Madelene Seymore, the Services and Distribution Executive at Matrix Vehicle Tracking has a B.Com degree from RAU but she's not your conventional accountant where ledgers and balance sheets are her daily meat. She's the equivalent in the commercial world of a mechanic. "I fix things," she says. Meriza La Key asked her 10 questions.

1. What will people be surprised to know about you?

I paint in my spare time.

2. What are your personal goals for the next five years?

To develop and grow my support team to such an extent, that they no longer need me, releasing me for the next challenge.

3. How does your family fit into your busy lifestyle?

It is always a challenge to balance the responsibilities for the business and one’s home, but always worth it.

4. What do you do to relax?

We make an effort to spend quality family time and enjoy travelling on cruise liners.

5. Can you install a tracking device without any help?

No, you need a trained technician to do an installation. It is crucial to have a good quality installation to ensure the optimum functioning of the unit in the vehicle.

6. The vehicle industry in general is still a seemingly male-dominated industry. Do you think women competitors are able to keep up with their male counterparts?

I think that may be a misconception. In our organisation for example we have an almost 50/50 split between men and women. Remember there are a lot of call centre and administrative staff in a business like this where the profile is evenly located. This statistic is also reflected in our management profile, right up to our MD Riette Botha. The answer to the question is therefore yes and we are a great case study in point.

7. How extensive does your 'vehicle' knowledge have to be to work in this industry?

Vehicle tracking knowledge encompasses far more than just the box and how it is installed. You also don’t need to know how to take apart a car or how the electronics work. We have specialists in each of these areas that manage the different elements. From my perspective only a very small portion of my portfolio focuses on that, for the rest it is about service to the customer and understanding within this industry what is important to the customer and how best we can accommodate his/her needs.

8. What kinds of challenges have you faced being a woman in a senior role and how did you overcome them?

The environment we function in within Matrix, does not discriminate between men and women. Each individual has the same opportunity to succeed and reach their optimum potential.

9. Although active in SA for a few years now, the vehicle tracking industry is still fairly unfamiliar to many. Do you run any activities that involve or introduce the youth to the industry?

We are in the process of implementing an internship program, obviously aimed at school leavers. We are also in the process of setting up a ‘Technical Training centre’ to help address the skill shortage experienced within our industry.

10. What is the biggest mistake people make when installing a tracking device?

People often install tracking devices without investigating what they will receive for their subscription. The decision is often based on price only, when they want to use the system, it does not do what they need, this results in great disappointment and frustration on their part.