Are you a Phuket 'native'?
Yes, I was born and grew up in Phuket. I studied at Phuket Wittayalai (high) School. My family is 4th generation 'Phuketian'.

Could you tell us about your family business?
Orginally my family was involved in small-scale trading and rubber. Then my father moved into tin mining, which funded the expansion of our rubber plantation. He used to tell me, “Tin mining is unstable. When the tin is used up, our business is gone.” In 1985, when I started helping my father with the tin mining, the business was already slowing down, so I focused on improving our rubber business by maximizing rubber sheet quality, adapting distribution methods and price bidding. Next, we established a latex factory, called Muang Mai Rubber. We then partnered with Kumpulan Guthire from Malaysia and changed the name to Muang Mai Guthire. We expect to list on the stock exchange next year.

How many projects do you have right now?
My work is divided into two parts. Firstly the imported luxury car business through SEC Group and Lifestyle Auto (the Land Rover distributor for southern Thailand). Then there's our more recent venture into real estate with the Garden Place Muang Thalang Project.

Your businesses are successful. What's your secret?
I've loved cars since I was a boy and I got involved when I was young because my uncle operated the BMW showroom. That gave me the chance to learn about selling cars, so it was a natural transition to move into that business myself. I'm lucky because I love the motor trade. On the real estate side, my involvement with Land & House gave me the chance to learn a lot, preparing me to launch my own project.

What are the main business principles you operate by?
The most significant business principle is cordiality and honesty. We must maintain a high quality of service and gain our clients' trust. We don't control the car manufacturing, but our role is to provide competent distribution and excellent after-sales service to the buyers.

How many days a week do you work?
I work most days. During the day, I deal with the demands of the office and meeting people. Evenings, when it's quiet and easier to concentrate, I deal with documents and contracts. At the end of each day, my staff deliver to my home any documents that need my approval; these are collected the next morning. But I don't work Sundays − it's my rest day.

Do you think you work too hard?
No, I do not think so. Despite the many businesses I have to deal with, I don't find it too hard. Sometimes I get tired, but the key is that I'm happy with what I'm doing. I also take an excellent 'tonic': my family's support.

What do you like most about living in Phuket?
Hmm... a difficult question. I like the people here. Phuket people are generous (that sounds like I'm praising myself). But if you ask me what I'm concerned about, it's the traffic, cheating tourists and general misbehaviour. Phuket is a tourism city and if we don't get these problems under control, who will want to visit here?

What do you think of the changes in Phuket?
Phuket is like a teenager growing up gradually. If you compare Phuket to Europe's major tourist destinations, our development is much slower. In the long run, the direction of Phuket’s growth will depend on its people.

How old are you? How do you stay fit and healthy?
I'm 48. I love wine, so I do need to balance that by taking care of my body. Basically, I exercise regularly and am careful to eat healthy food. I'm also at ease with my life and am lucky that I don't suffer from stress.

What does being a father mean to you? What do you want for your kids' future?
A father is everything to his kids. He's father, friend, brother and driver. I have two boys, one 15, studying in Grade 4 and one 13, in Grade 3 at Shrewsburry School, England. We've never had a nanny, preferring to bring them up ourselves. For their future? We just want them to turn out as 'good people' and achieve something positive with their lives.

How do you reconcile your family and business obligations?
Work and family must go together. I believe it's essential to properly dividing time between the two. I need to work hard and do my best for my family at the same time. Both are equally important. If I were successful at work but didn't have a happy family environment, I could not be content.

What do you do in your free time, if you have any?
I spend my free time with my family, relax at home, stay alert for new information, exercise, play badminton or table tennis with my kids or − sometimes − just go for a drive. When I was in my 30s, I was more involved in the social networking scene. These days that's less a part of my life, but I occasionally go out at night for a social/business meeting.

What about the future?
I want to set up a resort in Khao Lak. I plan to semi-retire by the time I'm 55 and I've already bought some land for this project.