As a child in the 60’s living in the UK, I always thought I would become an engineer. My Dad, much loved though he was, was away most of the time on overseas export business and my role model became my grandfather, John Hilton, who was a leading UK engineer and had been awarded the MBE for his pioneering work on specialised and top-secret equipment required for the Spitfire aircraft during WW2. I did badly in my A levels because I simply didn’t work hard enough but I scraped through with just enough to be accepted onto what was then a new and innovative form of tertiary education called a Sandwich Course in Mechanical Engineering, such that one studied at a Technical College for 6 months and then worked as an apprentice for a recognised engineering company; mine being Rolls Royce Aero Engines in Derby, for the alternating 6 months. The course was 3 years long during...
As a child in the 60’s living in the UK, I always thought I would become an engineer. My Dad, much loved though he was, was away most of the time on overseas export business and my role model became my grandfather, John Hilton, who was a leading UK engineer and had been awarded the MBE for his pioneering work on specialised and top-secret equipment required for the Spitfire aircraft during WW2. I did badly in my A levels because I simply didn’t work hard enough but I scraped through with just enough to be accepted onto what was then a new and innovative form of tertiary education called a Sandwich Course in Mechanical Engineering, such that one studied at a Technical College for 6 months and then worked as an apprentice for a recognised engineering company; mine being Rolls Royce Aero Engines in Derby, for the alternating 6 months. The course was 3 years long during which I learned how to work hard and ended the course with the top result in the UK for my year in 1976; I went further with my studies and graduated from Kings College London and Bath University in 1978, with a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, specialising in Turbo-charger technology.
My first job was with Black & Decker in their Service Division as a Liaison Engineer with the Sales and Marketing Divisions. I then got seconded into the Sales Division as a Sales Rep. in London (selling drills, ladders and vacuum cleaners to the likes of Harrods!) and then into Marketing as their Drills Brand Manager. However, the UK were in dire straits financially at that point in time and upon seeing a recruitment ad. saying “Bright New Future for Brand Managers in South Africa” I ended up emigrating to Durban in 1982 with my then wife, to take up a position as Brand Manager with one of the Unilever companies, handling shampoos. Meanwhile, in order to try to cater for the somewhat expensive tastes of my, by then second wife, I was always looking for additional income streams, so I also set up a private business running a team selling retail airtime for the incredibly anti-establishment Capital Radio 604 throughout KZN, which was great fun - but a number of times, it had us literally running/hiding from the authorities, due to the “freedom-of-speech” and somewhat rebellious attitude adopted and broadcast by the station in those days! I also became the head lecturer for Marketing on the MBA course at the University of Durban-Westville and undertook several guest lecturer invitations on the MBA course at UCT.
I rose though the Unilever ranks to become a Marketing Manager but then in 1988, I decided to go on my own as a marketing consultant. It went well and we grew nicely but my clients were looking for more and more adverting input from us, so I expanded the business to become an adverting agency, which we called Jenesis Adverting, which grew rapidly, such that we were subsequently bought out by industry giant Saatchi & Saatchi in 1991. As Saatchi & Saatchi Durban, we pitched for and won the Engen account, such that I was then required to commute weekly between CT, Jhb and Durban for 3 years, until I was made Group Marketing Director of Saatchi’s Africa, covering the entire Continent, but thankfully based in Cape Town, where I moved in with - and later married, my Engen client Anne, my beautiful soul mate (finally!) who headed up Engen’s Quick Shop advertising operation at the time. We are now blessed with twin 15 year old boys, who are currently in Grade 10 at Parklands College.
However, such were the corporate dynamics of the new South Africa and the stringent Board personnel percentage requirements under the new dispensation, in 2000 I found myself faced with the unenviable but ultimatum-style options of either taking MD of Saatchi’s Yugoslavia; MD of Saatchi’s Nigeria - or Goodbye! Not wishing to leave RSA, I resigned and joined a small start-up multi-media company, whilst concurrently also picking up on my long-held love for English language writing, by way of freelance copywriting for commercials, brochures and corporate video scripts. Anyhow, the company was doing incredibly well until someone (not me!) ran off with all the money, leaving me at 53 years old and basically unemployable in the corporate world and hence I thought Property might be a good route to put food on the table. I joined a small operation in the area (Patrick Bogart Properties) but they quickly folded (not because I joined them, I’d like to think!) and subsequently joined Aswegen Realtors who soon thereafter, bought the Sotheby’s franchise for the area and we flourished. The business boomed and it was a fun time and the market was pumping - but with an ill-advised change of ownership, I foresaw an almost certain future demise so, looking for alternatives, I was fortunate enough to be invited by Caron to join RPA in January 2009 and I haven’t looked back since – love the place and love the people! ...
Is Property per se my ultimate Passion? – probably not – but it’s been very good to me and I enjoy almost all of it – but if I could choose, I would rather be fixing up old classic cars for a living but that hasn’t kinda worked out quite yet – maybe one day! ...
What I do love about Property - is the deal itself – negotiating the ins and outs until the point of joint agreement is reached – it’s the brokering of the deal that turns me on – especially when the clients turn out to be really nice, decent people – a number of whom have actually become good friends of mine now – and that’s incredibly rewarding - and the money can be quite nice too! …
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