Full Name: Robert Martin Adam
Positions: MD of the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) and chairperson of the board of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa)
Main Activity of the Companies: SARAO operates the MeerKAT radio telescope and is building the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope, while Necsa is involved in nuclear research and development
Date and Place of Birth: Springs, South Africa
Education: PhD (nuclear physics), University of South Africa; postdoctoral fellowship, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
First Job: Research assistant, Royal Aircraft Establishment and Surrey University
Career History Prior to Current Position: My most recent three positions are as follows: director-general, Department of Science and Technology; CEO of Necsa and group executive: nuclear at Aveng Group
Size of First Pay Packet: £4 000 a year, in 1979
First Job with Present Group: Current position
Value of Assets under Your Control: I am not sure; hopefully, they exceed liabilities
Number of People under Your Leadership: 400 at SARAO and 1 900 at Necsa
Management Style: Inclusive
Personal Best Achievement: Making it out of Pretoria Central Prison more or less sane, after spending eight years there as a political prisoner
Professional Best Achievement: Successfully delivering MeerKAT, the world’s most powerful radio telescope
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My father, James Adam
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Canadian, Jim Mullin, former chairperson of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Science and Technology Policy Committee
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Nathan Myhrvold, principal author of Modernist Cuisine, former Microsoft chief technology officer and particle physicist
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Jim Clarke, founder of Netscape, Silicon Graphics and other companies
Philosophy of Life: Understand the other side
Biggest Ever Opportunity: Bidding for the SKA project
Biggest Ever Disappointment: State capture
Hope for the Future: That we become the competitive nation we should be
Favourite Reading: John le Carré
Favourite TV Programme: Breaking Bad
Favourite Food/Drink: French food and wine
Favourite Music: Various types of rock music: Indie, punk, Southern
Favourite Sport: Rugby Union
Favourite Website: https://arxiv.org/ – physics preprints
Hobbies: Hiking, cooking
Car: Landrover Discovery
Pets: I am in a post-pet phase
Miscellaneous Dislikes: People who play loud music while hiking, drivers who expend nervous energy by continuously changing lanes in heavy traffic, leopard-skin patterns on clothing (they look great on leopards!) and overdone grilled meat or fish
Favourite Other South African Company: EMSS, a world-leading Stellenbosch electromagnetics company
Favourite Foreign Company: Aspect, a small dynamic Russian nuclear instrumentation company
Married: I was married but not currently. My partner is Karin – we met in our youth but rediscovered each other more recently
Children: Sarah, 25; James, 22
Clubs: Callaway X-14s