William Devine: man of the times

Eighteen months into the job of CEO at Gucci Group's Bedat & Co. luxury watches, 41-year-old William Devine has grown accustomed to a jet-setting lifestyle.

We sit in a comfortable twin leather sofa and oak desk office on Al Wasl Road in Dubai. A Maserati and an Aston Martin are parked in the driveway – neither of which, William Devine assures me, belongs to him.

But then as you converse with him and he gradually reveals his personality, you realise that, for a man at the helm of a luxury watch brand owned by possibly one of the largest luxury brand houses, he is far from what you might imagine is your stereotypical CEO.

For a start, he isn't a corporate clone and he shuns the jargon of management gurus who believe you should be able to 'sell' yourself to a client in 30 seconds. "I'm a shy person. When I walk into a lift, I'm not going to talk to someone for 30 seconds. I shut up. That's who I am. All these management techniques say you should be able to have that person stay in the lift with you.

I'm sorry but that concept is mindboggling! I think management consultants are the biggest scam ever."
Unashamedly William admits of himself, "I am a strange animal. I'm Swiss by accident, British by birth."

Both his parents are Scottish. His father was a miner just after the war, and his paternal grandparents lived in the same house all their lives. "They had no running water or electricity. They lived in abysmal conditions of poverty," he says.

When his father immigrated to Switzerland, William was brought up in an environment that was almost diametrically opposite and, he recalls, "It was such a jump in the standard of living compared to what my father had. As a child you don't perceive that."

He attended an international school in Geneva where his mother was a teacher, and grew up in a multicultural environment.

"I remember being seven or eight years old with people from Africa or Asia – not even a question of being Catholic or Protestant, Christian or Muslim," he recalls. "It's a great advantage and I've always been very sensitive to prejudice and racism because I don't understand it."

At school William showed a talent for physics, chemistry, maths and biology and was destined to become an engineer, but when he finally stepped outside the gates with certificates in hand, he chose a different path.

He left home at 16 and headed as far from Geneva and the security of his parents' home as he could while still in Switzerland. "I had to stay in the country or I would have had to fund my own studies. In Switzerland going to university is free."

He secured a place on a business studies and law degree course at St Gallen University. Being so close to the Swiss/German border, he learnt to speak German. But attending university at the age of 16 is no easy task; he found that some of the other students questioned his merit.

"I was fortunate enough not to be too stupid and was successful in school and university. You stick out like a sore thumb when you go to university at 16," William smiles, then continues, "There are two ways of reacting to that: either you can dumb yourself down to blend into the environment (which doesn't work because you become frustrated and unhappy) or you can accept who you are and your differences."

With that attitude in mind, William spent five and a half years of his degree course travelling, completing assignments but avoiding classes, and only returning to sit the examinations which, of course, he passed. "That was an interesting experience," he muses, "because it taught me how to survive by myself."

"I didn't start my career in the watch industry," William adds.

"I started as a financial analyst with DuPont. Then I became a management consultant with Price Waterhouse, where one of the first customers was a watch company. As these things happen, the owners said come onboard as a managing director."

William accepted the offer at Montres Universal S.A., and has been involved in watches ever since. When asked who his role model is, he pauses. "I don't know. I've always done things a little differently."

This may explain why he has always had a desire to enter politics, even though he believes his chances are very slim. "If I could have gone into politics, I would have. But when you're British by birth and live in Switzerland, nobody is going to take you seriously. The system is against you."

I

I think being born at six and a half months – nearly 12 weeks premature – affected the way my life has gone and the decisions I've made. I was born, baptised and given my last rites on the same day, so I wasn't destined to live. Ninety per cent of premature babies don't survive. So you wonder whether it's natural selection or if there is something bigger at play. Regardless, there is a drive in a premature child to survive.

I tend to pick up things that interest me pretty quickly. I would never be able to make a watch or explain the 295 components, but I can tell you the difference between a split-second chronograph, chronometer, perpetual cam and all that. It's not rocket science.

I am a compulsive book buyer. In one visit, I buy 10 titles. I think it's such a shame that very few people read books or write letters. The greatest talent that anyone can have is the talent to write.

I admire Bill Gates and his business acumen. He has made so much money and he created Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with his wife… People can be cynical and say 'so what', but he's invested billions of dollars and he's making a difference – and he didn't have to. I think it's very important to do that sort of thing.

I don't need an alarm clock to wake up, no matter where
I am. We all have internal clocks. I'm not time driven.
I should be, but I'm not. I don't feel the need to constantly look at my watch, but I'm also never late for a meeting.

I would most like to be remembered for… well, first of all I would just like to be remembered! And I like to think that my children would think of me as a good person. I don't care about anybody else. My children are my reference points. They are pragmatic so they keep me grounded. It's important to remain humble.

Me

Me and taking orders

I didn't have to do military service because I only became Swiss at 33. The idea of someone telling me what to do in a military training situation seems stupid.

Me and my spiritual home

It's funny: Scotland is the only country that I have an emotional connection to, and yet it's completely irrational because I left when I was four. I still remember it and I go back all the time. Other than that I like being in places where there are no people. I hate crowds and noise. I have a pathological distaste for noise!

I was very fortunate a couple of weeks ago to be in the Dominican Republic and to be on a deserted beach. That can be quite frightening if you're not used to it any more. Being alone is probably one of the most difficult things. Some people can't do it; they go bananas.

Me and humanity

Ultimately, the only person who knows how ethical you are is yourself. It's a very flexible concept. Some people in business think that the end justifies the means, but it catches up with you. Human nature is bad by definition; it's not good. It's not just a survival instinct. Many take pleasure in dominating others. We try to pretend we're civilised, but we're not. Take Lord of the Flies by William Golding – it's a classic example that sums it up.

We are so insignificant when you consider the past 2,000 years. And yet the pyramids are about 7,000 years
old. Look at the ancient Roman world where there're was so much sophistication, yet the whole economic system was based on slavery.

Today there is more value for life, although sometimes I think about the buildings we live in and feel uneasy about the treatment of those who built them. Working in the luxury industry makes contrasts of wealth appear starker
.
Myself

What's the most important lesson you have learnt?

You never really understand what it is to be a father until you have children yourself. My whole perception towards children and childhood completely changed when I had kids. I always considered myself to have had a very happy childhood. When your parents come from a poor background they really teach you the value of money and respecting other people.

How do you keep yourself grounded?

Keeping a diary as an adult is a very interesting thing to do. It's very difficult, but I try to do it. A diary forces you to be honest with yourself. It also forces you to try and understand who you are and where you're going.

What were your best and worst business decisions?

My worst decision was also my best. It was when I decided to set up my own company investing in buying and selling watch companies. On the one hand, it was my best decision because it really is extremely gratifying to run your own business, but it was also my worst because I lost so much money.

What is your definition of success?

Success is being able to get up in the morning and not have anything to be ashamed of or afraid of. It's literally being able to look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I've done the best
I possibly can. Maybe I haven't always been successful in achieving what I set out to do, but I've given it my utmost and I've been honest and I haven't killed people along the way."

What is your recipe for happiness?

As human beings we are never happy, unfortunately. You can have the gratification of the instant, but apart from that there isn't a lot of long-term gratification in the world.