Denzil Steyn, MD of Intellisec South Africa
Full Name: Denzil Steyn
Position and Company Name: MD of Intellisec South Africa
Main Activity of the Company: Installation of smart site management systems to reduce costs, increase security and manage production and site facilities on a single smart platform using Internet-of-Things devices, closed-circuit TV, access control, fire detection and the integration of smart systems already deployed in a business
Date and Place of Birth: December 29, 1973, Port Shepstone
Schools and Tertiary Education: Port Shepstone High School; Institute of Marketing Management; MBA
First Job: Export account manager at Moxwood
Size of First Pay Packet: R3 000 a month
Career Path to Date: I worked for Moxwood from 1996 until 2000, when I founded Artesan, an export agency and manufacturer to the do-it-yourself export market in France, the UK and the US. I started Intellisec in 2007, after the strength of the rand had rendered exports of the do-it-yourself products we were shipping unviable
Number of People under Your Leadership: 150
Management Style: I am people-centric, encouraging members of our team to stretch and grow beyond what they thought possible. Change is always uncomfortable, but, for those that embrace it, an incredible journey of growth and possibilities awaits
Personal Best Achievement: Being a father to two amazing children, starting Intellisec from the ground up and seeing it grow to one of the largest system integrators in South Africa, with six branches in South Africa and one in Mozambique
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My father – he was an entrepreneur who operated with integrity and worked incredibly hard to provide for our family and have fun with his three sons
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: It has been the sum of a number of incredible biographies from Steve Jobs, Phil Knight, Tony Hsieh and authors such as Malcolm Gladwell and Jim Collins.
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: The late Tony Hsieh
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Steve Jobs
Philosophy of Life: Work like there is no Plan B and ensure you have the right team who are willing to run with you
Biggest Ever Opportunity: It was not our biggest opportunity, but was a critical building block for our business – securing Island View Storage (now Bidvest Tank Terminals) as a client in the early days
Biggest Ever Disappointment: Having to face our staff after a year of hard work and tell them we could not afford to pay them bonuses one year
Hope For the Future: That, as a business, we can walk alongside our clients in making them more efficient, profitable and competitive, and giving them control of their businesses to make decisions with accurate data
Favourite Reading: Biographies of businesspeople, sportspersons and others who have stepped out of their comfort zone to do something extraordinary
Favourite TV Programme: Boston Legal
Favourite Food/Drink: Butter chicken curry prepared by one of our project managers – a standing order she spoils me with every year for my birthday
Favourite Music: Jazz and classical
Favourite Sport: Swimming is my happy place, but I have recently become involved in triathlons, which I am enjoying
Hobbies: Anything my son wants to do on the weekend
Car: Toyota Hilux double-cab
Pets: We have 16 pets, my favourite being Bailey, a nine-year-old Rottweiler
Miscellaneous Dislikes: Small-minded businesspeople and the victim mentality
Married: To Nicky, since 1997
Children: Tayla, 21; Joel, 16
Clubs: None