MOVER & SHAKER | Top businessman proves he is willing ... and Abel

Former Gqeberha resident Mike Abel is the  executive chair of M&C Saatchi Abel, one of the biggest strategic advertising, marketing and communications consultancies in SA.

Mike likes to keep his finger on the pulse in social and economic matters and is always interested in trying new things. He lives in Cape Town with his wife, Sara.

What can we expect from you in 2024?

Lots! I’m busy with my new podcast series Willing & Abel which is about conversations with leaders in their various industries, to impart knowledge, insights and wisdoms, to help people make smart and informed decisions in their own lives. I’ve loved the process of creating this.

Other than that I have become the non-executive chair of a brilliant, young and highly disruptive Irish-based research company that uses behaviour tech, AI and data to get to a whole new level of powerful insights when conducting research.

And then my two day jobs, sitting on the global executive leadership team of M&C Saatchi Plc worldwide, heading their marketing portfolio and other key initiatives, and being the executive chairman of M&C Saatchi Abel and our group of companies on the African continent.

But before all of this, being a present and engaged husband and father.

What book or books are on your bedside table at the moment?

Fiction: Just finished Ken Follet’s latest sweeping saga The Armour of Light.

Non-fiction, reading Daniel Finkelstein’s brilliant and harrowing biography of his family history called Hitler. Stalin. Mom and Dad and the other excellent piece I am working through is The Power of Regret. How looking backwards, moves us forwards by Daniel H Pink.

What is the most cherished or expensive item you own and what would you say it is worth?

My parents owned an iconic high-end furniture shop and art gallery in the ’70s and ’80s in PE called Hallis. It was on then Main Street, in town.

One of the pieces they brought home and which I grew up with is a magnificent Cecil Skotnes woodcut.

And though I am a contemporary African art collector, this particular piece has enormous sentimental value (aside from actual financial value too).

What’s your favourite childhood memory?

Having our weekly Sabbath suppers at my grandparents (Dr) Phillip and Lily Perl. The whole family would congregate at their apartment and catch up on news, culture, business and world affairs.

My grandmother was an exceptional cook, so the food was always international, and phenomenal.

But just the beauty and closeness of family. And their friends were smart and interesting people.

If you had to eat only one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?

My favourite food is most probably Greek. So it would be either lots of tarama or dolmades, or their traditional lamb with lemon and garlic flavours. Let’s go with Greek lamb.

If you weren’t an advertising exec what would you be?

I think I found my calling in marketing and advertising. I greatly enjoy business, psychology, problem solving, and creativity.

And my career in advertising has provided me a wonderful combination of bringing these all together in one.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from a coach/mentor?

“Challenge is your only opportunity for growth”. People often run away from problems or challenges, but problems, in and of themselves, hold the key to personal growth, and also in business through innovation and fresh solutions. I actually did a TED Talk on this too.

If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would they be and why?

Probably Leonardo da Vinci. His extraordinary left and right brain capacity.

His fascination with both science and art. His technical ability to bring his ideas powerfully to life.

I would love to understand more about his thought processes.

Who or what inspires you and why?

Creativity inspires me most. Reading a brilliant book, listening to an extraordinary piece of music or watching an amazing movie.

It gets me thinking. Fuels my naturally curious and inquisitive mind.

Equally, nature. My three weekly walks on the mountains around my home.

Be it Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, Signal Hill or the Twelve Apostles, nature’s ability to inspire is unlike anything I know. Or being in the bush. Wildlife.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Travel. Good food and wine. Visiting amazing places. All in one. And experiencing them with my wife Sara and three sons, Ricky, Jake and Anthony.

I over-invest in these moments of creating wonderful memories together.

And skiing. Love the thrill and beauty of shooting down the slopes.

Tea or coffee?

What’s tea? Definitely coffee. And specifically the Abel family blend my mom, Hermione, worked on with James Masterton in 1972 until it hit the mark for her specific taste.

We still use this blend in our coffee machine every day at home. And many friends order it too.

Do you have a favourite TV programme or film?

I don’t think I could choose one as I love movies. But if I really had to, I’d say the James Bond franchise which I have literally watched my whole life from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig — and whomever comes next.

Not just the “skop, skiet and donner” but the stylish locations, the innovative weapons, the villains, “Bond girls” and incredible locations.

Growing up in PE it was a spy thriller mixed with those iconic Peter Stuyvesant ads. It opened one’s eyes to the world.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time outside your profession?

My mountain walks, hanging out with my family and friends.

Reading, watching movies, braaiing or being at our holiday home at Benguela Cove, outside Hermanus.

It’s on a wine estate that is on the Bot River lagoon. I love it there.

Do you have a skincare routine? If so, please share it with us.

Until I met my wife Sara 30 years ago (aged 27), I had none. She quickly fixed that. She insisted that I use moisturiser.

And have done since then. So I wash my face with Root4 (my sister-in-law Dr Vanessa Lapiner’s brilliant and scientific skincare range), and then I use Le Labo to moisturise. It’s a New York skin care company.

I then use Root4 suntan lotion if I’ll be outside.

What do you typically get up to in the first two hours of waking up every day?

My first pleasure is my cup of coffee. I was given an extraordinary coffee machine by a close friend.

So my Masterton’s coffee with ButtaNut almond milk. I play music on my brilliant portable speaker when showering and getting ready.

I look at my diary and decide how formal I need to be for the day ahead.

Dress accordingly. I have always taken pride in my parents. Get that from both my parents.

Then I check my emails, and if something interesting, whimsical, relevant and/or inspirational comes to mind, I’ll do a quick post.

I like to prioritise and plan my day. I’m generally a very organised person, and also like to keep busy.

What three causes are you most passionate about?

Trying to create a much kinder world. I have a deep and burning intolerance for intolerance, so I write and speak a lot about this.

Creating a sharing culture and inclusive economy. Always have. So leaning into upliftment and job creation initiatives.

Empowering people with knowledge and insight however I can. And granting access to education.

Clothing the homeless and poor. My company created The Street Store (www.thestreetstore.org) 10 years ago.

It’s the world’s first rent free, premises free, free, po-up clothing store for the homeless.

It’s been my passion for a decade as the patron and to date more than 1,000 Street Stores have taken place around the world, clothing over one million people. Readers, why not host one?

If you could instantly solve one world problem, what would it be and why?

Intolerance. The world is being destroyed by social media channels becoming soap boxes of hate.

People posting the most vile and divisive content.

Everything seeks to break societies based on the few differences we have, versus the abundant commonalities we share.

It’s Pandora’s Box and I wish it could all be used for good, rather than evil.

If you were to wake up as the opposite gender for 24 hours, how would you spend those hours?

I’d spend a while staring at myself naked in the mirror. Other than obvious physical differences, I don’t believe men and women are that different.

I have grown up with strong and dynamic women around me. I am married to one.

So, it would be odd to say that I would really do that much different to what I already do as I walk on the mountain with my wife, we watch sport and movies together, and I would do the same job.

Maybe I would go to a book club, to hear what they really discuss.

Who was your biggest influence or inspiration when you started your career?

My grandfather Dr Phillip Perl. He was a dentist, and honorary head of maxilla facial surgery at Livingstone Hospital.

Studied in England. He brought dental X-rays to SA. A brilliant mind.

Disciplined man. Deeply thoughtful. Kind. Curious. An astute investor. Family first always.

Loved innovation and research. A philanthropist with a strong social conscience. Loved people.

Can you share a funny or memorable moment from your work?

My most memorable moment was starting M&C Saatchi Abel.

I had gone from co-leading the largest advertising and communications group, Ogilvy, with more than 900 people across 12 operating companies, across the continent, to the heading the largest advertising group in Australia at the time, M&C Saatchi with over 450 people across five companies in Sydney and Melbourne.

To coming home and starting something from scratch. No people. No furniture. No clients.

And on day one I told the other 12 souls I had hired that in five year’s time we would win Financial Mail’s Best Large Advertising Agency in SA.

And we did. That was very rewarding. To know that not only could I run a large and established company.

But that I could start and build one too. Always surrounded by brilliant partners and team members though.

Do you believe in any superstitions or rituals before going in the boxing ring/on stage/before a public speaking engagement?

Yes. Embrace and channel the “fear”. The raised heartbeat, the pressure, the expectation. Channel them to fuel your passion and performance.

I say “It’s Showtime Folks” I line I heard repeated in a brilliant 1979 movie my dad took me to called All That Jazz.

Roy Schneider uses the line when he doesn’t feel like going on stage, as his pep talk to get in the zone. I say it to amuse myself.

Word has it that you are quite the fashionista. What is your favourite clothing item and why?

I wouldn’t describe myself as such. But that equates to having a sense of style, then I’ll accept the complement. Thank you.

As I observed earlier, I have always taken pride in my appearance, and was raised that way.

My dad particularly, as he grew up in the then iconic Kolnicks Store in town (my grandmother was a Kolnick) and ran their men’s wear department for years before buying Hallis.

My favourite items of clothing are my Off White sneakers. They are stylish, youthful and unbelievably comfortable.

What would you list as your greatest achievement?

A happy marriage to Sara and raising three sons of whom, I am exceptionally proud. Yes, my beautiful family first and foremost.

Do you have a secret talent that no-one knows about?

I think my ability to harness problem solving through my subconscious mind.

Most people probably think I sit down and ponder how to solve something actively.

That is not how I do my best thinking. I plan the seed in my mind. I consider the problem far more than I do in looking for the answer or solution.

And then I move on and carry on with my life/day as normal, but my subconscious (which in all humans is far more powerful than your conscious mind) works away in the background on the problem.

And then it comes to me.

Yes, often in the shower or the middle of my sleep. So I sleep with a pen and notepad next to my bed, so I can capture it when it comes.

As the inspiration can be fleeting. You have to put a net over it, like catching a butterfly, right then and there.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done?

Last year, while skiing in Alpe D’Huez with my wife and sons I got a brain-fart to go straight down the slope without doing any turns. I still can’t work out why or how this happened.

Initially I found it fast, exciting and thrilling, it then became terrifying, and my kids ski instructor says I passed them near the bottom of the slope at about 120km/h.

There was no possibility to turn, pull out or even slow down at that pace, so I knew I just had to keep my nerve and ride it out, and hope there was no ice on the slope.

Anyway, when I eventually got to the bottom safely I had this simultaneous feeling of thrill and the tremors from the stupidity, adrenaline and fear of what I had just done.

Weekender