Bertus Jacobs: 2018 Kovsie Ambassador's Award

Designation: Chief Technology Officer, IoT.nxt

Educational Background:

• Bachelor of Sciences Honours in Computer Science: University of the Free State (1990)
• Bachelor of Sciences in Computer Science and Quantum Physics: University of the Free State (1989)

It was no coincidence that Bertus Jacobs ended up in a career that involved computers and the development of ground-breaking technology.

An early interest in gaming saw a Commodore VIC 20 enter his life circa 1983. From then on, Jacobs’s focus shifted to optimising his gaming catalogue – by developing a programme to organise his floppy discs

It wasn’t until he saw his “Word Processor” on the cover of Commodore magazine, naming him “Programmer of the Month”, that he realised this was something he could turn into a career. Straight out of school, Jacobs headed off to the University of the Free State (UFS) to do a BSc in Computer Science and Quantum Physics, later completing an Honours degree with a focus on computer networks, encryption, and computer graphics.

Ever calm on the surface, his mind is constantly searching for new trends, tricks and techniques, and imparting these to his team of developers. It’s evident in his unusual office hours and literal “always on” approach that Jacobs has optimised his output to require very little sleep, but the joy that comes from seeing his carefully selected developers turn ideas into mainstream realities is well worth it.

Jacobs is not one for stuffy corporate culture – perhaps why he is the proud co-custodian of the Beer O’Clock Bell. He’s a tech man through and through, spotting bottlenecks and potential breaks in projects well ahead of others – a great skill to have on board when trying to disrupt a market and pioneering the Fourth Industrial Revolution, don’t you think?