Where are you from, and what did you do before you came to Thailand?
I was born and bred in Cardiff and studied Computer Science at school. It’s hard to believe that at that time (1981) schools were only just starting to offer A-level courses in computers.

I then joined Apple (Steve Jobs’ company) and worked on a mixture of programming and marketing for the next 10 years. Then, as is the practice with managers employed by American companies, I took a three-month sabbatical, and took to the waves.

I’d been sailing and racing dinghies for several years and gradually moved up to larger boats. I joined up with a friend called Bobby Moncur (you might remember him; he was a professional footballer and former captain of the Scotland side) and sailed across the Atlantic. On arrival Bobby got a call offering him a job as a football commentator back home, which he accepted with great alacrity, leaving me in charge of the boat. After this baptism by fire, I went on to work freelance as a skipper of privately owned yachts in the Mediterranean for three years.

I then returned to UK to take part in the Round Britain Race on a 36ft Sunsail boat. We won. Four days later, Sunsail offered me a job (this job) in Phuket. That would have been 1995, October 4th to be precise.

Tell us about your work with Sunsail.
I’m the Sales and Marketing Manager and we have a fleet of 30 sailing boats which we charter either with or without crew. They operate from Phuket, Samui, Koh Chang, Langkawi and Vietnam. Fortunately the high season in each market is different, so we move the fleet around accordingly. I also have to fit in promotional work like Boat Shows and so on. Sunsail is part of the TUI group – an international travel operator.

Whereabouts on the island do you live, and how do you get about?
We rent a place in Kathu. It’s central and reasonably convenient for getting to work here in the Boat Lagoon. It’s also close to Patong, of course, but I rarely go there except to shop in Jungceylon. I drive a Honda City – it’s a company car – and our second vehicle is a Ford Mondeo; nothing exotic, I’m afraid.

What’s the best and worst about Phuket, in your view?
The climate, the food, the people are all wonderful and it’s very well located for international travel – good connections and so on. As for the worst, it’s got to be the traffic. I’m a bit worried that Phuket is developing at a frightening pace and not always with the best of planning.

Tell us a little about your private life. What do you do in your spare time?
I’ve been with my Thai partner, Kae, for eight years. We don’t have any children as yet. What we do have are two Shihtzu dogs that are quite demanding pets! We do a fair bit of entertaining – it goes with the job.

For the last seven years I’ve been in charge of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, I’m the Principal Race Officer (PRO) for the Phang Nga Bay Regatta and Six Senses Phuket Raceweek and the Technical Director for the Koh Samui Regatta; oh, and I’m the PRO for the Police World Champions. I’m also the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) representative here, responsible – amongst other things – for organising ratings certificates for yachts racing in the many local regattas.

Wow!
Yes, sometimes it’s a bit like having an extra full-time job, but developing the sailing community is important for me. Even Kae gets involved – running the King’s Cup Office and helping with the organisation of the races. Every now and then we like to take off for a weekend and get away from it all.

Is there anybody that you regard as a role model?
I think I’d say Steve Jobs – he's someone who believes in the ‘product’ – if you provide the best product and exceed expectations then you will be successful. That's closely related to our Sunsail philosophy.

What guides you in your approach to business?
Whether it’s working in computers, boat charter or organising events, I hold to the Apollo Mission statement. “Failure is not an option”. I affect a relaxed image but in truth I’m a somewhat driven person and I always worry secretly that things might go wrong.

Kae and Simon at the King’s Cup office in Phuket

Plans for the future?
Oh, I think to stay here in Phuket and do more of the same.

For information about Sunsail (Thailand) Co., Ltd. contact:
Sunsail (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Boat Lagoon
Tel: +66 (0)76 239057
Email: yachtsales@sunsailasia.com
Website: www.sunsail.com