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Entrepreneurial brothers forging names for themselves - Stefan, Phil and Sean Preston
Friday, 15 December 2017
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Entrepreneurial brothers Stefan '76, Phil '78 and Sean Preston '82 may have all started at Auckland Grammar School, but their lives and careers have taken them in very different directions around the globe, with all three forging names for themselves within their respective business sectors. Phil and Sean are both based in Vietnam with their respective roles; Phil as the Sales and Marketing Manager for craft beer company Rooster Beers in Ho Chi Minh City, and Sean as the Country Manager (Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) for Visa. "Initially I wanted to travel for the adventure and to see the world," Sean told us. "However, the opportunities became bigger than what I could have dreamed of in New Zealand. I have the privilege to contribute to the financial development of different countries, develop significant businesses and meet with a broad range of people from many different cultures from the poorest of the poor to Prime Ministers, Presidents and billionaires." Stefan's focus is on innovation in a business context as a company director, entrepreneur, investor and consultant and is currently based in Auckland as the owner of Ingenio, the business consulting firm behind such brands as Rose & Thorne and Meaningful Technology. "It is a luxury not having a 'formal' job - I get to do what I am passionate about and build teams of great people." The brothers followed in the footsteps of their father Gary, an Old Boy from the class of 1955. "Dad is only 21 years old than me," said Stefan. "So many master teachers he had were still at Grammar when I started!" Phil also stated that, while his father being an Old Boy didn't necessarily impact on his motivation to attend the School, he did see it as a proud tradition to follow where his father had gone before him. Coming from a very tight-knit family, Stefan, Phil and Sean were devastated when, while on holiday in Vietnam in 2012 a tragic accident saw their mother, Julie, fall down a marble staircase and pass away from her injuries. Holding Phil's youngest son Carter, who was just four days old at the time, Julie's giving nature and her love for her grandchildren proved to be her final, selfless act. "The accident had a big impact on our lives," Sean told us. "But from it, we established the Julie Ferne Memorial Trust, which provides much-needed equipment to the Ho Chi Minh Children's Hospital." The trust so far has donated numerous pieces of equipment, including a brand new ventilator, which are in dangerously short supply. "We were at the Children's Hospital and saw a father manually pumping a hand ventilator over three days to keep his baby alive." The success of the Julie Ferne Memorial Trust has meant Sean, Stefan and Phil, in conjunction with the VinaCapital Foundation, have been able to donate 10 pieces of life-saving equipment to the children's hospital to help reduce the neonatal mortality rate in Vietnam, as part of the Survive To Thrive programme. The processes in place mean that doctors are trained to act fast to save a baby's life, as well as teaching programmes to train others on neonatal procedures. The brothers all appreciated their education at Grammar, with Sean speaking of the way the School pushed them to achieve greatness. "Studying at Grammar set my ambitions higher through the high academic standards - I was a pretty average 'C' stream student - but I was surrounded by students who were so motivated and ambitious. "As I get older, I appreciate more the contribution Grammar made to my life, the history, the tradition and the network. It is fantastic that Grammar has been progressive in keeping the quality of the education high." Stefan added that the idea of excellence in an institution and building the habit of always striving for the very best had a major impact on his life. His name can be found into the Honours Board in the Great Hall, he received his Bachelor of Engineering with Honours from the University of Auckland before being awarded an Arjay Miller Scholarship to study his Masters in Business Administration at the Stanford Business School. Phil also spoke highly of Grammar: "For me, Grammar was a great vehicle in respect to its reputation. In my career forming days, the mere mention of attending Grammar opened doors." |