News

Michael Gansser-Potts

Age:35

Education: Engineering degree, Cambridge University

Job Title: European Business Director of Amtico

Salary: Undisclosed.

Work Rate: 50 - hour week

Relaxation: I' ve got a young family so I wouldn't say I relax, but I spend time with them, and play as much sport as I can.

Vehicles owned: A4

MICHAEL GANSSER-POTTS joined Amtico, the vynil flooring manufacturer, following completion of his MBA. He was a member of the team that led the management buy-out from Courtauds in 1995. He says his MBA helped him to understand the buy out process, and hold his own against the banking and finance executives.

Gansser Pots sees multi-skilling as a key to a successful career in the industry. In the past being an accountant was seen as the ideal root to management, but engineers, with additional skills, can make much better managers he says.

If you understand the product, the industry and the technology, but also understand the finance, commercial aspects and sales, then you are in a stringer position than those who have only got either a manufacturing or a finance background.

He adds. A lot of people in industry are fantastic engineers, but they are either not good sales people or they don't understand finance.

A Number of Gansser-Pots friends went straight from their engineering degrees in to the city and all earned three times the salary he was able to command in the manufacturing industry.

However as they reached their mid thirties, some have realized they have gone as far as they can, while Gansser-Pots says his possibilities remain potentially limitless as ever.

There are some very attractive salaries at young ages in IT, banking and consultancy, where as engineering is really a long term career. You may not get a top salary early on, but you could compensate for that with very interesting jobs, and you certainly do compensate for it with long term potential, he says.