Legal & General's Ian Viney used his Australian army experience to give more punch to the insurer's business Andrew Holt reports.
Ian Viney was one of 20 young soldiers from the same town who left for Vietnam in 1970. Only 12 returned.
That experience, it seems, shaped his whole outlook. Today, Viney has a laid-back approach to the pressures of running Legal & General's (L&G) general insurance division.
"Vietnam left impressions on how I perceive life, which I have carried with me," he says. "There are two rules in life: rule one, don't care about little things; rule two, everything is a little thing."
He describes his war years as "pretty horrible," but has nevertheless survived to face new challenges today.
Most timely is that L&G is fighting fit in the broker market and has moved on from the loss of the Barclays' £147m household account.
He describes this loss as "just business" saying it came down to L&G's lack of punch in motor. He says it didn't impact on the bottom line. But of course he would say that.
L&G deals with 2,500 high street brokers and has a specialist broker operation in Ipswich. "It is the most significant part of our business and has been growing very strongly for the past three to four years.
"We do big business with a lot of big brokers. We cover big affinity brokers and work with them, and mortgage lenders who do business through brokers."
He boasts: "We out-punch our weight significantly."
He also goes on the front foot, showing that household and travel will continue to grow in excess of 15%.
"We are looking to maintain the growth that we have had for the past three to four years, which is our target, out-growing the market.
"We are looking at 15% year-on-year growth. But we have even been outperforming that. "We have been growing at 16%-17% a year.
"The challenge is that I would like to shift it up a notch."
Broker channel
Viney says that "in the broker channel, which has seen significant growth from a small base, household has grown well in excess of 20% a year over the past four years."
Late last year L&G recruited Chris Rolland as director of healthcare as part of a big healthcare push.
"Healthcare is a rapidly growing area of our business," claims Viney.
"We have a strong relationship with Secure Health, one of the biggest distribution networks for individual PMI which is where we have been focused."
Viney has his hands tied. He is restricted to applying Legal & General's group strategy to the general insurance arena. This is evident from his answer to why 80% of the £430m personal lines book is in household and motor does not figure.
"We operate in a very defined market in motor and don't have the appetite to move beyond that. This is driven by the group strategy, which is driven by a protection perspective and that is a natural fit with household and not with motor. We are volatility risk averse, if you like."
Door to door
After surviving Vietnam, the army paid for Viney's performance degree and he played in an army band and has been a trombone player ever since.
But after a few years trying to make it as a musician he realised the money was not good enough and started selling life insurance door-to-door.
"That is how I got into insurance," he says.
His present role brought him to Britain on New Year's Day 2003. He arrived from Egypt, where he was running Legal & General's joint venture, Commercial International Life Insurance.
This was the latest of many moves, as he has spent his life travelling.
"When my 12 year-old daughter was introduced to new children in Birmingham on the first day of school, she was asked where was she was born: she said Indonesia. But she is an Australian with the broadest American accent you ever heard. And she has lived in seven countries."
But how would others in business describe Viney himself? He replies: "Decisive, a bit black and white, very direct - that's an Australian characteristic."
Viney's brash approach also hides a more politically motivated mind.
"I have a passion for politics. Not to get involved, just to follow," he says.
Australian roots
Former Australian Prime Minisater Bob Hawke was Viney's idol when he was in power. "He was straight-speaking, had great sporting prowess, was a strong character and had a good, clear decision-making capability."
But while Viney likes to flaunt his strong Australian roots, he suggests that the British deal with Australians in an almost stereotypical manner.
"There is a view among the British that Australians are mavericks, which has more to do with our verbal expression than our financial behaviour.
"So while I may sound a maverick, I am actually super conservative, both personally and professionally. Within the business I am someone who involves other people. I delegate. I let people get on and do the business."
Which brings on another interesting straight-talking Viney insight. "If you get 51% of your decisions right, you are doing OK. It is better than spending all your time deciding whether it was a right decision."
Guts and determination
Viney's all-time idol is the Second World War hero Douglas Bader, a heroic RAF pilot who took part in some of the major air operations, such as the Battle of Britain. Even though he lost both legs, he insisted on flying.
"I read a biography of him, Reach for the Sky, when I was a little kid and it left a great impression on me," says Viney. He admired most of all "his guts and determination".
And does England have the guts to regain the Ashes this summer? "I'll take money on it. I have no doubt that Australia will retain the Ashes."
Viney is a Tasmanian. But out of a population of only half a million, he has made his mark on the world.
And he maintains his open view of life: "Don't burn your bridges, work your arse off, look after your family and que sera, sera."
IAN VINEY - THE TIME OF HIS LIFE
1966: Viney leaves school and moves to Melbourne, taking up a number of different jobs: he works on a building site and "pumping gas" before deciding he wants to make a career in music 1970: But as Australia increases its number of troops in Vietnam to 8,500, Viney is called up for National Service and serves in Vietnam and stationed in Vung Tau with 20 of his mates from the same town. Twelve returned home. After surviving his six months service he returns home to complete his performance degree, paid for by the army.
1973: He joins an army band and becomes a trombone player. He then pursues a musical career playing in bands and orchestras for the next few years, but decides the money is not good enough.
1979: Viney becomes a door-to-door salesman selling life insurance. This career decision proves to be the making of the man and takes him with much success around the globe to Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia and Egypt.
2003: After working his way up the insurance ladder and heading up L&G's international life insurance operation in Egypt, Viney was headhunted to lead Legal & General's general insurance operation in the UK. He lives in Birmingham.