Business philosophy

I am no philosopher or great mind but like many, I do have a hunger for knowledge, a thirst for detail and an obsession for answers. This seems to be the pattern of my life in my academic journey of studies in European and International politics and economics and my wide-ranging business experience. I have held the positions of Managing Director; Commercial Director; Operations Director; Sales & Marketing Director et alia and on one occasion I simultaneously held the positions of Head of Operations; Head of Marketing; Head of Engineering; Head of IT; Head of Risk Assessment and Head of Training. A jack of all and master of none you might think but I would argue that the naturally inquisitive follow the trail to the source of and solution to the problem and sometimes end up with the responsibility for resolving those issues. But probably my biggest buzz has come from restructuring distressed or sclerotic companies. The sense of urgency and need for solutions can be quite addictive. When researching at Warwick Business School I was invited to take a type profiling test that identified me as a ‘Trouble Shooter’. I thought this was great until I realised that some people might choose to interpret this as ‘Trouble Maker’. But the truth is that ‘Trouble Shooters’ invariably have great research and analytical skills and they are hungry for the answers and ‘Trouble Maker’ is the term used by those who are resistant to change and god knows I have met many of them. A great man once said that to be successful in business you need to be ruthless in your decision-making and compassionate in its execution. What I think he meant was that when faced with difficult business decisions, dispassionate clinical analysis is the only logical solution and when necessary, implemented with due regard and moral responsibility to those affected. This does not just apply to business.

Academic journey

This insatiable appetite for knowledge and craving for answers has similarly driven me in my passion for politics and economics. I have been interested in what makes the world go round since becoming aware of the economic, political and social chaos of the 1970’s. With the advent of the European Single Market and the euro in the 1990’s, I decided that the European Union (EU) was the new bright future, so I took myself off to the European Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Excited by the commercial opportunities, this was the start of my journey of more than a decade of studies and research at several universities including Harvard in the USA. As my academic studies advanced, I found myself struggling to reconcile Britain’s place in the EU. This compelled me to study the purpose of the EU in an increasingly globalised political and economic environment.

The New Global Order

After nearly two decades I have finally settled the question of Britain’s place and the EU’s purpose and have concluded that over time, the ebb and flow of the mass is too great to be shaped or influenced to any significance by any individual ideological concept. Every decade seems to bring a new systemic shock to the global order and more recently, challenges to the pervasive western liberal ideology that dominated the latter half of the 20th century. Events in 2016 in Britain and America could be considered as reactions or corrections to this perpetual evolution. Over the next few decades, the tectonic plates in the global political and economic order will shift. Britain’s departure from the EU could be viewed as a unique opportunity for an insightful government to realign its position in the global order and lay the foundations for a successful and socially liberal economy. It will need incisive analysis and visionary leadership from the business community to exploit the myriad of opportunities that will abound. Change creates opportunity and opportunity breeds success for those who embrace it and decay for those that resist it. The ever-changing global order has dealt a new hand and we must play it to win. It’s a New World for the Brave.

As I review this page, (Feb 19) Britain is entering a period of intense instability and chaos caused by Brexit. In the midst of this turmoil there are those who will seek to blame others and those who will seek solutions. It is to the latter that we turn for leadership in these times for they will also prepare for the opportunities that arise out of chaos. It will need real insight, absolute confidence and true leadership. These are the prerequisites for the brave in the evolving New World Order.