Damon Buss

If someone came to you tomorrow with R100m to invest in just one company, which would it be?

PSG — it has proven itself to be a great allocator of capital. While Capitec has been the kingmaker of its current success, PSG has numerous early-stage investments that have the characteristics to be as successful as Capitec in time.

Which talent would you most like to have?

A photographic memory.

What was your first job?

I had my first paid job at 16, waiting tables some weekday evenings and on weekends. I wanted to try cover as many of my own expenses as possible and start building my own savings.

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

The access to quality education. A well-educated workforce would enable SA to be far more competitive in multiple industries, creating employment and starting to address the socioeconomic issues we face.

If you could turn back time, what would you change in your life?

I would start saving earlier.

What’s the best investment you’ve made?

Buying Curro stock in early 2012.

What’s your favourite song?

Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud”.

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

Investing in single stock futures in Wesizwe on a tip from a friend — it taught me the value of doing thorough analysis myself.

On what occasion do you lie?

When my kids need some subtle encouragement to do things. The current alarm light is Santa adjusting his present list depending on if they’re being naughty or nice.

What travel experience is on your bucket list?

Cruising the Norwegian fjords.

Name a place you’ve been to that lived up to the hype.

The Maldives — the most idyllic place for a relaxing beach holiday.

If you found a lottery ticket tomorrow that had won US$100M, what would you do with it?

Cash it in and invest the proceeds, with the objective of keeping 10% for my family and donating the other 90% to education-focused initiatives that fund highpotential students at all education levels.