1. How long have you been in the industry, and what is your current job title ?
39-plus years. I'm the President & CEO of HP Financial Services.
2. Did you have a mentor and, if so, who ?
Too many to mention. I tried to learn something positive from everyone I've ever worked for.
3. Are you by nature an optimist or a pessimist ?
Optimist!
4. Which business leader do you most admire and why ?
Lou Gerstner. He took over the leadership role at IBM with no IT background and IBM was a mess! He resisted calls to break up the company, eliminated barriers to success, established new cultural norms, and implemented a sound recovery strategy. Behavioral change is an exceedingly difficult thing to achieve.
5. What's the biggest lesson you have learned in your career to date ?
Never compromise your principles.
6. What's your favorite business quotation or life motto ?
'You can’t sell from an empty wagon…'
7. What's the best business book you've ever read?
Great by Choice by Jim Collins
The Alchemists: Three Central Bankers and a World on Fire
Hubris: How HBOS Wrecked the Best Bank in Britain
