BACKSTORY: Mariska Oosthuizen of Sanlam

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

Know when to walk away. 

What was your first job?

I was always drawn to the creative economy, so after finishing my law degree I started working as a personal assistant to the financial manager in a tiny advertising agency in Durban as a way to get in.

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

Honestly, I can’t remember, but if I knew then what I know now I would have invested at least 15% and let the eighth wonder of the world, compound interest, do the rest. 

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

Speak less. Listen more.

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

Inequality. It is the one thing I would fix in the world as I truly believe it is one of the greatest hindrances to progress — globally, and especially in South Africa. 

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

I absolutely love interior decorating and considered it as a career in my early career days.

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

Not investing early enough.

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

Any experience is worth the investment as it enriches you as a person.

What’s the best book you’ve read this year and why did you like it?

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. It’s a thought-provoking novel about the power of words and those who control the narrative.  

What is the hardest life lesson you’ve learnt?

The best way to win over your greatest critic is to “kill them with kindness”. 

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

You might not fulfil your childhood dream of becoming South Africa’s next great actress, but you’ll have your fair share of TV and radio interviews encouraging and assisting South Africans to live their lives with financial confidence.

Was there ever a point at which you wanted to trade it all in for a different career? And, if so, what would that career be?

Every so often I dream of writing the next great South African novel. 

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

Ensure every child in South Africa has access to quality education; they are our hope for the future.