| Paul Lees |
Buckinghamshire, England : Age 48
Business: Writer and Photographer |
 Q: What brought you to Phuket? I
came to Thailand to work as an underwater photographer in 1991. Originally
I was based in Bangkok but working in Phuket, which meant I had to cart my
equipment (all 80 kilos of it) backwards and forwards. It wasn't long
before I figured out that it would be easier to live here. I didn't miss
the air pollution!
Q: what is your background as a writer,
when did you start? I have been a writer for 20 years.
In Thailand I originally specialized in works about scuba diving, but
have also written about golf and contributed to many travel books.
Q: Could you tell us about your project? My
latest project is the Pocket Guide Series. This is planned as a series
of books about various aspects of living in Thailand. I have assembled
a team of experts and professionals who are able to write authoritively
about their specialty.
The first two-Pocket Guide Dive Thailand and Golf Thailand are already
in print and will soon to be followed by others covering food, spas
and well-being-all written by experts from the Thai perspective.
Q: Who is the person who has influenced
you the most? There are two both related to my work.
Art Brewer a famous surfing photographer who gave me a lot of
advice when I was getting started. The second is Alex Mustard.
He's probably the best underwater photographer in the world, and a
great guy to work with. He was one of the first to move into
the new digital imaging technology.
Q: And your private life, what do you
do with your free time, if you have any?I'm married
with three kids-a daughter aged 2 and two boys, aged 5 and
7. We live quietly in the centre of the island away from the
tourist areas.
Nowadays I work all hours but I've discovered the ideal way of
relaxing-kite-boarding. Nothing to worry about but the wind. Perfect!
| Gary Warton |
Basingstoke, England : Age 42
Business: Natural Rock Pools |
 Q: When did you move to Phuket and what
did you do before? I Moved to Phuket in August 2006.
I lived in Basingstoke for many years before moving to London.
Then I moved to Portugal for 12 years. Before move to Phuket. I had
a plumbing and heating company in the UK, but in Portugal I built swimming
pools. I must be attracted to water!
Q: What made you decided to come and
live here? I was looking for a change. A friend of
ours suggested we take a look at Thailand. It is such a beautiful place.
We loved it from day one.
Q: How did you start the business? We
found that nobody was building pools of our design, so it seemed like a
good idea to start a company to rectify this. With Natural Rock Pools we
seek to take the whole concept of the poolside lifestyle experience to
a new level of sophistication, with high quality construction, first class
equipment and competent installation. We import products from all over
the world to make sure we get it right.
Q: Why did you choose Phuket?We
chose Phuket over other parts of Thailand for two reasons: One, our two
children needed a school and we also have been used to living in a holiday
environment. Beaches and nice weather, sums it up.
Q: And your private life? My
wife and I have two children - a daughter aged 13 who's at school
at BIS, and a son who is training as a pro golfer. I'm involved with
the Lighthouse club and and IBAP-both great ways to give something
back to the community.
Q: How do you spend time with your
family? Spending time with the family is difficult
as the children are at that age where they are with friends a
lot; but when together we enjoy dining out or relaxing by the
pool or at the beach. I enjoy a game of golf, time permitting.
| Kitti Uthaipanumas |
Phuket, Thailand : Age 48
Business: Power Prints Digital |
 Q: How did you start your printing business? Iam a native Bangkokian. I originally started work as an architect
in the family business 20 years ago. The demands of my job brought me on
many visits to Phuket and in due course I decided to settle here. The 1997
economic crisis caused the collapse of the property market and I had to
make a radical change - I started a printing business. This was back in the
days when digital technology was in its infancy. At that time a 0.3 mega
pixel camera sold for 20,000 baht. The new technology needed a major investment.
Brave days!
Q: What are your business and life philosophies? I
don't think I have a philosophy as such. I'm a pragmatist.
The important thing is to be doing something that you enjoy-even
love. Problems will arise and we must overcome them if we can and
learn to live with them if we can't.
For me, computers and the latest technology have been key.
My motto is 'Even though we cannot alter our destiny we can choose
the way we live'.
Q:
Could please tell us about your private life? I live
with my mother and my wife in Villa Dao Rung. Our daughter is
pursuing her education in Bangkok. I'm pretty busy but we like
to relax over a good meal, go for a drive or enjoy a bit of shopping.
In this we are lucky to be living in Phuket. There is no shortage
of places to enjoy oneself.
Q: How is Phuket from your point of view? In
the time I've been living on the island I've seen steady business
growth due to commercial investment and a surge in tourist arrivals.
This has brought great prosperity to all of us. The other side of
the coin is the problem of traffic. In my opinion, traffic flows
are not well-organised and road discipline is poor. Does every single person
in Phuket own a motorcycle? It certainly feels like it.
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