‘More Attitude Than Aptitude’
I don’t get too excited about business or sports icons. The main drivers for me are family and close friends. These are the people I want to be like or impress.
Sulu vakataga, sandals and a blazer is what Aussie boy, Sam Dormor likes to wear in formal occations.
Couple with a few Fijian words he has learned, Mr Dormor could pass as a Fijian.
Mr Dormor is British American Tobacco (BAT) Fiji’s new general manager who joined the Fiji business earlier this year.
Mr Dormor, 44, is the former national sales manager at Unilever, a British multinational consumer goods company. He worked for the organisation for 19 years.
At BAT Fiji, Mr Dormor is proud to have a leadership team that has a majority of locals and women outnumbering men in the executive leadership team.
He graduated from the University of New England in 2000.
On a lighter note, Mr Dormor is often described by his team as a phenomenal inclusion and referred to as Ben Ryan for his ginger hair and down to earth personality.
Tell us about your role and your experiences before joining the organisation.
I was born into a large family in a small town called Forster-Tuncurry and it is around 300 kilometers north of Sydney, New South Wales.
I have been married to my wife Chanell for 12 years and we have two children – George and Florence. In 1997, I completed one year of agricultural economics before deciding on switching to a pure Economics degree at the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales. I graduated with honours in 2000.
This role is my first general manager (GM) role. I have been working for British American Tobacco (BAT) for three years and have enjoyed working in Marketing Leadership roles in Australia and Vietnam before taking up the BAT Fiji, GM role.
I came to Fiji in December 2022 for a brief visit before returning and starting in the BAT Fiji GM role proper from early 2023.
How do you cope with the demands of professional and personal commitments?
I think the trick is to ensure that whatever you are doing you need to give it your focus. I am hopeless at multitasking so if I’m trying to do two things at once I will do neither well.
To manage it all you need a great team – at work and at home. I’m lucky enough to have both.
What influenced choices?
My father was a tradesman (Glazier) and I asked at the end of high school if I should join his business.
Dad replied with “There’s plenty of better jobs out there besides glazing, son”.
I’m not sure if he was right, but as a result of that conversation, I went to university and applied for a job with Unilever when I finished, which put me on a consumer goods path.
I’ve always felt the backing of my family and therefore have little fear in saying ‘yes’ to opportunities that have been made available to me.
I see many people talking about what could have been. The confidence my family gave me means I am not one of those people. It’s more attitude than aptitude that has allowed me to grow in my career.
your career What are some challenges?
I have been fortunate, so I don’t have a lot to complain about.
What is most rewarding about your job?
Seeing people enjoy what they are doing.
What is your philosophy about business as a whole and your vision for your businesses?
Business is so much more than growth or profit.
It’s about creating an environment for employees to really enjoy coming to work and figuring out ways to create a better tomorrow. This is my vision for BAT Fiji.
We have multiple initiatives to achieve this, including programmes to ensure safe drinking water for rural communities plus solar and green energy programs.
We are working in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, to grow up to one million vegetable seedlings in our greenhouses, to support improved farmer incomes and help secure improved Fijian food supply.
Last month, we were the first Zero Waste to Landfill company site in Fiji.
We also launched our re-afforestation programme in partnership with Fiji Hardwood and the nine landowning units of Nausori Highlands.
We much more than a manufacturing company.
Have you been inspired by anyone?
I don’t get too excited about business or sports icons.
The main drivers for me are family and close friends.
These are the people I want to be like or impress.
What impact has the COVID-19 pandemic had on your professional and personal life?
I joined BAT in early 2020 when coronavirus broke out.
I was nervous about leaving Unilever, a company I had worked at for 19 years, to start a journey with a company I didn’t know much about. Much of my first year was work from home.
In early 2021 the family and I moved to Vietnam when a small travel window opened.
So COVID for me brought lots of change and a forced flexible work environment. It gave me some perspective on what really matters.