Sailor, author, executive
A belief in making his own luck has helped Metlifecare boss Glen Sowry in many ways, Catherine Harris writes.
Although there have been many highlights in Glen Sowry’s diverse career, a bomb threat in his letterbox wasn’t one of them.
He downplays it, but it is clearly not one of the fondest memories the former chief executive of Housing NZ has of his previous position.
During Sowry’s tenure, there were two deaths in Housing New Zealand houses linked to respiratory ailments, one of them a toddler.
Quickly, the blame was sheeted home to cold state houses.
He felt for the families and took the criticism on the chin.
But ‘‘I didn’t enjoy having protesters parked outside my family home, and a few things like that along the way. I had a bomb threat in the letter box.’’
From his family’s perspective, ‘‘it had a big impact’’.
These days, he’s in a happier place. For the last year he has been the head of retirement village operator Metlifecare, at a time when the industry is in an inescapable growth mode.
Sowry’s background is an eclectic one, ranging from sailing and public relations, to executive roles and steering companies.
‘‘I think most people when they look at my CV, they’re incredibly confused by it and wonder how it all fits,’’ he admits.
‘‘There are things that happen in your life that shape who you are. I remember vividly as a 14-year-old when I was a competitive P-class sailor in Wellington and I’d just been beaten in a race, I’d been leading it all the way and I got pipped on the finish line.
‘‘I came up to the beach and said to my father, ‘Geez that Russell Coutts was lucky,’ and he gave me a steely gaze and said, ‘Glen there’s one thing you’ll learn in life and that is luck has a habit of following those who work hardest for it’.
He says that might sound a bit cliche, but it’s something he’s never forgotten - ‘‘being prepared to create your own luck’’ and taking opportunities when they present themselves, ‘‘even if you don’t feel confident or comfortable in making the leap’’.
Sowry attended Mana College in Porirua, left school with University Entrance and became an electrician.
At 21, he was chosen by Sir Peter Blake to sail around the world on Lion NZ and he sailed professionally until his early 30s.
It was he says, a profound time of his life. As well as the competitive challenge, he was ‘‘learning about leadership, communication, all those things that are critical to business success. I was basically attending a masterclass without knowing it.’’
But he didn’t make much money, so he supplemented his income by writing, firstly by doing columns, then by commentating, and later writing two books about his sailing adventures.
The work led Sowry into his ‘‘media phase,’’ working for Telecom and TVNZ and Air NZ – his ‘‘dream job’’ – where he spent 10 years, eventually moving into operational management.
At Housing NZ, Sowry took on the task of speeding up the turnaround time between tenants for state houses.
It was rewarding, but ultimately his natural competitiveness made him realise that the public sector was not his natural home.
His new challenge is to make Metlifecare an organisation that is ready for a future of longer lifespans and better medicine.
Already the newest villages have rooms clustered around their own kitchens and living rooms, and plated up there, just like at home.
It’s one of those important things ‘‘when we design our new care facilities, is making very sure we’re not going to build dinosaurs.’’
One of the things we're looking at very carefully when we design our new care facilities is making very sure we're not going to build dinosaurs.