Where are you originally from?
I was born in Quito, that’s in Ecuador, South America. My mother is Swiss and and I moved to Europe when I was 21 years old and lived there for 12 years.

When did you move to Phuket?
I came here five years ago to work for a local hotel chain, the Kata Group.

What did you do before you came to Phuket?
I was working for Nestle Nespresso in their headquarters in Paudex Switzerland. I was in charge of the Nespresso Luxurious Boutiques Division operating in Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain.

What made you decide to live here?
When I arrived, I fell in love with Phuket, the people, the weather and the sea. The quality of life here is less stressful compared to Europe.

What do you do in Phuket?
I take care for the F&B, Sales and Marketing of the Hotel & Villas, as well as internal coordination with all the departments and outside the hotel with other hotels, tour operations, etc.

What is your philosophy for life?
The Spanish have a saying, 'La vida es un Carnaval, approvechala!', which means, 'Life is a carnival, enjoy it!' That’s my philosophy!

How is Phuket from your point of view?
It’s developing fast – some good, some bad. I hope we can preserve the island’s charm.

Where is your favourite place in Phuket?
Up on the hills with those wonderful sea views. I try to go there as often as I can.

Tell us about your family.
I have two boys. My first son Georges Michel is 15 years old and lives in Lausanne, Switzerland. My second son Alex is only six months but he’s a cute and energetic baby. My wife is Thai and her name is Chicky.

Tell us about your lifestyle?
I’m an easy-going person, very open minded. I like to be friendly to everybody. I enjoy mixing with people from different cultures and nationalities.

Are you involved in any local charities, clubs or associations?
I’m the Executive Secretary of the Phuket branch of Skal International. This is the largest travel and tourism organisation in the world. In our charity programme we sponsor 25 children from Khao Lak and Rawai who lost their parents during the Tsunami.

Please tell us about your background.
I was born on the Esplanade at Henley Beach, South Australia. So right from the beginning, I was destined to be close to boats and the sea! I’ve sailed and raced everything from dinghies up to cruising yachts. I’d guess that I’ve got over 50,000 nautical miles under my belt and I’m trained in everything nautical from kayaks through to powerboats. Oh, and I’m a qualified PADI diver. A love of the sea and the desire to travel has defined my life.

When did you move to Phuket?
I first sailed into Southeast Asian waters in 2005, and I’ve been living in Phuket since 2007.

Why did you choose Phuket?
Because it’s the yachting hub of Southeast Asia, and that means the chance to be around boats and get to work on them.

What do you do in Phuket?
I’m the Service Manager for Lee Marine. Currently I look after 29 vessels under warranty, plus many older pre-owned vessels.

How do you find it?
It was a bit of a challenge at first; all-new people, the language barriers and so on. However, I like a challenge – the bigger the better. I’m a persistent sort of guy – when there’s a problem I’m like a crocodile which locks its jaws and hangs on till the job’s done.

Do you have family here?
I’m here with my wife Ali and we’ve a six-month-old boy called Jay. Ali teaches at BCIS. We live in Kathu, which is a convenient, central location for just about everything in Phuket.

What do you like and dislike about living in Phuket?
I love Thai food, the climate and the friendly people. The only thing that I don’t like is the way foreigners are expected to pay more for everything but I suppose this is the same everywhere, really. All in all, Phuket is a great place to live.

Where is your favourite place in Phuket?
Jungle Beach, it’s so beautiful and unspoilt.

What do you do with your free time?
Well it probably won’t come as much of a surprise, but I race yachts whenever I get the chance. I’m a member of Ao Chalong Yacht Club and Phuket Yacht Club.