IAN DOWNARD, sales director at Three-D Agencies, is a self-confessed gadget-aholic and he has every techno ‘toy' known to man.

A skilled multi-tasker, he simultaneously operates his Apple Mac, ipad, three ipods and a cellular phone while having an intelligent conversation - all without missing a beat. His lively conversations are spiced with a hefty dose of good humour but this does not belie the fact that he is a compassionate man who is completely honest and believes in ‘telling it like it is'.

Sparks: Where were you educated?
ID: I went to The Weald Secondary Moden School at Billingshurst, West Sussex in the UK and did my tertiary education at Poole Technical College in Poole, Dorset.

Sparks: How long have you been involved in the electrical industry?

ID: I have been involved in this industry ever since I left school - that was 42 years ago.
Sparks: When and where did you start your career?
ID: I was 17 when I did my apprenticeship with Aircraft Supplies Ltd in Bournemouth building aircraft ‘black boxes' which, incidentally are orange and round! I then came to South Africa and started working at what was then Bowthorpe, Hellermann Deutsch; my father, Travers Downard, was the MD there at the time. We started Three-D Agencies together in 1977 and never looked back.
Sparks: What are the greatest changes you have seen over the years?
ID: These have to be the advances in technology and the speed of communication. The instantaneousness of it all is mind-boggling and, as a techno-nut, I have to wonder: Where to next?

Sparks: What major projects have you worked on and what is your greatest accomplishment?
ID: Three-D Agencies has been a lifelong project and sometimes I look back and realise how much has been accomplished - but it doesn't stop being hard work.
Sparks: Who has been your inspiration or have you had a mentor who has influenced your career?
ID: My parents, Travers and Joy, have been my greatest inspiration. They taught me humour, to live life and enjoy it. My father taught me to sell and his faith in my ability to succeed has been inspiring.

Sparks: What, to your mind, is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry at this time?
ID: Corruption is the number one problem and it is costing the man in the street. He is paying so much more for everything - R20 instead of R2. I like to ‘keep it clean' and keep the costs down for the consumers.
Sparks: What do you enjoy most about your job?
ID: Every day! I love my job! I am a consummate salesman and I love the thrill of the chase... new products, new customers, meeting people from all over the world - the provinces, the cities, the towns and the dorps.

Sparks: How do you motivate your staff?
ID: With a size 8½ shoe! Seriously though, I teach them how to sell with passion - to get out there and enjoy it, not to miss an opportunity and to sell with their eyes open, not closed.
Sparks: If you could "do it all again", would you change anything? If so, what would that be?
ID: No, I wouldn't - it's all been fun and I wouldn't change it for anything. I've been very lucky.
Sparks: Would you advise a person leaving school to enter the electrical industry? And why?

ID: Absolutely! It's a growing and a changing industry. It is also a challenging industry - and they will never be bored.
Sparks: What is your advice to electrical contractors and/or electrical engineers?
ID: When buying tools and instruments, don't buy the cheapest and don't buy the most expensive. There are excellent products in the middle range. And remember, there is cheap Chinese rubbish and there are good Chinese products. Be discerning.

Sparks: What is your favourite quote?
ID: "Mr Presumption doesn't live here." I don't know where it comes from but I use it to remind people never to presume anything - always check it out.
Sparks: Name three things on your ‘bucket list' (things you want to do before you ‘kick the bucket').
ID: There aren't too many places that I haven't visited and I really don't intend kicking the bucket for a while, so I'd say that three things on my ‘to do' list would be to go on one of Richard Branson's space shuttle flights, go to the North and South Poles and see the Northern Lights.