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February 09, 2005
Liming with BOOM's Big Thinker: Andrew Cherry
Every month, BOOM correspondents will be asking 10 questions of Jamaica's top business leaders in our quest to share the ideas and thoughts of our Big Thinkers.
Our first interview was held with Andrew Cherry, Chief Financial Officer, Cable & Wireless Jamaica.
Q. Which businessman or woman do you most admire?
Donald Trump - obviously not for his wardrobe or hairstyle, rather because, from humble beginnings, he has created a successful business empire - on more than one occassion - while at the same time creating a unique celebrity status.
Q. Do you read books on management? If so, which one has influenced you the most?
A must-read for any decision maker, be it in a commercial, governmental or even on a personal basis is "Judgment in Managerial Decision Making" by Max H. Bazerman. Max was a professor of mine at Kellogg Business School so I had the luxury of his experience first hand but even without that this is a no-nonsense, easy-to-read book - a particular eye opener is the exercise on biases in Chapter 2.
Q. What is the most important business event, good or bad, to occur in your working life?
Securing a position as an International Auditor with British American Tobacco, the parent group of Carreras when I was just 25. I spent the following three years working in a dozen countries across five continents - a path that I seem to have continued on till this day. A close second would be securing Euros 50m in 1999 for an Internet start-up that only existed on paper - business environments such as that, driven by cheap capital and technological paradigm shifts only come once in every generation so I doubt I will ever see opportunities such as that again.
Q. Which is more important: what you know or who you know, and why?
What you know - people are fickle, knowledge and experience are more durable.
Q. What does leadership mean to you?
Let me put it this way - a classic pyschological question is "what would you prefer to be liked or feared". To me the answer is neither, I want to be respected. When people respect you they will follow you.
Q. If you could change one thing about the business, financial and commercial environment, what would it be?
Less corruption and self-interest, more innovation and long term perspectives.
Q. Does money motivate you?
No, but the security, comfort, health and entertainment that it enables do.
Q. What gadget/piece of technology can you not do without?
My bMobile cell phone - what did we do before the things were invented?
Q. How do you relax?
Spend time with my beautiful Bajan wife Lydia and our two mad Shih-Tzu dogs Ling and Muji.
Q. What did you think of the "Investa Fiesta"?
You guys know how to have fun - when's the next one
Thanks for participating.
Andrew P
Posted by andre at February 9, 2005 11:46 PM
Comments
Really enjoyed this interview. The questions were well thought out as the potential answers would interest most people. Also Mr. Cherry has a philosophy that I share on several issues (I'm still a big Apprentice fan). Looking forward to the next interview and to the Inviesta Fiesta this weekend (my first)
Posted by: Susie Campbell-Isaacs at December 2, 2005 08:53 AM