Toby Anderson had to make a life-changing decision to move from his home in the United Kingdom to start a new life and career with Central Watson in Bangkok.

"When my boss in the UK knew I had a job offer here, he told me to go because it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. He said I could have my old job back when I returned," says the native Briton.

He worked 11 years in retail in Britain for its second-largest supermarket chain, reaching management level.

On the negative side, he was given warnings about moving to a totally new and different environment and to bear in mind he would often be confronted with the unexpected.

That note of caution was not wasted on Anderson. His responsibility at Central Watson is to oversee its many departments and 143 stores in Thailand.

He is the company's general manager and took up the post in April last year - a time when Thailand was in the throes of a political meltdown.

This did not discourage him. "Every place has its good and its bad things for businesses. Markets have to find ways to cope," the 34-year-old executive says.

Moreover, he is optimistic retail in Thailand has a promising future. "Thailand is growing. Its population is growing. People are growing. Tourism is growing and manufacturing is growing. So the country still has a lot of business opportunity. We just have to be more creative in times of crisis," he says.

Creativity, drive and efficiency are the keys, he adds.

Anderson comes from a no-nonsense, direct-speaking culture. But the local emphasis on avoiding confrontation is not a problem - just something that needs to be adapted to.

"In this culture, relationships are more important than in the UK. It requires me to be more patient and it has made me more calm. British people are direct. Thais prefer others to speak more politely," he notes.

However, when all is boiled down, the Brits and the Thais are not that dissimilar, he adds. The British sense of good manners and fair play - something its people are often teased about in a good-natured way - is not that far from the Thai mind-set.

At present, Anderson is building relationships that can get the job done and make the business grow.

"As a general manager, I have to oversee work in many departments. But I cannot do everything on my own. I need specialists to work with me. My job is to tell them what I expect, guide them in possible ways to achieve goals, put the right incentives in place and give them feedback," he explains.

Being a personal-care store, Watsons reminds its staff that customers deserve polite, quick service.

If one staff member fails the corporate ethos, then the whole company fails.

On the other hand, if they succeed, both Anderson and the whole company succeed.

Here, Thai care and humility are positive things and impress Anderson.

With so many matters to manage, Anderson's workweek is often seven days. He has to travel the country to visit all Watsons stores, too.

However, Anderson has not lost sight of his personal life.

"I believe in 'healthy work, healthy mind'. You only have one life, so you should enjoy your life," he said.

Sport and travel are his favourite activities. On holiday he travels widely, often by boat. He and his wife have visited many of Thailand's myriad islands.

However, the hot weather has curtailed Anderson's love of outdoor sport.

In the UK, he played golf in the morning or at noon and rode a bicycle to work. These things are not practical here. He continues exercising indoors and has joined his wife's yoga classes.

Nevertheless, Bangkok is a wonderful city, he said.

"You have great places for dining and playing golf. Also, it's easy to get to other places," he says. "What is wonderful in Thailand is that you celebrate everything. It seems like you have reasons for having celebrations every week."

Anderson has been in Thailand more than a year now but has no time frame for returning home.

Bangkok is a place to explore, he said. There are still things he wants to learn and love.

Included in those are spicy food and hot weather.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation