Determined to Succeed

Yuven Govender

For Dion Govender, life wasn’t always about jet setting around the world, or having a big bank balance. Rather, life was a struggle, fraught with racial discrimination, job insecurity, family problems, and a propensity to find himself in trouble. However, with a will made of iron, and a determination to provide a better future for his family, he quickly rose from the dumps of society, to becoming the CEO of a major environmental consulting agency. This, is the story of a self-made man

Dion Parmassivan Gopal Govender was born on the 11^th of November 1967. As a tenacious and strong willed child, born into a loving family as the youngest child among three siblings, he always managed to get his way with his parents, and at times, be the apple of their eyes.  Days used to go by as he learned about life, love and hardships, living on the streets of Chatsworth, Durban. His father, a worker at the local Engen garage, would often guide his youngest son through the realities of life, while his mother made sure he knew what to buy at the local market by through practical demonstration. He recalled being taught how to tell time by his father and said: “My father was a strict but fair man, so whenever he assigned a task to me, like learning how to tell time, he would expect positive results. When I chose to play cricket with my friend on the school ground – which is situated just behind his very own house – and not listen to my father, boy did I get it. He fetched me from the school, took me home, and said that if I couldn’t tell him what time it was, then I wasn’t going back to the cricket field, or see my friends for a long time. Needless to say, I failed that test and didn’t see my friends until I could tell time down to the seconds.” He completed his schooling career at the age of 18, matric year of 1985, and fathered a child the following year.

He made a decision then and there to get out of the slums and move to Johannesburg where he would be afforded a chance to make life better for his daughter and his then future wife.

Johannesburg in the late 1980’s was a volatile place, with racial tensions at their peak the city was one step away from being a war zone. However, the now dangerous and highly feared inner city residential area of Hillbrow was a peaceful melting pot of various different races, creeds and religions. A place in which an already politically forward thinking Dion Govender would fit right in.

For the next 8 years, Mr. Govender would move from job to job due to racial prejudices that prevented him ever moving further in his current position, until he found an entry level job at Siemens, a multinational electronics corporation. He revelled his position in the company and the tasks he was given as it challenged his intellect, allowed him to travel all over the  African continent, and expanded his knowledge on the different cultures he interacted with. He travelled through many war-torn countries in Africa, the DRC being the standout occasion where a child soldier threatened to kill him and his colleagues. But, with a quick wit and understanding of the people behind a gun, he managed to save his colleagues time and time again. He recalled the moment: “I was in the DRC at the time, and my colleagues and me had just managed to bargain our way out of a life-threatening situation, and I remember thinking to myself that ‘I am done, I cannot live like this anymore’ and then made the conscious decision to ensure that I move up the rank of the company to not only ensure future wealth and prosperity for my family, but to ensure that I didn't leave this planet prematurely.”

He accomplished his task, and quickly moved up the ranks in Siemens South Africa, eventually settling in as the cluster CEO for power distribution in South Africa. His ambition and determination, along with a professional attitude towards his work and his clients, were noticed by Siemens headquarters in Germany. He was offered a two year delegation contract in Germany. it was an easy decision to make he says: “The pay was better, we would be living in one of the richest countries in the world, my housing, car and children’s education would be subsidised through allowances. Life would be perfect for us there. It was the culmination of my life’s work at Siemens”.

The relocation would take place on January the 22^nd of 2011. He recalls it as being tough, but necessary, and that it would all work out to benefit them in the end.

The next two years were something out of a dream. The Govender family would be traveling all across Europe at every chance they got (Italy, France, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands), they experienced their first white Christmas and partook in the various Christmas themed markets  the village they lived in offered.

As the contract came to its end, the opportunity arose to extend it. At which point, he declined and instead, opted to focus on leaving his own mark on the world. This is when he chose to work for a small environmental company, Linked, as their CEO.

The family then relocated back to South Africa in January 2013. “We all had reservations about reintegrating into South African society, and our extended family’s plans for our arrival didn't put our nerves at ease [laughs]. But, we found the process to b so simple, that it was like we never left,” he recalls.

He is currently spearheading environmental operations in which his company are involved with the government, and is happier than ever, because now he gets to make his own mark on the world, through his own strategic missions.

This goes to  show that circumstances do not determine success. What in fact determines success is the will to continually better oneself and never settle for second best when the best is on offer to you. Dion Govender is the quintessential self-made man, and the road ahead is brighter than ever for him and his family.