IFSDG: How long have you worked in your current
company?
Andy: I joined ACE in March 2010, so I've
just celebrated 5 years here.
IFSDG: How many people work at your current
company?
Andy: We have around 250 people here in
our office in Glasgow. ACE globally employs around 21,000 people
serving a diverse group of customers worldwide.
IFSDG: What is the vision for your company in
Glasgow?
Andy: I took over as Regional Manager for
Scotland in May 2012 and set out at that time my vision to create
an environment where good people want to work. I felt achieving
that would help all of our business objectives to be met. I'm
pleased to say that we've enjoyed a great couple of years, with the
same solid team intact, so clearly we're doing something
right.
IFSDG: What's a typical day for you?
Andy: Mix of internal and external
meetings, maybe the odd coffee or lunch offsite if I'm lucky, and
hopefully not too late a finish.
IFSDG: Why did your company choose to locate in the
IFSD in Glasgow?
Andy: Our Broomielaw office serves not
just our customers here in Glasgow and Scotland, but throughout the
UK and Europe. We have a number of key pan-European business
functions controlled from here, including a claims operation of
over 100 people, and the talent pool in and around Glasgow, along
with the availability of great office space, ultimately made it an
easy choice.
IFSDG: What is your biggest business achievement
to date?
Andy: Opening our office in Aberdeen in
2012, becoming the first insurance company with a permanent
presence in the city at that time. Our competition told us it would
never work. They were wrong.
IFSDG: What is the best investment you ever
made?
Andy: This actually makes me think about
the best investment I never made. A friend of mine was
setting up his own business 12 years ago, he was desperately short
of funds and asked me for £5,000, in return he'd give me 5% of the
business. He wasn't the most trustworthy, so I said no. In
2012, he sold the business for £33m. Doh!
IFSDG: Which businessperson or company do you most
admire and why?
Andy: I've always admired Henry Ford, and
his ability to make the complex simple. He also had a foresight and
a vision unrivalled by most. In more modern times, I've also got a
lot of time for Richard Branson, I don't necessarily agree with all
that he does but I like the way he's not afraid to challenge
convention, and to do so in his own style. I like that a
lot.
IFSDG: What did you want to be when you were a
child?
Andy: I wanted to be an adult so I could
do things that I wasn't allowed to do. Then when I became an adult
I wanted to be a child again. On the upside, I do often get told
I've achieved what I wanted.
IFSDG: What do you do to relax away from the
office?
Andy: I love music, all sorts. Plus
anything that makes me laugh. I enjoy the outdoors, so a lot of
time is spent with my kids doing stuff outside. But when you factor
in that my kids are, generally speaking, wired to the moon, that
doesn't really come into the relaxation description.
IFSDG: Blackberry or
I-Phone?
Andy: Neither. Had Blackberry. Moved to
i-Phone. Now want an Apple Watch.
IFSDG: Suit or no
suit?
Andy: Suit, but definitely no tie. Or
jeans and a shirt.
IFSDG: Football or
rugby?
Andy: I'm from Glasgow. Football every
time.
IFSDG: Wine or beer?
Andy: I'm from Glasgow. Both. Plus a nice
malt to finish things off.
IFSDG: Sunshine or
snow?
Andy: More and more people now seem to go
ski-ing. I tried it once and kept falling over. That annoyed me.
Sunshine, a cold beer and some nice tunes please.
IFSDG: and finally, what three words sum you
up?
Andy: Dogged. Dissident. Mischievous.