016 model Mercedes-Benz C63S
Pets: None
Miscellaneous Dislikes: People who do not have ambition
Clubs: None