Jean de Villiers was named Springbok captain for 2012 before the series victory over England in June, which made him South Africa’s 54th Test skipper. He is one of the most experienced Springboks ever and a natural leader, having led Western Province and the Stormers during his provincial career. De Villiers is deceptively quick, has superb handling skills and has an uncanny knack for intercept tries. Injuries saw him miss the Rugby World Cup in 2003 and all but 40 odd minutes of the tournament in 2007, but in 2011 he was one of the Boks’ backline stars in New Zealand.
My Definition Of Success | I find it quite difficult to judge success, because it’s something one can attain on so many levels and being a rugby player, people think success can only be measured in terms of trophies won. Personally I think success is something you have to keep on striving towards, but can never really reach in totality. For me, the meaning of success has also changed as I got older – having had two beautiful children and seeing the joy one can get from being part of a happy family, is also a form of success and makes me immensely happy. So it’s not always about the rugby, rather life as a whole.
What Drives Me | I’m probably driven by my family first and then the fear of failure.
My Highlights | During my rugby career two moments will always stand out – first was making my Test debut for South Africa way back in 2002 against France in Marseilles, and secondly when Heyneke Meyer offered me the Springbok captaincy in 2012. Personally, I’d say the highlights included when I married Marlie and the two beautiful daughters we have, Layli and Lana.
The Difference Between good And Great | It all comes down to sheer determination – never giving up and always pushing the boundaries.
Characteristics Of Success | I would identify four – work ethic, determination, using setbacks as motivation and enjoyment.
Critical Skills To Develop | It’s vitally important to know exactly what is expected of you in doing your job to the best of your ability, knowing my strengths and weaknesses and striving for constant improvement.
Lessons I Have Learnt | Setbacks are a given and are part of life. It’s all about how you approach them, because if your attitude isn’t right, these setbacks could hold you down. On the other hand, if you make the most of a bad situation, they could ultimately make you a better person.
Performing At My Peak | Preparation is vital! Being a sportsman and as I got older, I also learnt that you need to ensure your body is in peak condition, so I have to take care of myself a bit more than in my younger days.
Resources I Use To Stay Inspired | My coaches and team-mates do that, as well as everyday regular people I come in contact with. I constantly learn what to do and what not to.
The Best Advice I’ve Received | Never give up.
Shaun Harris is most well-known for his recent role as MD for Futurelife, which he helped become the fastest growing cereal brand in SA as well as market leader in its own new segment, increasing it’s revenue tenfold and in the process leading the brand to win numerous national and international awards along the way. […]
Roman Rezac is a prolific South African retail entrepreneur with 25 years experience in a constantly evolving environment. He was an International knee-board surfer before he made his passion for beach lifestyle into a career. He opened his first Surf store in 1993 in Durban with borrowed capital and with hard work and perseverance he […]
Vigdis Apeland Bergh is an interior architect & furniture designer MNIL. In 1996 she completed her masters degree in Interior and Furniture design, with exchange in London. In 2000 she started her own design company -INNE DESIGN, based in Oslo. The company has been awarded a number of prestigious awards both in Norway and Internationally. […]
Arogyaswami J. Paulraj was born in Pollachi near Coimbatore, India. He joined the Indian Navy at age 15 through the National Defence Academy, Kharakvalsa and served the Navy for 30 years. Paulraj received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Naval College of Engineering, Lonavala, India, and his doctorate in electrical engineering from the […]
When it comes to building a luxury beauty brand and a world-class range of products, I think Tammy Frazer got a genetic head-start on the rest of us. Her late Grandfather was the great Graham Wulff who founded and built up, with his partner, Oil of Olay, before selling it globally to Richardson Vicks (now […]
Sterling Hawkins is out to break the status quo to create what’s actually possible for humanity in our time. He has spent his career igniting new views and inspiring people to act on them. He went on to be involved with the launch, growth or investment in over 50 companies. Today, Sterling reviews over 1,000 […]
Kare Anderson is an Emmy-winning former NBC and Wall Street Journal reporter, now connective behavior speaker and columnist for Forbes and Huffington Post. Anderson’s TED talk on The Web of Humanity: Becoming an Opportunity Maker has already attracted over 1.3 million views. Her clients are as diverse as Salesforce, Novartis, S.F. Giants and The Skoll […]
Rachel Goble grew up in an interconnected and multicultural world. Whether traveling to Central America with her family to survey land for the founding of a non-profit or trudging through the Sierra Nevada mountains as her parents sought to awaken Christians to our role as creation’s caretakers, Rachel learned early that the world’s peoples and […]
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
