Revman2
I'm in!!!
JetA_OK
I have run several businesses (I still run two), and I have had a few business dealings with Mr Pero. I ave also been involved in airline management at a senior level (not in NZ).
In the case of Inglis, his first two attempts (Mot Air and Air Nelson) were dismal failures. Once Air NZ had taken Air Nelson from him, it was virtually impossible to fail, as he only had to manage a feeder that had (at the time) virtually no competition. He had Air NZ's money and backing, what more did he need? Even a mediocre manager could have done that job.
When he started Origin, he had a lot of money behind him, but instead of using it to get the airline profitable, he wasted it building unnecessary buildings and buying/leasing the wrong aircraft. It was a downward spiral from there, his only skill was in convincing creditors and investors to part with their dosh. In a business sense, Origin was never run properly. One example would be fuel hedging - the way Euro airlines buy their fuel to avoid price spikes - I doubt that Inglis even knows what it is. Origin don't seem to have ever done it.
In the case of Pero, he was lucky enough to tap into a market just as it was taking off. He was clever in the way he exploited it, but if you examine his recent business decisions, they are very poor. A successful businessman is one who can take any company, regardless of the industry it is in, and make it profitable. Starting one successful business doesn't prove much at all, many people with marginal skills have done it - you just have to be at the right place at the right time.
In my own businesses, I often have to deal with companies run by their founder, that have been successful despite their principal being a shocking businessman. It often is luck rather than good management - that saying exists for a reason!