BACKSTORY: Nedbank’s Anél Bosman

What’s your one top tip for doing a deal?

Focus on the 10 reasons for doing the deal, not the one for not doing it.

What was your first job?

I sold cosmetics and made beads, and I saved enough to buy a yellow Beetle at varsity.

How much was your first pay cheque, and how did you spend it?

As a student administrator I was paid R700 a month, and I spent it on things only students consider important.

What is the one thing you wish somebody had told you when you were starting out?

Don’t take yourself — or life — too seriously, and have some fun.

If you could fix only one thing in SA, what would it be?

I would work towards helping us achieve confidence in each other to deliver what our country needs, together.

What’s the most interesting thing about you that people don’t know?

My bookshelf is organised by colour.

What’s the worst investment mistake you’ve made?

Not fully comprehending compound interest at a young age, and therefore not starting to save back then.

What’s the best investment you’ve ever made? And how much of it was due to luck?

Investment of time and effort in relationships was my best. The pandemic has really highlighted, even more, the value of support, deep friendships and the strength of community.

What is the hardest life lesson you’ve learnt so far?

Stand up for who you are, dare to be yourself and dare to be different, even if it means going against the crowd. In the words of author Marianne Williamson: Your playing small / Does not serve the world. / There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking / So that other people won’t feel insecure around you. / We are all meant to shine, / As children do.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Modesty. It is perfectly fine to be proud of an achievement.

What is something you would go back and tell your younger self that would impress them?

At a tollbooth, no matter the car I’m in or the location I’m at, I accelerate away at full throttle — and I mean pedal to the metal. The surprise of the passengers and the people in other cars is usually priceless.

If you were President Cyril Ramaphosa, what would you change, or do, tomorrow?

I’d accelerate the formation of private-public partnerships. The power of the combination can really make a huge difference. We see this in the renewable energy space, where SA is a leader.