Full Name: Michael Berner

Position and Company Name: Head of South and East Africa at Visa

Main Activity of the Company: Visa is a global payments technology company that enables fast, secure and reliable digital payments for consumers, businesses and governments worldwide

Schools and Tertiary Education: Moscow Technical University, in Russia

First Job: Sales and service manager at a bank

Size of First Pay Packet: I remember this moment very well. I was 22, and my first pay cheque was exactly $440, which was not a small amount in Russia in the late 90s. I took my girlfriend to celebrate it in a good restaurant and bought flowers for my mother

Career Path to Date: I began my career in banking, moving through sales, service and marketing roles before becoming head of marketing at Citi. I spent 17 years at Citi across ten different roles, including serving as country manager for Russia. I later joined Visa, holding senior leadership roles across Russia, Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa. I currently serve as head of South and East Africa

Value of Assets under Your Control: Visa is a publicly listed company with a global market capitalisation of several hundred billion US dollars. Regional financials are not disclosed

Number of People under Your Leadership: Between 200 and 3 600 people across different roles and markets over the course of my career

Management Style: My style is collaborative and empowering. I am known for challenging the status quo, encouraging diverse thinking, and connecting people and ideas to deliver meaningful impact

Personal Best Achievement: I believe my greatest achievement is still to come. What excites me most about my current role is that the opportunity extends beyond commercial success to making a tangible difference in people’s everyday lives through access to digital financial services

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My grandfather – he grew up in a small village and faced many challenges, including losing an eye early in life, yet went on to become the GM of large industrial plants and later a local councillor in Moscow. He was a true humanitarian whose work had a direct and lasting impact on people’s daily lives

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: I’ve been fortunate to learn from many exceptional leaders throughout my career – people who believed in empowerment and enabled teams to bring their best. I’ve also learned immensely from the teams I’ve worked with across the different countries where I’ve lived and worked

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: I meet phenomenal business leaders every day, which makes it hard to single out one. That said, I have great respect for Nik Storonsky, CEO of Revolut, for building a truly disruptive global financial services platform

Philosophy of Life: Do the right thing – always, and no matter how hard

Biggest Ever Opportunity: It is unfolding now: contributing to the development of financial services in Africa and expanding access to the formal economy

Biggest Ever Disappointment: I don’t dwell on disappointments. I view challenges as learning opportunities that shape better decisions in the future

Hope for the Future: To help connect more people and businesses across Africa to digital financial services that enable growth, resilience and inclusion

Favourite Reading: I enjoy a range of genres, but Capitec: Stalking Giants by TJ Strydom is a particularly fascinating read

Favourite TV Programme: Richard Quest’s programmes, especially Quest’s World of Wonder

Favourite Food/Drink: I enjoy trying new food wherever I travel, but nothing beats a good South African steak paired with South African wine

Favourite Music: Maroon 5 and Coldplay

Favourite Sport: Football and tennis

Hobbies: Stamp collection

Car: BMW

Pets: A cat named Chelsea

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Major travel disruptions, particularly flight cancellations

Married: To Olga, for 21 years

Children: One daughter, Maria, 18

Clubs: Chelsea FC and FC Dynamo Moscow