Experience

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  Formative years

  Jan 1974 - Jan 1988

  Career commencement

  There’s nothing like spending four months working at a freezing works (aka a large abattoir) in rural New Zealand to teach you some life lessons you’ll never forget.That’s what I did after leaving school at 15, thinking that anything must be better than being in the classroom. I was wrong, but I don’t regret doing it because it was in that job that I learned a lot about life and people.At the freezer works, I was working alongside all kinds of people - retired accountants and architects, police on leave without pay and even gang members. In this mix, I discovered when you should speak up and when you need to shut up. The life experience there helped me learn how to sum up people and what makes them tick. I still use that skill today.I went on to spend two years working for the Government Department called Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries as an apprentice meat inspector. Responsible for the quality, presentation and integrity of the export product (NZ Lamb) that dominated our market. After leaving that job and being unemployed for six weeks, I discovered that I hated doing nothing more than anything else. Fortunately, I was riding my motorbike past a police station one day and decided to call in and see if they would employ me. They gave me an interview, and after being accepted at 18 and turning 19 in police training college, I became the youngest serving cop in NZ. My work as a police officer was life-changing. I was a motorcycle cop for eight years, then worked for a year in plain clothes operations. After that, I moved to Wellington and did two years working liaising with various embassies, as well as doing community policing. As a young, single man, it was an exciting, fulfilling job to have, and I had some incredible experiences. Again, I interacted with many different people, often in situations of conflict and developed my communication skills. Without it, I’d never have been able to find success in the world of business. Show less

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  Contiki holidays

  Jan 1988 - Jan 1989

  Transport manager

  Having been actively recruited when I was a passenger on tour I started Feb 1988 as a European Tour Driver.Conducting top end tours overland throughout Europe and into Asia Minor by prestige coach.54 passenger coaches with every passenger quite rightly expecting (and getting) the holiday of a lifetime.Contiki was the ultimate provider of European, North American and Australasian Coach Tours for the 18-35 year old age group.Still in my first year driving my leadership potential was identified and I was recruited to assist in the Operation Department based and living in Southern Holland.The following year I was promoted to Transport Manager running the fleet of 70+ high end Scania Coaches (the largest Scania Fleet of its time in Europe)I stayed in this role until end of 1990 when I returned to NZ to get married. Show less

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  Frightfully english delicatessen

  Jan 1991 - Jan 1992

  Operations manager

  Very much under the direction of my wife June we did a new start European Style Deli in the CBD of Wellington.From identifying the premises, to lease negotiation and fitting out with high-end refrigerated display units and supplementary equipment.Recruitment and training, selecting high-end suppliers and marketing the concept into the target market.We ran this successfully and with growth until the birth of our first daughter when shortly after we returned to the UK for family reasons. Show less

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  Shearings holidays

  Jan 1996 - Jan 2000

  European tour porgramme controller

  I was recruited by Shearings Coaches to head up a new operation in Yorkshire and to set up a purpose-built passenger/coach interchange to compete with their biggest rival (Wallace Arnold). After successfully achieving this on time and to budget, I was next transferred to Head Office in Wigan where I was tasked with managing their European fleet of coaches.They were running the largest fleet on the continent, but there was an inherent discipline problem among some of the more disruptive drivers. Successfully ironing this out and raising the moral and service levels took only about six months.Now in charge of 110 coaches and 160 drivers, I set about further enhancing the customer experience. This involved a number of staff changes at varying levels that were necessitated by a myriad of issues. I’m pleased to say that I was able to shake hands with every one of the exiting staff on the way out because I was clear and honest in how I communicated the reasons behind their departure.As a person, I’m no fan of conflict, and I do my best to avoid it. However, in a situation like this, I didn’t shirk my responsibility, and instead, I faced up to what needed to be done. It was a tough time, but the changes helped to give Shearings Coaches European Operation the focus it needed - by putting the passengers first. Show less

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  Baldwin crane hire plc

  Jan 2001 - Jan 2002

  Change consultant

  When I arrived at Baldwin Cranes, it was for an initial three-month consultancy stint.The managing director of the company had become aware that it was hemorrhaging money on the transport side and needed a troubleshooter to come in and solve the problem.I quickly identified that the old tractor units (STGO CAT 1, 2 and 3) they were using were costing them a fortune. Not only were these vehicles expensive to keep on the road, but they were also diminishing the Baldwin brand. Their mobile cranes of around 300 - 1,000 tonnes needed dedicated heavy transport to facilitate the operation. This meant that if they were moving their largest crane, they would need the equivalent of 150 lorries weighing 40 tonnes each to go with it. This huge operation had massive health and safety implications, working time directives and often the work was time critical. Any delays had severe cost and service implications.My solution was to go to one of my existing suppliers and get a quote for new heavy haulage trucks to lease. Once agreed, we were able to sell off all the old lorries and inject the £250K cash into the business. In doing this, we were also able to lose the annual depreciation of around £150k (therefore improving the bottom line) and reduce the running costs of the business because the new kit was more fuel efficient and reliable. Better yet, the morale of the Baldwin Heavy Transport staff went up. They’d spent a long time working with tired, old lorries so being put in the driving seat of shiny, new vehicles was transformative. Your staff are always your brand ambassadors, and now this company had workers proud to be part of the team. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and with great looking lorries now bearing the Baldwin name, the brand’s image was restored.Following this success, I was offered a full-time role in the business and worked happily there until a change of management occurred. This gave me the impetus to launch my own company, Homestyle Products. Show less

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  Homestyle products ltd

  Jan 2003 - Jan 2014

  Owner and managing director

  The success of Homestyle Products was down to the combination of our customer service and record of reliability.When I started the company, I wanted to change the face of the industry by offering a higher level of service. By making this the cornerstone of our offer, we differentiated ourselves from our competitors, and it soon translated into sales.To achieve the speed and reliability of delivery I wanted to offer, I was required to commit to holding UK stock (that eventually translated to an outlay of £500,000). For my customers, it meant that if they ordered from Homestyle Products, they could rely on having their order fulfilled every time without delay. We had no desire to be the cheapest option - however, we were competitive and remained so due to a simple and focused business strategy, and customers knew they would get good products in good condition in good time. When I started the company, there was a big issue with selling branded items. They had flooded the internet - causing diminishing returns for the distributors and retailers who were supporting the brands by displays and stock commitments. A key part of our strategy was to keep our products offline as much as we could and therefore offer our customers full margin products. Every penny I spent doing this was worth it because our reputation was maintained.One of our biggest achievements was that larger household brands asked us to supply products that they put their names to. They were sold on the value of our products and the quality of what we did. The fact we could offer that integrity and had built that level of trust made us a huge success. By following our values and holding ourselves to them every day, Homestyle Products was daring and unique. It was incredible to discover that by being true to our mission, we could make a big difference and steady, profitable growth that protected our suppliers, customers and our staff. Show less

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  Cristastone part of the schock group

  May 2017 - now

  Ceo