When Darren Roos walks on stage in front of 2 000 people in Boston, the MC introduces him as ‘a South African well versed in wrestling with lions’. It’s a funny moment, if a little corny, and a great reminder that South Africans often leave the rest of the world in awe.

Roos, 44, has a smooth self-confidence bordering on cockiness, and who can blame him when he’s risen to become the CEO of IFS, a European soft ware developer with global customers. Perhaps his slickness stems from his days in multilevel marketing – pyramid selling – where you only excel if you’re a convincing charmer.