I have travelled a strange path. At school, I thought that I wanted to be an astro-physicist, although I could hardly spell the word! This was short-lived because my apartheid-era school was not able to offer physics. After school I considered a BComm, but as a so-called coloured person I was obliged to attend the University of the Western Cape. The thought of taking business subjects in Afrikaans was just too daunting. This proved to be a mercy because I settled on politics and really enjoyed the work. I was offered a Fulbright scholarship, but due to circumstances beyond my control could not take it up at the time, and I ended up in Manchester in the United Kingdom. I found the weather impossible to tolerate and headed back home, realizing that I needed to get a job pretty soon. The opportunities in political science were limited to journalism and lecturing, which did not appeal, so I tried for a scholarship in law and have not looked back since.

Chairing the board of directors of Venn Nemeth & Hart is a sobering challenge. We have 13 very capable and independent-minded directors. We often have differing views on issues, but one of the strengths of the firm is that we are able to survive frank discussion, with friendships and mutual respect still intact.

A formative experience was attending the Grahamstown festival as a schoolboy. I remember kids jumping off the bus on arrival and crowding into a local sweet shop. Typically, I gravitated towards the library, only to be told that it was "whites only". We have come a very long way as a country and I am looking forward to making a contribution to the future of the country through the practice of law.