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