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20 Questions
DAVID MOSS
Who are you
David Moss Service Sales Manager,
Moventas Gears Oy
What brought you into the
industry/your position
A combination of need and interest
brought me to Moventas. As an ex-pat
Sales Manager with a background in
engineering products and companies
Moventas was one of a small number of
companies in the Jyväskylä (in Finland)
area that represented opportunity to use
my talents. After a year of knocking on
their door they finally let me in.
Family status
I have a Finnish ex-wife and two children
of dual nationality.
Who is your hero and why
Nelson Mandela. Anyone who can spend
so long in prison under such an abhorrent
regime, and then when in a position
where he could have exacted bloody
retribution, the man did quite the opposite.
He created what he called the rainbow
nation. In a rainbow there is no black or
white. A defining moment for me is when
he wore the No 7 shirt of Francois Pienaar,
the South African Rugby Captain, the day
they won the Rugby World Cup. For many
years South African Rugby represented
so much that was bad in that country.
This single gesture did so much to change
attitudes in South Africa and around the
world. It still brings a lump to my throat.
What annoys you the most
Poor quality and a lack of attention to
detail. Both usually derive from a don’t
care attitude.
What was your worst holiday
and why
The last ever family holiday I had as a
kid. For the first two days I had food
poisoning and lived in the not so luxurious
toilet block of a mid-1970s camp site.
My parents, older brother and two older
sisters, confined to our tent on a campsite
near Ilfracombe in Devon. It poured with
rain every day, the campsite flooded and
cars could not get because the steep
entrance to the site was just an unmade
road that became a mud slick.
What is the best advice you have
ever been given...
• “Measure twice, cut once”
• “Aviation and alcohol don’t mix.” The
latter of which you will understand
later.
• “Never ask someone to do what you
aren’t prepared to do yourself”
• “Finish what you start”
• “If you don’t know, ask”
• “Don’t give what you can’t take”
What is your favourite smell
A scent of freshly cut grass on a cricket
field. As a cricketer at Long Ashton near
Bristol we all had to play our part in the
ground and pavilion up-keep. Cutting
the outfield took about 3 hours on a sit
on motor mower and this was usually
done the evening or the morning before
the match. The smell invokes memories
of the best of British summers, sport,
competition and friendship.
What do you do in your spare
time
Now living in Finland, activities are heavily
dictated by the environment and the natural
surroundings. In the winter I downhill and
cross country ski with my kids and with
my girlfriend. In the summer as we have so
many lakes I kayak with the kids, wind surf
and enjoy long distance cycling. I also write
song lyrics for my sister-in-law who is a
professional musician.
What sport do you participate
in/watch the most
Rugby is my favourite sport. In the UK
I played for many years and in Finland I
coached the Jyväskylä men’s team for
two seasons and the Jyväskylä ladies’
team for one season. Rugby is a sport that
breaks bones but makes friends for life. I
can attest to both. It is also an attitude. To
play well you have to commit and there
are few sports where you put your body
on the line in defence of your team. If you
carry over this attitude from the rugby
pitch into your business life, you won’t go
far wrong.
What is the most bizarre
situation you have found
yourself in
In 1989 I flew home from the USA on an
almost empty Pan Am 747. This was about
three weeks after the Lockerbie disaster.
A very drunk American woman on the
same flight decided that I was a rock star
and that she had all my albums! My only
defence was to try and tell her I was not
a rock star but although impressed, was
just a Cathodic Protection Salesman.
She wouldn’t accept this as the truth
and proceeded to remove as many of
her clothes as she could to show her
appreciation of my music! A very stern
hostess and a steward arrived to drag her
away.
The funniest thing was the flight steward
who assisted the hostess to pull the lady
off me when asked by said lady,
“what do you think of my breasts
Not bad for a girl of my age”
“I can’t say I noticed madam”
the steward replied
“Faggot!”
she spat at him.
“That’s right madam”
said he.
aviation and Alcohol don’t mix!
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