Personal File: Peter Fahey

Full name: Peter James Fahey.

Date of birth: May 28, 1950.

Place of birth: Napier.

Occupation: Managing director, YSL Beaute, Australia and New Zealand.

Home: Northcote, Auckland.


Qualifications:

I attended St John's College, a Catholic boys' school in Hastings, and left with University Entrance qualifications.

I didn't attend university as I was planning on a career as a commercial pilot that ultimately didn't eventuate. I had learned to fly while I was at school.

Family situation: Divorced - married to the job!

What excites you about your job?

Being able to bring on a team of people who will effect the changes required in a constantly moving environment.

What annoys you about your job?

Dealing with people who have no understanding of the complexities of their requests, and the implications that it has on the daily working schedule.

So many of these requests are barely relevant to the job at hand of running a company.

What is the biggest challenge facing your organisation? Diminishing market share as competition becomes greater - attaining true luxury with the Yves St Laurent brand when the general trend of the market is away.

How do you cope with frequent transtasman travel?

I'm in Sydney three weeks out of four and I find the travel quite invigorating, although the novelty has worn off - 4 am starts aren't that sexy.

How would you describe your management style?

By necessity I have to be a delegator. I need to surround myself with people I trust and let them get on with it. I create the parameters and then encourage the team to achieve the results within those parameters.

I am only as good as the team around me.

I also have a belief that as much as my team are there to serve me, I am also there to serve them and do the right thing by them.

How do you describe your personality?

Laid-back, enthusiastic, fun.

How much of the "real you" do people at work see?

The people see the real me all the time.

What are your rules/mottos for hiring people?

Go with your gut feeling. Employ people using logic at your peril.

What books are you reading?

The Birth of Time by John Gribbin. I love reading about the birth of the cosmos. It totally fills me with awe.

If there was one thing you could change about your life, what would it be?

A caring and understanding partner would be a significant asset.

What is the single most important lesson you have learned in business?

I have been amazed at some of the people who have got to high positions of responsibility without the ability to achieve those roles.

I believe there is too much emphasis on qualifications and not enough emphasis on true achievements.

Who is your business hero? Why?

My business hero was a product manager I worked with at Cadbury in 1969. I thought he was the brightest thinker I would ever meet and I could never possibly be as good as him.

My greatest business training was the Territorial Army. Apply military thinking to commerce and you've a winning formula.

If you could change one aspect of NZ business, what would it be?

Make people understand that relationships with Australia are inevitable. To prosper, business must turn its mind to this concept.

How do you relax?

Go flying. I own a small collection of classic aeroplanes - scarf and goggles stuff - which I love to fly and escape the rigours of daily business life.

What is your biggest fear?

Losing the respect of my peer group.

What are your top values? Honesty, courage, friendship.

Do you have a view about whether NZ should become a republic?

Absolutely. There is no earthly reason we should be linked to an outdated monarchy that is largely a figurehead and has no bearing on the progress of New Zealand. We are a nation in our own right.

What is your greatest regret?

None at all.

What's the key to managing stroppy staff?

You've just got to find a way to dampen them down, and work out what the hell is bothering them and provide a solution.

If you could live in another country, which would it be, and why?

I don't want to live anywhere else. I love New Zealand and I wish that the rest of New Zealand would understand how wonderful it is and get on with making it the greatest little nation on earth. Don't moan about New Zealand - make it happen right here.