Full Name: Yolanda Smit
Position: Regional director for Gauteng at PBT Group
Main Activity of the Company: PBT Group is one of the leading business intelligence (BI), advanced analytics and information management specialist groups in South Africa and Africa
Date and Place of Birth: March 15, 1980, Pretoria
Education: MBA, University of Stellenbosch; BCom (Hons) (informatics), University of Pretoria; Bachelor of Information Systems, Bond University
First Job: Information technology (IT) manager at Quantro Home Loans
Career History Prior to Current Position: Besides Quantro Home Loans, I worked for Petros Business Solutions and Harvey Jones Systems before joining PBT Group in 2009 as senior BI business analyst. I served as strategic BI manager before assuming my current position
Size of First Pay Packet: R8 000 a month
First Job with Present Group: Senior BI business analyst
Value of Assets under Your Control: Not stated
Number of People under Your Leadership: 75
Management Style: Relational and visionary
Personal Best Achievement: Becoming a wife and a mother
Professional Best Achievement: Surviving the rigours of studying towards an MBA and being the principal consultant on a human resources analytics project for TFG, which won the company ITWeb’s BI Excellence Award in 2012
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My husband
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Professor Eltie Links, of the University of Stellenbosch
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Emmanuel Bonoko, a young South African who is making waves on the leadership and entrepreneurship front
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: The three generations of Smollans – Fred, Doug and David. They have built up a privately owned family business since 1931 and turned it into an international retail services organisation
Philosophy of Life: To live is a gift, not a right
Biggest Ever Opportunity: This opportunity knocked very recently, when PBT SA’s CEO entrusted me with the Gauteng regional leadership
Biggest Ever Disappointment: Not passing auditions for the school choir – I absolutely love to sing, but, these days, I confine my ‘talent’ to the shower and the car
Hope for the Future: A world where differences are celebrated and exploited for synergies
Favourite Reading: Tom Clancy novels
Favourite TV Programme: Scorpion
Favourite Food/Drink: Being in IT, I keep the coffee coming! On the food side, ek’s ’n boere meisie, so, a good Sunday lunch lamb roast or bobotie is always an inspiring affair
Favourite Music: I am relatively genre-agnostic
Favourite Sport: I cannot claim to be the sporty type
Favourite Website: www.datasciencecentral.com
Hobbies: Writing
Car: Volkswagen Jetta
Pets: A miniature Doberman cross dachshund
Miscellaneous Dislikes: Entitlement and traffic
Favourite Other South African Company: Discovery
Favourite Foreign Company: Tesla
Married: To Etienne Smit, since July 16, 2005
Children: A seven-year-old so
Clubs: None