MATT THOMAS

The ASCO Australasia chief executive tellsthat time in the US taught him about customer care.

Most unusual job?

One of my first jobs was as an oil and gas roustabout on Barrow Island back in the early 1980s. It was a lot more liberal then in terms of health and safety and the hours that you worked. It was very daunting but enjoyable. You were out in the fresh air, on an island, well paid, well looked after. Some of my friends still work there some 30 years later, which is quite amazing.

Biggest or best career break?

In my mid-30s, I was offered $5 million by a wealthy investor who was willing to back me. He felt that I was ready to run my own business. He said, “Go and find a company to buy, I’ll back it, you run it”. I said, “What have you got in mind?” He said, “I don’t know”. I thought this was too good to be true. I actually thought I was on Candid Camera. I ended up buying a mobile crane company which I knew nothing about but knew it could be turned around and rebuilt. We then merged that company with four others in Australia and created Boom Logistics, still today Australia’s biggest crane company.

Describe your leadership style.

Very open and honest. I think it’s important you ensure that your staff are engaged. When you take interest in people you get their commitment and you get them on board. It’s also very important that you get the right dynamics in your team.You can have the best health and safety professional or the best business development manager in the industry but if they’re not going to fit into the team then that’s an issue for me. It’s very much about creating the space and running interference for them. Keeping them away from the bureaucracy and everything else and allowing them to just go forward and do what they do best.

Most memorable executive moment?

I got a phone call in between jobs from a company which said, “Would I go to Geneva and have a chat” to them. I said, “What about?”, and they said, “We’re not really sure”. So I flew to Geneva and the company was SGS, a testing authority worldwide with 80,000-odd people. A month later they offered me a role in the US. That was a fantastic two years in the States.

Do you use social media? If so, how?

I’m more of a watcher than a user. I use LinkedIn. I’m a very recent convert to Facebook but I forget to keep checking it. I’m on Twitter but, again, I just read, I don’t tweet. My son tells me I wouldn’t know how to tweet if I wanted to.

What do you do in your spare time?

I play golf. I have to keep practising because my wife’s handicap is getting too close to mine for comfort. I like to run. I’m running for the Athletes to End Alzheimer’s team in the New York Marathon. That’s going to be an amazing experience. It’s very dear to me. Both my parents passed away with Alzheimer’s in the past two years. The response has been nothing short of overwhelming from people that have been affected by this illness in many ways, and have been generous in their contributions.

Best Australian holiday destination?

It’s very hard to beat the Margaret River region. The wineries, the breweries, the whole ambience of the area. It’s just a world away but only three hours away.

The last book you read?

I’m still reading John Howard’s autobiography Lazarus Rising. It’s a fascinating book which depicts somebody who has overcome serious adversity and a number of knockbacks to get to the pinnacle to become the leader of the nation. He’s a man who just kept at it, was very tenacious. He was probably one of our best leaders post-war, certainly in my time.

What did you learn about US business culture?

We had in the States a very customer-centric focus. It’s about understanding what the client is looking for and needs. I think too many service providers go and tell the client what it is they can get. It’s a completely different way of thinking. That’s something I’ve bought to the business here; an openness and a transparency that says to the client, “Tell me what your pressure points are and let us work out how we might be able to solve them for you”. It’s been perceived as a breath of fresh air.

How is the oil and gas price slump affecting contractors?

It’s severe but it’s not terminal. To my way of thinking this is just part of a cycle. We are, I believe, close to the bottom of this cycle. I see a downturn as an opportunity to get your house in order, to strengthen you balance sheet, clean up your act and prepare the business for the upside. When it comes you need to be ready to go again.