Pipe dream comes true

If you'd asked Colin Leach a couple of years ago whether he'd be leading a global corporation headquartered in Brussels - employing 16,000 people across 45 countries and turning over 2.5 billion ($6.2 billion) - he'd have said it wasn't on the cards.

But now the Kiwi high-flyer from Morrinsville has been picked to do just that after being appointed chief operating officer of Aliaxis Group. And he's taking up the mantle at a time when businesses are squaring up to the deepening global recession.

The privately owned pipe-fitting systems company maintains a conservative balance sheet, but in this new economic landscape Leach says: "all the previous business norms are out the window".

Fortunately, Aliaxis is well-positioned in its market spread, but Leach admits it is challenging extracting synergies in product management across different geographies.

Like many Kiwis, he's no multi-linguist, so going to live in Brussels to run an international business shoulder-to-shoulder with Europeans is challenging in itself.

Leach previously worked at plumbing product company Marley New Zealand, a formerly publicly listed British-owned company that was bought by Aliaxis. Leach headed Marley's Australasian operations and his role developed to include the Asian and African businesses.

Leach's artist wife Wendy is completely on board with the opportunity to immerse herself in the European art world, and their children have flown the nest, so the time is right.

They have sold their St Heliers house and bought a "lock-up-and-leave" in Parnell - an expansive, top-floor apartment in the historic Heards building overlooking the Domain.

Rather than planning his stellar career step-by-step, Leach says he took opportunities as they arose. "You have to make your own luck - some choices turn out well and some don't.

"I'm a great believer in what will be, will be - it's entirely up to me."

After studying chemistry and economics at university Leach launched into marketing research with AHI and his CV contains a list of household-name New Zealand firms.

He switched to product management and business development roles at Fletcher Timber, which became Fletcher Wood Panels, before joining Ceramco, where he built his personnel management experience.

He also ran the personal banking division of Broadlands Finance in the heady mid-80s, having inherited his finance interest from his banker father.

Being a successful business leader takes passion but also an even temperament, Leach says. "You can't have bad-hair days."

In the early 90s, he attended a course called Leader's Edge, which he says taught him to be accountable and to "treat everything in life as an event", dealing with things in the best way you can at the time but not reliving them.

"If you spend your life beating yourself up, you're not going to be much use to the people around you."

You also have to enjoy what you're doing, says Leach, particularly when pressure is involved.

"We're in extremely tough times and you have to keep your sense of humour and the company culture positive."