Entrepreneur and scourge of HMRC Robert Gaines-Cooper faces the Spear’s questionnaire
Entrepreneur and scourge of HMRC Robert Gaines-Cooper faces the Spear’s questionnaire
Q What would your other career be?
A I would have enjoyed being a star like my co-shareholder Tom Jones.
Q Who is your greatest influence?
A My mother — she told me to go into business for myself.
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Q What is your biggest fear?
A A major downturn in my shareholders’ fortunes.
Q What is missing in the world?
A These days, honesty and fair play.
Q In a year, the UK economy will be…
A …still challenging, but hopefully following in Singapore’s footsteps.
Q How many assistants do you have?
A A sufficiency.
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Q Who makes your shirts?
A I don’t believe clothes maketh the man.
Q Philanthropy should be…
A Discreet.
Q My business mantra is…
A Don’t plan profitability — plan success.
Q Which watch do you wear?
A Omega(s).
Q Where do you summer?
A On the Tweed in Scotland.
Q Favourite hotel suite?
A Banyan Tree, Mahe, Seychelles.
Q What is your guilty pleasure?
A Breadfruit chips.
Q When I drive, I drive…
A Tropicalised Rolls-Royces and Mercedes.
Q Money lets me…
A Save lives. Our Laryngeal Mask Airway has been used in over 300 million operations.
Q My greatest success in business was…
A Floating Orthofix on Nasdaq.
Q My greatest failure in business was…
A Caused by the threat of secession of Quebec from Canada.
Q Which restaurant is indispensable?
A Food on Singapore Airlines.
Q Where in the world are you happiest?
A In the Seychelles with my family.
Q How did you earn your first pay cheque?
A Selling hamsters with a school friend.
Q To me, wealth means…
A My luck has not yet run out!
Q Spear’s is sharp and to the point. I am…
A Tenacious and hard-working.
Photography by Acuity Reputation
At the Sharp End is sponsored by KPMG
