Henry Ferreira is no stranger to either the technology industry or being a senior manager. He ran Compaq before it was acquired by HP, then ran the new HP company until 2005, before spending some time in Ireland as head of an international solutions division. As of March this year, he’s CEO of AxizWorkgroup, a large technology distributor based in Midrand.

“I start early,” says Ferreira. “I’m normally in the office by 7. So between then and about 8:30 I have the chance to get admin stuff out of the way. We’re quite a large company and I could sit here and hide in the office but you never understand what’s really going on unless you walk the floor and feel the pulse. So I spend a portion of my day walking around seeing what people are doing. I also spend weekly time with my managers. You can have the best business plans in the world but if they’re not synchronised, focussed and actioned, then it won’t happen. I had a boss many years ago who taught me that an average plan well executed is far better than a great plan admired.”