FINAL WORD

BUSINESS PROFILE

NAME: MATTHEW GIRLING
AGE: 50
COMPANY: BONHAMS
CURRENT POSITION: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF EUROPE, UK AND THE MIDDLE EAST
BACKGROUND: MATTHEW GIRLING LEFT SCHOOL AND BEGAN WORK IN AN ANTIQUES SHOP, BECOMING A QUALIFIED GEMMOLOGIST. AFTER TAKING A DEGREE IN ENGLISH IN HIS LATE 20S HE ENTERED THE AUCTION BUSINESS, WORKING FOR CHRISTIE’S BEFORE MOVING TO BONHAMS, WHERE HE HAS BEEN FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS. ESTABLISHED IN 1793, BONHAMS IS THE OLDEST AND LARGEST BRITISH-OWNED AUCTIONEERS OF FINE ART AND ANTIQUES.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO RELAX?
  I love to play tennis. I wouldn’t say I’m fantastic at it, but I’m a member of a club and play regularly. It’s a moment of concentration away from work, just focusing on the yellow bit of fluff and whacking it as hard as you can. That, for me, is a great way to relax.

WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST INDULGENCE?
I’ve got two things: holidays and vintage wine. I’m in the fortunate position that I can buy the vintage wine that’s on sale at auction at Bonhams. My birth year is 1959 and it’s also one of the best vintage wine years. The most expensive wine I ever bought was a 1959 Margaux, which was ridiculously expensive – but boy was it good!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY?
If you can count it as technology – the bicycle is my favourite. It’s the most efficient way of travelling and it’s been around for almost 200 years. I cycle, walk and use my scooter to get about London. But the bicycle has never been surpassed in terms of energy to distance covered, even by all the technology that has been brought to it.

WHERE DO YOU GO FOR INSPIRATION?
Cliff tops give me inspiration. It’s that edge of the world feeling on the headland, with the sea below. It’s really inspiring. Most recently I was in Northern Ireland for my 50th birthday celebrations, and we went to the Antrim cliffs – that’s a great spot.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
My first job was in a small antiques shop in Norwich. I left school and went to work there. One day I picked up the newspaper to look for a motorbike for sale and ended up finding a job, much to my surprise. I didn’t know anything about silver, gems or antique jewellery but I learned and managed to sell a few things.

DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST BOSS?
Absolutely – we’re still in touch now. He’s a great inspiration to me. He was one of those wonderful people who didn’t mind sharing his knowledge and loved telling me about antique jewellery and silver. He set me off on my career – had it been anyone else I might not be where I am now. He’s retired in Norfolk and is very proud of what I have achieved.

WHO DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?
Goodness. I can only think of someone from the present day, and I’d have to say Barack Obama. To have overcome the obstacles he has done, to get where he is, to be such an unbelievable orator – it’s pretty amazing. He’s younger than me and he’s the president of the United States!

WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN?
I’ll always remember what my father said when I announced my plans to go travelling. I’d been in the antiques business for a few years when I decided to leave. I thought he was going to be really disappointed in me, but he wasn’t. He supported my decision, encouraging me to follow my instincts and do what I wanted to do.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
I have one of the best jobs in the world – my work environment is filled with the most amazing things. I leave my office and look around our galleries at the sheer variety of the things we sell. The people who work in the departments are passionate people with a huge knowledge of their subject. And I love taking auction sales. For me that’s the pinnacle of what I do – being up there with the hammer.

WHAT DO YOU FIND DIFFICULT?
I find separating the urgent from the important difficult. Within a job there’s always somebody who has a demand on your time. The crucial thing is distinguishing what is most important for the business. Basically, it’s vital for anybody in my position to focus on the important things and then delegate the urgent things to someone else if they are not as important for the business.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FINEST MOMENT?
Being the auctioneer at the sale of the Hermann jewellery collection in California. It was a long sale that took most of the day, but we made more than $6m. It was a terrific experience.

WHAT HAVEN’T YOU DONE THAT YOU’D LIKE TO DO?
Lots of things! Take three months off with a camper van in New Zealand is what I would like to do most. Or be able to complete a project, such as building a boat and putting it out on the water – now that would be great fun.

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