In 1973 Marc Wainer saw an advertisement for a position as centre manager at the Kempton City shopping mall, one of the first shopping malls in South Africa. He got the job by virtue of being the only candidate who actually visited the centre before his interview – and with that, almost by chance, a career in property was born. 

Four decades later, Wainer is a colossus in the South African commercial property industry, a dealmaker extraordinaire and the man behind Redefine Properties, a JSE-listed company with international presence in the United Kingdom and Australia, and nearly R95 billion worth of assets under its management. 

In this revealing memoir, Wainer takes us from his early days working in his parents’ grocery store in Yeoville, through the major deals (and setbacks) that have marked his rise to the top, and the importance of getting the work-family balance right today. In reviewing his storied career and analysing the roles he has played in prominent Canal Walk, Attfund, ApexHi and Fountainhead deals, he reveals an array of valuable lessons from a life in property.