Midweek interview with Bob Nicholas, Vice President Global Sales, Rocky Mountaineer

Midweek interview with Bob Nicholas, Vice President Global Sales, Rocky Mountaineer
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The challenge for the industry is…Continuing to deliver growth by exceeding guests’ experiences. Consumers are constantly raising their expectations and our challenge is to keep raising the bar.

The things I like about my job…Meeting people from around the globe, growing our awesome global partnerships and working for a company who defined its mission as being the creators of life changing experiences.

And the frustrations are…Getting people around the globe to embrace Rocky Mountaineer as more than a “niche” company – we are making progress!

If I didn’t work in travel I would be… A rock star.  I can’t sing or play an instrument, but it looks like it could be fun.

Virgin or Qantas?  Both!

My proudest moment was… Marrying my wife, 26 years ago.

The naughtiest thing I ever did was… Classified.

I try to relax by… playing sports, reading, watching movies and having the occasional glass of red wine…. from the Barossa Valley of course.

The last time I feared for my life was… A situation I won’t ever forget. I was on a corporate jet flying over the Rockies, we lost an engine and had to make an emergency landing.  It was something out of a Bond movie.  We were lucky.

If I can, I always try to avoid… lines, especially at airports.

I really wish I had… more hours in the day and the energy of my 25 year old self.

The best advice I’ve ever received was… I have received some great advice in my life both from my parents and mentors. Do your best is something I live by.  Also, you can be anything you want, but there is a cost to that. 

I don’t understand why people… are rude. It’s unnecessary and doesn’t help in any situation.

My greatest weakness is… I like starting, better that finishing.  My team would heartily agree with that.

And my greatest strength is… I believe in people.  I am most proud of the people who have grown and developed with me and moved on to be extraordinarily successful.  

If I was prime minister I would… give everyone a free trip to Canada on the Rocky Mountaineer!

If I won $1 million on the lottery I would… do whatever I could to set my kids up for success.  And I might buy even better wine…from the Barossa Valley.

If I could be someone else for one day I would be a… world leader. A glimpse into the enormity and complexity of the decisions made by the head of a G-8 country would be very interesting.

I’ve always wanted to travel to… I’ve been very fortunate. I’d like to go to Greece and experience the islands.

My favourite holiday was… with my wife in California. We had a great road trip and we stayed in a tent in Yosemite, a cottage in Lake Tahoe and then a very high end hotel in San Francisco. It was an adventure.

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