Full Name: Tumi Mphahlele
Position: CEO of IG3N
(pronounced ‘i-gen’)
Main Activity of the Company: IG3N is a light manufacturing startup that assembles lithium-ion phosphate batteries used mostly in solar photovoltaic installations
Date and Place of Birth: February 25, 1974, in Pretoria
Education: BSc (chemistry), University of Cape Town; postgraduate diploma in marketing management, University of South Africa (Unisa); diploma in datametrics (Unisa); MBA, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
First Job: Scientist at Sasol Oil Research & Development
Career History Prior to Current Position: Head of corporate strategy at the Development Bank of Southern Africa; GM: corporate strategy at the South African Bureau of Standards; special projects head at Busara Leadership Partners; and manager at Accenture South Africa
Size of First Pay Packet: I think it was R5 000 a month
First Job with Present Group: I cofounded the company
Value of Assets under Your Control: Over R2-million – it is a startup in a growth phase.
Number of People under Your Leadership: Seven
Management Style: I provide the space for the team members to operate and apply their talents and skills
Personal Best Achievement: Demonstrating our 5.6 kWh battery for the first time to a potential client, and overcoming a rare condition called external iliac artery endofibrosis
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My identical twin sister, Lebo, and my other sister, Ramatsemela
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: I cannot think of any one person
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Not stated
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Ipeleng Mkhari, founder and CEO of Motseng Investment Holdings
Philosophy of Life: What you think becomes
Biggest Ever Opportunity: Being awarded the Helen Suzman bursary at GIBS to study for the MBA degree
Biggest Ever Disappointment: Running out of money when I tried to start a business a few years ago, which forced me to go back to work to save money to start all over
Hope for the Future: Being part of the ecosystem that looks to Africa to solve African problems, and increased trade and cooperation
Favourite Reading: I have just read Chaos Monkeys, by Antonio García Martinez, which is an eye-opening account of venture capitalism in Silicon Valley. I enjoyed reading The Oligarchs, by David E Hoffman
Favourite TV Programme: I am not a huge TV fan
Favourite Food/Drink: My husband’s lasagne and good South African wines
Favourite Music: Tracy Chapman – I have all her music
Favourite Sport: Mountain biking, trail running and hiking. I am part of Everest2020SA, a team of four women who aim to climb Mount Everest in 2020. I do road running too
Favourite Website: www.i-g3n.com
Hobbies: Scrabble – when I have time
Car: I am not a big car fan; I would like to get a new car, though – a Volvo
Pets: None
Miscellaneous Dislikes: Selfishness, self-centredness and unwillingness to put in the work
Favourite Other South African Company: None
Favourite Foreign Company: Dangote Group, Alibaba
Married: To Jurjen Draaijer, since October 2018
Children: None
Clubs: Waterfall Atheletics Club