Career Advice Successful High flyers’ story

Gareth McAllister, Asia-Pacific president at Lord Corporation, is a firm believer in acting fast and dynamically

Gareth McAllister knows he is fortunate in having a role which offers extensive scope in a fast-growing market, where he can draw on skills and experience accumulated during more than 25 years in the chemical industry.

Equally, though, he appreciates the chance it gives to shape a corporate culture which emphasises speed of action, responsiveness, collaboration and empowerment, while exerting just the right degree of internal control.

“The question we should always ask ourselves is how to improve the quality of life and quality of service for customers,” says McAllister, Asia-Pacific president for Lord Corporation. The US-headquartered company supplies everything from adhesives and coatings to electronic materials, sensing systems, speciality chemicals, and vibration and motion control technologies for cars. “To that end, one of my focuses is leadership development, to give our team the mindset needed to be successful and allow them to move fast and spot new opportunities, and be more customer-driven.”

As things stand, targets are centred on accelerating automotive-related sales, particularly in China and India, and tapping into new markets for industrial equipment and aerospace. Behind this is a confidence that many of the megatrends affecting the region, such as the rise of electric vehicles, will play to the company’s strengths. But a sense of caution also dictates against taking on too much too soon.

“I’m not claiming to be an expert in everything, but a change agent,” says Hong Kong-based McAllister. “I see my strengths as winning new business, which can feed the plants, and being someone who wants to learn. In terms of leadership, my role is to bring clarity and make sure the company’s vision is well understood. In all this, there is a risk – that is part of working in China – but we now have the local capabilities and a fantastic foundation to build on.”

As a youngster at school in Ireland, he found he had a natural affinity for maths and science and went on to take a four-year degree in chemical engineering at University College Dublin.

“From my early teens, I was very sure about wanting to do this,” he says. “My father was a mechanical engineer and, growing up, I was interested in cars and planes, so it’s no surprise I ended up working for companies supplying the aerospace and automotive industries.”

On graduating, he joined Dow Chemical in Hamburg where he learned about manufacturing and production processes plus the basics of management. The subsequent step was a switch to Henkel, another large chemical company, in Dusseldorf, but the firm’s plans to build a plant in Cork soon brought him back to Ireland. This led to greater involvement in production management and personnel issues - and to completing a part-time EMBA at University College Cork.

Wanting to go beyond operational roles and into general management, McAllister saw the qualification as a way to clearly differentiate himself. At that point, his prime career objective was to gain broader experience on the sales and commercial side of the business. And, in the next few years, he was able to achieve just that with stints in Switzerland, Italy, the United States and China, including a spell with Arch Chemicals and, in 2007, the invitation to join Lord came.

The latter opened the door to work on strategic alliances, business management for Europe, and devising solutions for key customers. And that, in turn, paved the way for his most recent postings, first in Shanghai, then in Hong Kong.

“It’s been great. I’ve had a lot of different functions and roles, with 18 moves in 26 years. It was never planned that way; it just happened. But the regular moves satisfied a personal need to keep learning and developing, and I’m blessed with a wife who is as adventurous and curious as me. We never said no to an opportunity, we’ve met a lot of great people, and we are now comfortable being out of our comfort zone.”

Looking ahead, with a relatively small Asia team of around 550, he sees good portfolio management as the key to sustained revenue growth and profitability. In that context, it is important to be selective and “fail fast” by moving on quickly if something is obviously not working.

For McAllister, it is also essential to promote organisational change, even in the face of occasional doubt or resistance. And, there is an increasing part to play in making colleagues around the world aware of the seismic shifts arising from the mainland’s economic power and burgeoning expectations.

“In China, they definitely do move faster these days,” he says. “For example, a lot of the newer Chinese automotive companies want something ‘tomorrow’, so you need to think like your local customers and competition if you want to be successful. One of my roles is to help educate headquarters about that. Nowadays, the west can learn a lot in terms of ways of doing business and, in particular, that the toolbox you have is never complete when operating in China.”

Away from work, McAllister puts family first, with holiday trips usually built around visits to the three of his four children, now studying or working in Europe and the United States. He is also a devotee of biographies, especially of individuals who shaped history, seeing them as a source of ideas and inspiration.

“Recently, I’ve been reading about Confucius, Lao Tzu and Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China,” he says. “I’m fascinated by people who have achieved things, and I’m enjoying learning about leaders in Asia. This is also a way to increase self-awareness and find new perspectives by realising that people are the context and, in general, everyone wants to do their best.”

 

WAYS OF THE WORLD

 

Gareth McAllister’s business advice

Relish the job  “Be interested in and passionate about what you’re doing. The aim should be to jump out of bed every day with a real sense of excitement and enthusiasm about your work.”

Be bold  “Play to your strengths and make sure you understand what they are. Also, take risks and opportunities; I’ve seen the benefits of doing that.”

Hold to your principles  “Remain true to your values and don’t work for an organisation or a boss whose values are not basically aligned with yours.”

Step up  “Never forget the importance of working on yourself. Change comes from within, so it is important to keep looking for ways to progress and improve on a consistent basis.”

Be inquisitive  “In general, I think the millennial generation need to work on their social skills, which are often not well developed. They should put their phones away, be curious, ask more questions, and be ready to listen to and learn from people with different kinds of experience.”

 


This article appeared in the Classified Post print edition as Mover and shaker.