Eastern exposure

Peter Benyon is a serial expat, with more than 20 years of overseas postings under his belt. Having weathered revolution, war and other challenges in the Far East and across the globe, he's now the first non-family member to head the Al Fahim Group, writes Sara Sayed.

Despite the fact that Peter Benyon's first experience of the Gulf region included dodging Scud missiles in eastern Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War, he saw the potential for growth in the region.

Today Benyon is the managing director of the Al Fahim Group, the respected Abu Dhabi-based family business that has been operating for more than 40 years. Al Fahim provides products and services for the oil and gas sector, distributes luxury automobiles and is in the real estate and hospitality industries.

Those who visit its yellow headquarters on Airport Road, Abu Dhabi will notice banners draped across the building displaying the company's core values of honesty, humanity, substance and foresight. Benyon immediately identified with the company's values and began his career at Al Fahim in 2006.

A long-term expatriate and chartered accountant, Benyon began his career at Jardine Matheson, a large conglomerate based in Hong Kong. Since then, he has helped build enterprises in both peaceful and troubled circumstances in Asia, the Middle East and other parts of the world. This included an eventful stint in the Philippines during the 1986 People Power Revolution.

Constantly moving from one posting to another and rising to the challenges of war, revolution and economic turmoil has left the Briton with an elastic approach to business.

"Everything changes. What is right one day will not necessarily be [so] the next," he says. "Flexibility and adaptability are the keys to success."

Passionate about the challenges of business and life in general, Benyon is also an accomplished marathon runner. In fact, he and his family share a love for playing and watching sport, which has continued here in the UAE.

Benyon recalls the phone call in September 2005 that ultimately lured him back to the Gulf region.

"I had been doing my own thing as a business consultant in the UK for three years when I received a call from Ray Kelly, a headhunter, asking me if I was interested in working in Abu Dhabi.

"I was interested and after initial discussions with Ray it was decided that I should I fly to Abu Dhabi to meet Saeed and Aamer Al Fahim [chairman and managing director of the Al Fahim Group, respectively]. I had an excellent meeting with them and was asked to attended the launch of the Mercedes S class, taking place at the Emirates Palace. It was a very grand and glamorous affair! I returned to the UK after just 24 hours in the UAE.

"Within two days of my return, I received a call offering me the job as managing director of the Al Fahim Group. I was somewhat taken aback at the speed of the decision, but it was uplifting and heartening! I responded positively and returned to Abu Dhabi in December to take part in the budget reviews and get to know the group better before formally taking up the role in January 2006."

I

I think flexibility and adaptability are characteristics that are absolutely necessary for success in international business and in life in general. As someone who has lived and worked in several countries, I know that people can develop these characteristics over time.

I believe in stretching the limits, setting ambitious goals and reaching them through hard work, innovation and teamwork. This leads to the realisation of full potential, whether the goals are for a business enterprise or for an individual.

I am an enthusiastic player and spectator of various sports. I am passionate about sport and over the years have enjoyed football, rugby, skiing, cycling and golf as well as running. I would rather watch a sporting event than a film any day. Matches are genuine entertainment regardless of the sport.

I often listen to Martin Luther King's visionary speech 'I Have a Dream'. He delivers the speech with such enthusiasm and commitment that it continues to inspire millions of people.

Another great leader, I think, is Margaret Thatcher. Regardless of whether a person agrees with her political decisions, she at least stood up for what she believed was right. She was able to face opposition and make major economic reforms. In crises … she made firm decisions and stood by them.

ME

Me and the Far East:
I left the UK when I was 25 to work for Jardine Matheson, a large Asian conglomerate with its headquarters in Hong Kong.

When my wife and I arrived in Hong Kong in 1982, we found it difficult to adjust to our new environment. We returned to the UK only six months later. Shortly after returning to the UK, we asked ourselves, "Why are we back here?" Life overseas simply suited us better. We then returned to Hong Kong and entered expatriate life with gusto.

I decided to learn Cantonese, live an active lifestyle and adjust to our new home. After a year I became the financial controller of Jardine Pacific, with the responsibility of consolidating all of Jardine's Hong Kong and China businesses.

When I first arrived in Hong Kong, the building in which I worked was built on reclaimed land. It did not have a solid base, so it tipped over a little and the small jade green tiles would fall to the ground, causing discomfort to the pedestrians below. At the time it was called the Connaught Centre, now it's Jardine House. Eventually they built an aluminium structure around it to prevent the tiles from injuring passersby. However, the structure still leaned slightly and every day we heard tiles banging against the aluminium!

Me and the Philippines:
In 1984 I became the senior vice-president of Treasury Finance for Jardine Davis in the Philippines.

It was a turbulent time in the Philippines; I arrived six months after Benigno Aquino was assassinated when he arrived back in Manila. The country was struggling under economic sanctions, the Marcos regime was in its final fling and the economy was in turmoil.

In 1986 some military leaders [including Fidel Ramos] accused President Marcos of rigging the election and barricaded themselves in military bases off EDSA [a major highway in Manila].

The church supported them. By comparison to other revolutions, it was peaceful. All this was going on three miles from where I lived and worked.

Throughout all of this, we had to run a trading business in this environment. Every day presented new challenges. The peso had declined substantially and there were economic sanctions that restricted imports and exports. Essentially, the entire country was ostracised during that period.

Even with all that political and economic turmoil, I look back fondly at the three-and-a-half years I spent in the Philippines. I worked with some great people and made some lasting friendships there. Roger Wilson, the company's president, was a legendary character. He had been with the company for many years and was a very effective leader who didn't take himself too seriously. He fell ill in 1987 and I stayed on in Manila as the stand-in president while he recovered. When he got better, he was transferred to the Saudi office and I was asked to return to Hong Kong to work for Jardine Schindler as commercial director and put in charge of its operations in Taiwan and South Korea.

At the time, the contracting business in Asia was becoming more complex. Agreements previously made at informal meetings and deals sealed with a handshake were becoming more contractual. There was a push to set up contractual agreements between parties, so I set up the company's contracting policies and procedures.

Me and Saudi Arabia:
By 1989 I was ready for another big move. Jardine had established an arrangement with a company founded in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia by Shaikh Sulaiman Olayan and I was asked to become the finance director. The Olayan Saudi Holding Company (OSHCO) was established by the late Shaikh Sulaiman, trading with what was then Aramco (now Saudi Aramco).

From humble beginnings, he built a private multinational enterprise made up of more than 50 companies and affiliated businesses, including Coca Cola, Burger King, Xerox, Nestle, NEC and Toshiba. Things were going well until Saddam Hussain decided to invade Kuwait.

For OSHCO, the war was a mixed blessing. On one hand, it was a trading company and we were able to supply the allies with much-needed foodstuffs, furniture, computer equipment, Land Rovers and other necessities. On the other hand, the war was economically destabilising and difficult for a young expatriate family to adjust to. My wife Heather went to the UK to have our second child. She could not be out of the country for more than six months, so we planned her return. In order to fly out, I drove to Bahrain, flew to Abu Dhabi then to the UK since the airport in Dhahran was closed.

We had a flat in Wimbledon that we decided to let in order to return to Saudi Arabia. The day before we were going to fly back to Saudi Arabia, Saddam Hussain was given the ultimatum to leave Kuwait or military action would be taken to force him out. We knew at that point that there was likely to be a war close to where we were living in Al Khobar. We decided to go back anyway and take the necessary precautions. We had no choice but to return to Saudi Arabia and spend Christmas there. Heather and the boys flew home after the
New Year.

The first Gulf War was a harrowing experience, to say the least. Being in the eastern region we experienced many Scud missiles flying over us, aimed at the Aramco oil facilities in the region. One Scud came down not far from us and hit a transit camp for nurses close to our home. During the Scud attacks we were instructed to turn off the air-conditioning and wear gas masks. We also received instructions on how to seal windows and vents and what to do in an emergency. I remember lying there, fully kitted out with a gas mask on, sweating, unable to sleep and feeling distinctly uncomfortable. I got up and looked out of the window and saw a cat casually strolling around outside. It was business as usual for the cat, who was oblivious to the madness going on around him. I remember thinking, "If the cat's OK, we'll be OK."

That's when I decided that we should conduct our lives as normally as possible. So I removed the tape from the windows, returned the masks and, as much as possible, ignored the fact that there was a war going on in our backyard.

Me and the luxury car business:
I then returned to work in Hong Kong but this time as the finance director of Jardine International Motors. Our business included Zung Fu, the importer and retailer of Mercedes Benz in Hong Kong. It was a very, very successful business. At the time, Hong Kong had the largest and most successful Mercedes Benz business in the world. We then began to purchase and invest in motor car markets with good potential for growth, but based largely on the Mercedes Benz business. In 1992 and 1993 I flew all over the world acquiring businesses for the company. We purchased and built businesses for Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari, Volvo and Land Rover dealerships and service centres in the UK, the US, Australia, France, Indonesia, Japan and other locations.

I returned to the UK in 1998 when Lancaster purchased the Appleyard Group to become the largest UK motor dealership group. I then went back to Jardine International Motors to oversee the integration of the two dealership groups. I then worked for Jardine Schindler in Singapore before returning to the UK in 2002 to start my own consultancy business. I ended up consulting in various locations around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Thailand. I saw huge growth potential for the GCC region and was interested in entering the market here. That's when the opportunity to work for the Al Fahim Group emerged.

Me and my memories of Dartmoor:
As a child in Devon, I remember always being outdoors with my friends. I was lucky as I had the whole of Dartmoor as my playground. This idyllic wilderness spans thousands of square kilometres and provided endless options for children. We would go fishing, camping, trekking through the woods and larking about as many children do.

In the summer holidays and on weekends I would leave home after breakfast, meet my friends and we would take off into Dartmoor. I have to say not everything we did kept us on the right side of the law. On a number of occasions we would poach salmon, 'srump' apples from orchards and engage in childish mischief. We did Robinson Crusoe kind of stuff.

Having said the bad things about me, I was a good student. I worked hard and made sure that I got good grades. I was head boy of my school before I left to study economics at Bristol University. I graduated in 1978 and worked in the accounting field at Price Waterhouse [as it was called then] in London. After three years I qualified as a chartered accountant and decided to work overseas.

MYSELF

Your first company, Jardine Matheson, has an intriguing history. Tell us a little about it.
James Clavell wrote Taipan about the dynasties of the Far East. James Matheson (1796-1878) and William Jardine (1784-1843) formed a Far East trading business called Jardine and Matheson, which worked the trade routes between the UK, India and China trading tea, silk, spices and [other items]. Their company quickly became one of the largest trading firms in the British Empire. James Matheson ran clipper ships exporting tea, silk and [other products] from India to China. The characters who started the company were real buccaneer-types. Their stories are legendary.

What sets the Al Fahim Group apart from other general trading companies?
This is an Abu Dhabi company. Its roots are firmly planted here. Its vision and mission are geared to benefit the community – not just the family. For example, all the brothers in the family agreed to give up part of their share in the business in order to finance and empower the Al Fahim Endowment Fund. The fund, run by Eissa Al Fahim, supports many charitable, environmental, educational and social causes. We also work in partnership with other organisations like the WWF to save indigenous trees and wildlife.

I am the first person who is not a family member to run the business. Aamer Al Fahim was the last family member who was managing director of the business, but he was being drawn inexorably into governmental roles and his time was stretched to effectively undertake the role as he would desire. As part of the family succession plan, a decision was made to run the company, which was built by the late Abdul Jalil Al Fahim, independent of family members.

ME, MY FAMILY AND SPORT

My father was passionate about sport and fitness and he transferred that passion to his children. To this day, sports and fitness activities are an integral part of my life.

I became very active as a marathon runner in Hong Kong. I also did ultra marathons, including the gruelling 100-km Machlehose Trail on five occasions. This takes place over the mountains in Hong Kong. There were many teams of four that participated in the event. The best our team did was in 1993, when we were placed 10th and completed the course in 18 hours 30 minutes.

For many years I played squash whenever I could, both socially and for teams in Hong Kong and the UK.

My family shares this passion for sport. My wife, Heather, has always been active in sports. She was the captain of the UK lifesaving team and participated in many sports such as squash, tennis, badminton, swimming, just to name a few. When we first met she would often spend her weekends at a lake for her lifesaving and would swim in the Thames as part of her training – even in November, when the water was freezing! I would go blue just watching her.

Now as a family, we go skiing together, play golf and do other outdoor activities. My eldest son, Anthony, 19, is a very good swimmer while my youngest son Alexander, 16, is also a fine sportsman. He is the world No 3 in racquet-a-thon: a competition that combines squash, tennis, table tennis and badminton.

Everyone knows the health benefits of living an active lifestyle, but sport also serves as a social activity and a source of enjoyment.

THOSE WHO INFLUENCED ME

Probably the most influential person in my life has been my grandfather, Percy Beasley. He emerged from the Second World War with the largest private quota for nylon. During the war he manufactured parachutes and associated military equipment. When the war was over, he transformed his factory from a producer of military apparel to a producer of ladies hosiery. The factory was in Hinckley in the Midlands, where we lived.

He was a real entrepreneur who sparked my interest in business. He was not born wealthy, as his father was a farmer, but was very hard working and believed in providing customers with the highest quality product possible. He walked with his two dogs to the factory every day at 5 am and as a very young child, I would walk there every day to call him home for breakfast. We would then walk half a mile back to his house and have breakfast together.

At work he was a perfectionist, but financially he was probably not as astute. When he was ready to retire he sold the business to a large company called Courtaulds. He did very well in the sale and retired a wealthy man. However, my uncle decided to start a hosiery business and was unable to make it a successful enterprise. He went out of business and my grandfather, being a proud man who did not want to see his son in debt, lost all of his wealth bailing out his son.

From my grandfather's experience, I learned a lot about the importance of financial prudence and also about the importance of providing high quality products and services to customers.

My father, Geoff, has also influenced my life to a great extent. He was a physical education teacher who early in my childhood worked for my grandfather, but when I was 5 he returned to education and started teaching at Tavistock Grammar School in Devon. He was a great influence in the school but left when my brother was due to start tuition there as he did not want to compromise his children's education due to his position at the school. He purchased a motor garage at Tavistock that had the rights for Rover, Land Rover and Triumph.