People: Neil Paviour-Smith

When Forsyth Barr managing director Neil Paviour-Smith left university he made himself a promise. Instead of joining his mates on their OE, Paviour-Smith decided to focus on his career so that one day he’d be successful enough to take an annual overseas holiday.

More than 10 years later he’s keeping that promise. This winter the former sharemarket analyst is off to San Diego with his wife and two kids. Last year it was Thailand and Singapore, and next year "who knows it might be Paris."

Paviour-Smith, who took the top job at Forsyth Barr a year ago, became fascinated with the financial services industry at an early age and began playing the share market while still at school. His holiday job was working in the settlements department of funds manager AMP, where he had a ringside seat to watch the fallout from the 1987 share market crash.

"Every organisation back then, from brokers to funds mangers, was suffering from a shambles in their back offices, and AMP was no different," Paviour-Smith says.