Lisa has a grand passion for the sea and for boating.  Since the age of 7, she has believed that is where her future lay. Lisa has a hankering for a sailing trip of 10 days or more but remains ever practical.  Should she have a lottery win, it would be a hard choice, but she would buy a powerboat over a sailing vessel, as she knows that she would require a much greater level of skill than she currently possesses to go sailing off into the sunset. Indeed, Lisa has an enthusiasm for lifelong learning and wishes to keep improving her skills and understanding of the yachting industry. She is still astounded by the breadth of the industry, and the diversity of tasks she undertakes daily in her role as marina manager.

Lisa confirmed my suspicion that the industry is still highly male dominated, but has never really let that faze her.  She believes that her success in the industry has come from being her authentic self, working hard and speaking respectfully but on an equal footing with all people, regardless of their wealth or status. Taking over the management of Racer Marina saw Lisa applying this philosophy, along with leadership by example.  The marina staff she inherited was not initially fully comfortable with working for a female boss, particularly one who was not Thai nor a fluent Thai speaker.  So, Lisa had to take a distinctly hands-on approach to her leadership position. To this day, Lisa is reluctant to direct staff to undertake jobs she is not competent doing herself, so she is often found helping to lift a vessel out of the water or undertaking any of the other myriad of jobs needing to be done at the marina.  This was quite a successful strategy for earning the respect of her staff while developing a trusting and co-operative work environment.

Although she is shy, Lisa is still clearly a social person.  A secondary passion for her is undoubtedly food.  She enjoys going out to eat with friends, particularly if French or Spanish food is to be on the table, but equally likes to cook meals and host her friends. She has completed a Thai cooking course and loves to cook with local, fresh market ingredients, finding that her cooking now has a greater focus on vegetables and fruits than in the past.  As an additional benefit, she is able to cook delicious Thai food for herself, with much less added sugar than she would be able to buy in local eateries. But a woman can never completely escape her heritage, and Lisa’s ideal last meal would still be traditionally French, a veal Cordon Bleu, accompanied by a glass or two of a full-bodied red wine.  Sounds pretty good to me.

As opposed to retired expats such as myself, workers in Thailand don’t get a lot of leisure time.  Lisa spends hers with her two-and-a-half-year-old calico cat, a constant companion.  She makes time to read each day, dipping into literature in both English and French alternately, often on the recommendation of friends.  Lisa reads books from a variety of genres, but particularly enjoys a book which hooks her in immediately.

A relatively short-term goal is to become fluent in Thai, something Lisa works on every single day. She hopes within the next year to be able to communicate effectively with her staff in Thai.  As for longer term goals she isn’t so sure. Lisa has a history of spontaneity, and is likely to seize a perceived opportunity without too much soul-searching.  Her younger self would not believe how readily she relocated her life to Thailand when the possibility arose. So, where she will be and what she will be doing 5 years from now remains a mystery, even to Lisa.  But what is certain is that in 5 years’ time, Racer Marina will be a thriving enterprise, pulsing with customers and visitors. Lisa was proud to host the Energy Observer earlier this year on its voyage of renewable energy research and world travel, glad of the exposure for its ground-breaking journey as well as media exposure for the marina. She is brimming with ideas and has a self-confessed stubborn streak that accompanies her serenely calm exterior. Just don’t shout at Lisa, whatever you do.  She gets quite annoyed at people who disrespect others in that way. A smile and a measured voice are much more likely to get you what you need when dealing with the lovely Lisa.