Doing business with Andrew Button of Mobile Mentor

Title: Managing director, New Zealand, Mobile Mentor

Where were you educated? I attended Spotswood College in New Plymouth and then Massey University in Palmerston North.

Where do you live? When we returned from Singapore we settled in Albany and we are loving the North Shore.

What are your interests away from work? Family, food, fine wine and fishing… A perfect day for me would be fishing with the family, cooking what we caught and enjoying a great NZ white with dinner.

What are you reading at the moment? I’m currently reading [[xref: http://www.amazon.com/The-Boss-Andrew-OKeeffe/dp/1929774893| The Boss]] by Andrew O’Keeffe… it’s a novel that anyone who has worked in a large corporation can identify with… told with some excellent dry humour… and a good reminder of the harm office politics can inflict.

What is your favourite movie? Why? I don’t have a single favourite but love the classic Westerns with heroes like John Wayne (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) or Clint Eastwood (The Good the Bad and the Ugly). I remember watching them on Sunday afternoons with my Dad.

What is the most memorable place you’ve been to? Barcelona… Gaudi has left such a mark on the city and he inspires me; from his houses to Park Guell to the magnificent Sagrada Familia. Then there is the food, the wine and the wonderful people. I would love to live there for a few years, maybe when I retire.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Do not live in the past but focus your efforts in doing at least one amazing thing today.

Professionally, who do you admire most? Sari Baldauf who ran Nokia Networks for many years… She defined the culture of the organisation – respect for our customers, each other and ourselves.

How long have you been working in IT? I started in mobile telecommunications almost exactly 20 years ago, leading a team building the BellSouth GSM network in New Zealand. During my first week on the job we celebrated turning on the 100th cell site. Back then it was all about mobile voice and there was no data beyond text messaging.

What’s the best thing about working with IT executives? Their willingness to engage and understand the needs of their customers and the business. The energy and creativity in the industry is amazing.

What is the worst? Fortunately have not met any CIOs that do not fit into the camp above… given what Mobile Mentor is all about that is probably not a surprise.

What is your favourite networking situation? Any event where I can meet with and/or listen to business leaders that are passionate about what they do. Even better when you are able to meet in small groups and have a detailed discussion on the same.

What will you do when you retire? Hopefully this is many years away as I am really enjoying myself but it would be to spend more time with family, fishing and cooking… and to travel the world, there are so many places to revisit and new places to see.

Send feedback to divina_paredes@idg.co.nz

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