#BehindtheSelfie with... Mahesh Singh, founder of iClick Marketing

Where do you live, work and play?

In the cosmos called Sandton.

What’s your claim to fame?

I was the first South African in Cape Town to purchase 2010 Fifa world cup tickets! I was even interviewed by e.tv while waiting for the kiosk to open.

Describe your career so far.

It has been a roller coaster of organised chaos across multiple cities built on a foundation of experience from award-winning agencies that paved the way for me to venture out on my own to where I am today.

Tell us a few of your favourite things.

Classic cars, Bull Mastiffs and English Premier League football.

What do you love about your industry?

• Everything is just a click away.
  
• Being exposed to some amazing business concepts through our clients' unique service offerings.
  
• Supporting local businesses.

Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

Wake up - coffee - emails - meetings - coffee - more emails - more meetings - coffee - sleep - repeat.

What are the tools of your trade?

A furiously fast fibre connection.

Who is getting it right in your industry?

The digital environment is so dynamic that we are constantly finding ourselves having to adapt in order to thrive and survive. I'm sure everyone feels in their own way that they are "getting it right" and this makes for healthy competition as is evident by the plethora of awards ceremonies in this industry.

List a few pain points the industry can improve on.

• Transparency of data with clients.
  
• Staff turnover.

What are you working on right now?

We have some exciting new clients and pitches that we are involved in that will be revealed in the new year… Legal stuff, etc. prevents us from revealing details.

Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.

• Fourth industrial revolution
  
• Disruption
  
• Internet of things
  
• But my favourite is 'coffee'

Where and when do you have your best ideas?

I'm an inadvertent insomniac so this is when my best ideas are born. I even have a journal for passing the time when insomnia strikes and my brain is circling on itself to note my thoughts and the next big thing. I'm hoping someone will use these gems as a basis for my biography one day.

What’s your secret talent/party trick?

I'm an avid carpenter and the furniture in my office will speak for itself. I have also dabbled in some karaoke in my time.

Are you a technophobe or a technophile?

I am a technophile but I do my best to limit screen time on weekends and after hours so as to be well-balanced and enjoy life in "real-time".

What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?

Football news, cars for sale and pictures of my cat taken by my wife.

What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?

Persevere. This is a thriving industry with a spot for everyone who is ambitious enough to stay the course.

Follow Singh @MarshBug74 on Twitter, and/or iClickMarketing on their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn feeds for the latest updates.

*Interviewed by Jessica Tennant.