Here you can read the full text of Alan Snelling's Keynote Speech
at the 2024 OBA Annual Reunion Dinner
Mind your language- the passport to success and to fly 2 million miles around the world.
Alan Snelling – probably the most widely travelled Old Bordenian businessman.
Having recently retired, it is now the best time to look back over a high flying, international career which has its roots firmly in my days at BGS. So let me take you back to the early 1960’s at BGS, then onto the CV , followed by a review of it all. So, fasten your seatbelts and let’s go...
In the beginning
Born on Sheppey in 1948 and went to local small primary school just 50 yards from home, and was one of 6 boys passing the 11+ (4 from same street) going to BGS.
First day at BGS – what a big school, and a large Headmaster. It was all a bit of a shock from those easy primary school days; There were some very clever boys and keeping up with them was difficult. Some of the older boys even had beards and some even had cars – my dad didn’t even have a car. I was the only one to ever go to a Grammar school from my family, even from my family tree. (Subsequently followed by two nephews and my son). My father was proud and was willing to help with my homework until he found out it was French and Latin.
They were challenging years and subjects. Competition motivates me and I was fascinated by Sciences ( no marks for fascination) but I found I could quite easily get to grips with French and Spanish, something which those clever ‘Science’ boys were unable to get to grips with.
But what career options are there for languages – and with my other good subject, Geography? Teaching or an interpreter did not seem too interesting but I was becoming more aware of business opportunities and I found a course in Business Studies with Languages which gave a good coverage of the core Commercial subjects, and the Marketing lecture on Export was the spark I was waiting for.
The CV
I started my first job in 1970 at Johnsons of Hendon (photographic chemicals) @ £850 pa. No travel but I learned about the essential admin ‘mechanics’ of Exporting.
Then after 1 year joined Lesney Products (Matchbox Toys). It was the Languages which were a major decision in getting this job, covering North and East Africa. After a couple of months, I was given my first trip…… to the Canary Islands! But I had never flown before; never been to Heathrow. I spent the whole flight reading an English-Spanish dictionary from cover to cover. Met the distributor on arrival and the Spanish clicked in straightaway.
There followed 3 happy years playing with toys before leaving to join the export division of Ever Ready batteries, again covered Canaries again plus all French West Africa. During this time I had a trip involving the use of only Spanish and French languages, without reverting to English.
Then, after just one year, my batteries needed recharging and I was lured away by more money and responsibility, I joined Parker Pen Co. This was a big move – and it did improve my handwriting! I was now responsible for all of Africa & Middle East with 2 young regional managers. Difficult to think now that during this time I was visiting Iran/Iraq/Libya/Yemen/ Sudan/Niger/Algeria/Lebanon. Dangerous times mid-70’s and I was given a ‘secret’ phone number for use if I ever got kidnapped. During an office party, we decided to call the number and, worryingly, it did not answer!. Later found out the number was changed 6 months previously but I was never advised. In 1982 the Company moved its HQ to Switzerland and I went with my family but it only lasted 1 year and we were brought back to UK. The Company disintegrated and after 8 happy years, it was time to leave.
There now came an even bigger move. I was basically ‘poached’ away by James Burrough, producers of Beefeater Gin. Now being responsible for all of Africa, Middle East, Indian sub-continent, Far East, and Australasia – with 3 Regional Managers, I quickly delegated everything except the Far East. I became fascinated with Japan, my biggest market, and even did a ‘crash’ course in Japanese. I was a bit too tall for Japan and regularly banging my head on doorframes and sleeping with both feet out of the bottom of the bed. The job also gave me the ‘Beefeater’ link to the Tower of London and I was very grateful to them for allowing me to celebrate my 60th birthday there.
Then came big changes – James Burrough, a family Company was sold and a different corporate mentality took over and then my wife gave birth to TWINS in 1987- a truly lifestyle changing event. So, definitely time to reflect and readjust.
So, after 9 years at Beefeater, I set up my own Company, using my previous experience in Import/Export trading/consulting in wines, beers, and spirits. No, not with a white van! So it became 31 years working from home with much less travel and I eventually retired from all that in 2022.
Review
The ‘intense’ travel years were 1971 – 1991. All achieved without mobile phones or laptops. Each job was very competitive - targets had to be met and profits had to be made. There were often extreme health and life risks and I had to have regular jabs for just about everything plus taking 2 malaria pills a day for 20 years. I was hospitalised once after eating oysters – in Mozambique!. There is one part of your body you must always look after when travelling – yes, your stomach! Thanks to 7 years of BGS school dinners, I was quite prepared for most things but there was an unusual experience in Japan when our distributor (Suntory Ltd) took me to a top restaurant in Tokyo where I was presented with the famous Japanese raw fish – Fugu. To serve Fugu in a restaurant, the Chef has to have at least two years training. It is a very poisonous fish and great skill is required in its preparation. The poison is called tetrodotoxin and is said to be 1,000 times stronger than potassium cyanide. One fugu contains enough poison to kill 30 adults. So, what would you do? I ate it. Apparently, it takes a long 30 minutes (1,800 seconds) for any adverse reaction and fortunately all was well, but it was the raw chips that I did not like.
It was 20 years of First and Business class travel, top hotels, unlimited expenses – travelling 3-4 months per year. Plus, entertaining visitors to UK and other business meetings, it was a busy 20 years!
I was actually leading a ‘double life’, and I often had to ‘tone it down’ to friends and even family; for example, I did one quick trip – Monday evening flight to Seoul, arrive Tuesday night. Lunch/meetings/dinner on Wednesday then fly to Tokyo arrive lunchtime Thursday – same routine – meetings/dinner, then fly to Hong Kong on Friday morning, arrive mid-afternoon – meetings/ dinner then midnight flight back to London – arrive 8am Saturday morning. Then someone asks me ‘what did you do last week, Alan?’ I just tell them I had a business conference in Frankfurt. And not forgetting the time when I spent a week in Cannes which included a private evening and dinner for a few hundred people with a performance by Elton John (the following year it was Tina Turner). They would not believe the truth.
Family life is very important – first met my now wife in 1971 and dating was difficult because of so much travelling. We married a few years later and it is our 50th wedding anniversary next year, although my wife considers it is only 30 years because of all the travelling. My wife is very much a ‘manager’ and actually bought our house while I was on a long trip. A stark fact is that such travel meant by the time my daughter was 12 years old, I had missed at least 3 years of her life. I missed birthdays/school plays/homework/ sports day/etc. And I even missed my father’s last moments.
So in conclusion: those 20 years of regular travel 1971 – 1991 comes to a total of over 2 million miles. See (below) all 8 passports used during those 20 years:-
1). my first passport (note I am wearing a school tie).
2). All 8 passports covering those 20 years. 4 of which are 92 pages instead of the normal 30 pages. (The Home Office gave special permission for regular travellers to have 2 current passports.)
3). A sample of various visas from the passports. Every stamp has a story.
So thank you BGS, those languages made it all possible. It pays to stick to what you are good at.
So I certainly did ‘Mind my Language’. Muchas gracias and Merci beaucoup.
You can read the 2024 Annual Reunion Dinner Report by clicking here