Full Name: Sean Phillips
Position: MD of the Johannesburg Roads Agency since May 1, 2016
Main Activity of the Company: Managing and developing municipal roads, bridges and stormwater infrastructure in the City of Johannesburg
Date and Place of Birth: August 31, 1964, Pietermaritzburg
Education: BEng (Hons), MSc (project management and municipal engineering for developing areas), Master of Management (public and development management), PhD (civil engineering)
First Job: Trainee engineer, James Croswell & Associates Consulting Engineers, Johannesburg
Career History Prior to Current Position: James Croswell & Associates Consulting Engineers; Director for public works programmes, Gauteng provincial government; chief director for roads and bridges, Limpopo provincial government; head of department, Department of Public Works and Roads, Limpopo; COO, national Department of Public Works; director-general, Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation; CEO, Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency
Size of First Pay Packet: About R4 000 a month
First Job with Present Group: MD
Value of Assets under Your Control: A yearly budget of about R2-billion and assets of about R50-billion
Number of People under Your Leadership: About 1 500
Management Style: Consultative and participatory, hands-on
Personal Best Achievement: Being a father
Professional Best Achievement: Together with the rest of the management team and the late MEC, Collins Chabane, making provincial roads service delivery in Limpopo more efficient and effective
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: Nelson Mandela
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Collins Chabane
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Barack Obama
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Richard Branson
Philosophy of Life: It is not the difficulties that you encounter in life that are important; it is how you deal with them
Biggest Ever Opportunity: All my jobs in the postapartheid government
Biggest Ever Disappointment: Seeing achievements being reversed as a result of leadership changes in departments
Hope for the Future: That we achieve at least half of the targets in the National Development Programme
Favourite Reading: Realistic novels, current affairs
Favourite TV Programme: Discovery Channel
Favourite Food/Drink: All good food and good wine
Favourite Music: Rock
Favourite Sport: Rugby
Favourite Website: news24, Business Day Live
Hobbies: DIY, cooking, working out in the gym, swimming
Car: Audi A3
Pets: None
Miscellaneous Dislikes: Unnecessarily long, unfocused and inefficient meetings
Favourite Other South African Company: Woolworths
Favourite Foreign Company: Google
Married: I have been engaged to Connie Peter for two years
Children: Tenzin, 19; Keanu, 17
Clubs: Virgin Active