Lex Henry
Entrepreneur, consultant
Background
and Motivation
In 1978 Lex Henry and his wife left New Zealand because he could not see his
future in the country, due to conflicting political views. He travelled as a
representative of the New Zealand Bank and spent many years in Hong Kong, Singapore,
England and New York. He then returned to New Zealand with family interests
in mind. After a mid life crisis he took up a position with the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, which he believes has been the most rewarding period of his
career. He later took a position at Bell Gully before progressing to Minter
Ellison Rudd Watts, where he is currently based as well as doing other business
activities. Lex Henry attributes his success to developing, as a young person,
his aptitude for listening to others. Money has been his focus throughout yet
he understands the value of treating associates with respect.
Asian
involvement
His affinity with Asia has put him in good stead to understand relations between
APEC economies. Lex believes New Zealand and Asia are highly compatible due
to emphasis on hard work and that New Zealand stands to learn from Asia’s
value of education and drive to succeed.
Attitude towards
APEC
Lex takes a very positive stance on APEC. APEC is the “only place where
the biggest and most difficult economies such as Japan, China and the US sit
down with small economies such as New Zealand and they are all equals.”
Not enough New Zealand business people take advantage of this opportunity, in
contrast to other nations. He believes that it is a place just to chat and break
down boundaries.
Student
Outlook
We thought it was incredibly liberating how Lex was able to talk frankly about
his opinions and experiences. During his interview he had the tenacity to walk
his talk actively, demonstrating to us how he puts his own advice into practise.
Throughout the interview his sheer passion captivated and inspired us all.
Quotes
“Be yourself” - his mentor’s consistent advice
“Don’t ever oversell” - in a retail context
“Business is brutal. You’re only as good as your last deal.”
“Take every opportunity, go with your instincts.”
“Be as opportunistic as you want to be.”
Contributed by: Samantha Kattan, Paul Hadwin, Jessica Elizondo González, Kelly Baxter, Zac Leith, Sarah Tang