The Common Vein

September 2009

Life?s full of surprises ? amazing how life treats people and the interesting stories when one reads about people you knew 40 years [and more] ago.

Well here goes;

56 years old;

Married ? 2 kids

Still South African and lived in Cape Town for last 22 years

email

mmark@global.co.za

Left school with everyone else in 69 and immediately went to the Army in Lenasia (Lenz)

Really had an unpleasant time there. All the King David Kids (and most English speakers) applied for supplementary examinations after 6 weeks and left not to return but for some reason the headmaster had to approve. ?Norm? told me that he was surprised I had done so well in matric and said he wouldn?t approve my sups because he was sure that was as good as it gets for me, so spent another 7 months as the only English speaking person in Lenz ? fond memories!

Army life was odd because I had a break of 7 years while I was studying then suddenly called for a 3 month camp in Namibia which I couldn?t get out of and ended up doing menial things for a while. Met a permanent force top brass who flew from Pretoria to meet me, ?recruited me? to assist with his BA Military thesis and flew me to Pretoria. By the end of the 3 month camp ? believe it or not I was promoted to officer ? Captain Mark!! So spent the next 6 or so years going to annual camps in Pretoria doing research into Human Resources and various other non-military projects. Studied for CA but ditched it and qualified with a B.Com MBA (Wits) and ACMA

Worked in one or two companies and then ended up as CEO of Truworths in 1988, had already moved to Cape Town. It?s been an exciting and wonderful experience ? I?m still there after 20 years!! Keeps me feeling young ? always have about 200-250 young buyers around me learning the business ? learning/teaching ? never ends ? Truworths now has 500 stores and is the largest listed clothing retailer in SA ? worth about R18 billion (+-$2.5b for the many foreigners amongst you). In Barcelona we were recently awarded second prize as the Emerging Market Retailer of the Year. I travel everywhere and very often, meet interesting people throughout the world, have many contacts in many countries.

And me in Beijing

Truworths owns most of the best known fashion brands in SA and we also have stores in the Middle East and throughout Africa. Soon testing some concepts in Northern Hemisphere. Maybe you?ve heard of some of our brands ? Truworths and Truworths Man, Daniel Hechter, Inwear, Ginger Mary, Hemisphere, Uzzi, Identity, YDE ? just to name a few.

Mostly great and enjoyable but had some tough unpleasant experiences that made a difference to me as a person. Bought a 150 stores business in Australia that was in financial difficulty and ended five years later with just as much difficulty and R400m poorer. Please don?t get any ideas about the millions and billions ? it?s not my money ? we?re a public company and I?m a paid employee. Still I behave as if it?s mine and feel just as bad when things go wrong and just as excited when it goes well as many friends who own their own businesses feel.

Married Glenda in 1976 ? she?s a psychiatric social worker and has a consulting business training YPOe?rs as well as her own practice in counseling in Cape Town. She?s highly competent with her own successful career. We have a good life in Cape Town ? we travel around the world frequently and for the most we enjoy SA

Have two wonderful children ? Daniella (29) unattached ? gorgeous and extremely bright ? nearly finished her PhD in neuropsychology ? its aimed at identifying patients that will have the most difficulty in adhering to antiretroviral medication ? she?s  employed as Head Psychosocial  Research and Programs at  Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation in Cape Town.

Warren is 27 also single and works with me at Truworths. He?s a great guy ? kind and warm, also a fashion guy and works in the men?s fashion studio doing fashion research for the various teams of men?s buyers in some of our divisions.

That?s all for now I?ll update this over time. Look forward to seeing some of you in two weeks time.

Love showing these pictures I took in Vietnam ? not of me of course but just so interesting !