Behold, The Iceman

Danie Ferreira felt burnt out in his CEO job – until he reinvented himself by self-funding polar expeditions. His new photo book documents those incredible adventures.

- Michael Verdon

SOME MEN NAVIGATE a midlife crisis with a new wardrobe or supercar. In 2013, Danie Ferreira, then 49 and CEO of South Africa-based Urban Brew Studios, instead made good on a dream he’d been harbouring for three decades.

Ferreira grew up in subtropical South Africa; his life changed in 1983 when he became part of a 14-month expedition to Antarctica. A keen photographer, the 19-year-old was captivated by the inhospitable winter landscape – stunning white fjords and glaciers, snow-capped mountains.

“The highlights were overnight field trips into the interior, far away from the ship, to establish fuel dumps for the scientists,” he says. The allure of the frozen continent was like nothing he’d ever experienced. “You’re mesmerised by her splendour, even when she beats you up. Antarctica’s a challenging mistress, but you always want to go back for more.”

The return took years. In 1987, Ferreira launched a three-person television-production company to help pay for college, eventually growing it into a media powerhouse with 400-plus employees. By the time he turned 49, the 80-hour working weeks amid a fast-changing media landscape had taken a toll. “I loved my job, but it wasn’t sustainable,” he says. “I was burnt out.”

He eventually sold the company but felt lost. “It’s the time of life when the scoreboard doesn’t matter and you look for significance rather than success.”