Who got that job?

Were you one of the 130 people who applied for this job and wondered who got it?

Job title: General manager sales, James Hardie Building Products.

Brett Boag, 39, says he always knew he wanted to play the business game.

At the age of 13 he was investing in the stockmarket, and says he had "some good ones ... and some bad ones", before bursting into laughter at several disasters best left unexplained.

"At a young age I decided I wanted to be a marketing manager," he says.

"That seemed to be where the excitement was."

This is his first general manager's role.

He started as a sales rep with Polycell Products and moved through several other Hardie-related companies that have since been sold off.

But he is not a weekend do-it-yourselfer, saying his building talent lies with products.

Boag - he and National Party president Michelle are cousins - was Placemakers' merchandising manager when his new job became available. James Hardie was a client.

He fought off 130 other hopefuls, says recruiter Ruth Clavis.

Boag says that James Hardie had been on his list of desirable employers, although it is a much leaner and more focused beast than it was in the mid-80s.

Another attraction was "around leadership, being able to lead a significant team" - 34 people all up.

"It was about contributing on a management team."

Auckland born and bred and proud of it, Boag has a diploma in business from the University of Auckland.