Terry tells it like it is: Grand Final!
Big congratulations to Tom, who clearly demonstrated that he
really wanted this job, and that he sees it as a great
opportunity.
I was little concerned about Tom at first, given that he has a wife
and five children who would have to relocate to Wellington if I
gave him the job - and that's a big call.
I certainly didn't want to offer him this job without knowing that
he was 100 per cent committed to it. But he demonstrated that to me
completely.
He's been the most steady and talented contestant right the way
through this process. He's performed extremely well both as a
leader and as part of a team.
He's shown me such a wide range of skills and is a very versatile,
very competent person who I know I can trust to get the job
done.
Tom's strengths that will benefit my company are his ability to
look at the big-picture issues, but also not lose sight of the
finer details.
In my line of work, attention to detail is crucial, and Tom has a
great ability to see what is at risk, and he's also got a really
good macro and micro knowledge of management.
So I think those are Tom's biggest strengths, but he's a great
all-rounder.
Tom will be taking a very senior role in my company. Obviously,
I'm working on a lot of developments, property-wise, but I have
other aspects of my business that he will be across too - the
football club, commercial property and residential property - and I
want Tom to be that right-hand man that I've been missing since the
death of my brother.
I want him to help drive Century City to a whole new level, and I
know he will be the perfect person to do that.
Participating on The Apprentice has been a real eye-opener for
me. The thing that impressed me the most is the high calibre of
young business people that are out there.
Anyone that says New Zealand is suffering from a brain drain needs
to think again, because it's clear from the people who have
participated on this show, that there is some incredible young
talent and skill out there, and people are really prepared to make
big sacrifices in order to further themselves - not just for their
own benefit but for their families too.
It really did stagger me just how good these people were. I really
enjoyed seeing that level of talent, and participating on The
Apprentice was a fantastic experience.
