Michael Blair

Michael Blair - Life After Reuters: an entrepreneur in Africa. When Michael Blair, journalist turned business manager, went to Africa in 1996 to build a continent-wide telecommunications company for multinational corporations he intended to sell it after five years. Instead, he stayed for 12 years and sold it last year for $37.5 million.

He attributes the secret of his success to quality. "Quality is what we offered. That's what they paid for," he told members of The Reuter Society at its 70th meeting in London on 5 June. 

Blair joined Reuters as a sub-editor on the North American Desk in London in 1966 and left in 1985 as manager, Northern Region, Latin America and the Caribbean.

"My business life was a lot of fun," he said. "I owe many things to a lot of (Reuters) people."

When his Ghana-based business - GS Telecom - was bought by Gateway Communications of the UK and South Africa in May 2007, revenue for the year was forecast at $48 million and the company employed 250 people providing services in 37 countries.

Blair and his wife Vivien, who was business manager for eight years, are now resident in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. ■