Six questions ...

What countries have you most enjoyed travelling to, for business or leisure, and why?

For business, probably Houston. It has the greatest variety of companies to deal with plus fantastic food, shopping, sport and music events – and great golf courses. For leisure, I love Portugal. The people are friendly and the weather fabulous. It has beautiful beaches, the golf courses are wonderful and the food and wine are superb.

When you were a child, what was your ideal job? Why did it appeal?

I wanted to be a marine biologist. I imagined a life spent outdoors, with my dog, working with wildlife and nature, doing research, discovering new things and making a positive difference to society.

What was your biggest break in business? Probably deciding to join the oil industry when I was young. My biggest break was being given the chance to manage a multi-discipline team working to bring old oil fields back on production. I learned a huge amount about motivating people. It changed the direction of my career towards management.

What was your worst moment in business?

Having to make a multi million-dollar decision on my own one Christmas Day while working in a very isolated location. It was completely terrifying. I did make the decision though!

Who do you most admire and why?

I admire anyone with tenacity. The ability to “dig in” when things get tough or don’t go to plan. It’s inspiring to see people digging deep – sports stars in competitions or great leaders when things go wrong. I admire that quality and don’t see it enough.

What book are you reading and what music are you listening to? What was the last film you saw?

I am reading The Fallen by David Baldacci. I have an eclectic appreciation of music, from hard rock to opera, but particularly like Snow Patrol and Maroon 5. I recently watched the latest Jumanji movie – everyone needs some light relief!