Meg Carter

checks out the possibilities
A career in retailing is no longer the last resort for today’s graduates Nor is it necessarily a vocation. A move into retailing is becoming a considered choice, weighed up against career options as diverse as marketing, banking and management consultancy, according to research published this week by Tesco.Nine out of 10 graduates from the supermarket chain’s latest intake chose retailing over other sectors of business typically associated with graduate high-flyers. The reason? “Growing opportunities and speedy career progression,” says Wendy Cook, Tesco’s head of corporate resourcing.The rapid expansion of leading retailers has broadened the range of jobs on offer to graduates, including increased opportunities to work abroad, Ms Cook says. Well, why else would you pay at least a fiver for half a litre or so?
As with most fads, it’s by no means new, however new it may seem to the trendsetters Historically, its use goes as far back as 1500BC. Those who believe it will turn them into overnight beauty queens are sad fashion victims, but what it can offer are some wide-ranging benefits, such as high calcium content, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties and overall assistance in strengthening the immune system and internal conditioning. Alexander the Great’s armies used Aloe internally to heal wounds and illness and it is attributed along with asses’ milk as being one of Cleopatra’s beauty secrets. Popping a few anti-oxidants every morning is not the only way to ensure your future well-being You clearly haven’t been paying attention.

Why take a pill when you can benefit from the effects of a raw material free from synthetic drugs? Royal jelly and ginseng have all had their 15 minutes of fame and now it’s the turn of Aloe Vera. You could, of course, be forgiven for thinking that Aloe Vera is just a body lotion or a shampoo ingredient. Those at the helm of food supplement fadism are now extolling the virtues of Aloe Vera juice or “mother nature’s tonic”. “Do I look more beautiful today? I’ve been drinking Aloe Vera juice,” was overheard recently in a trendy West London agent’s office. In fact I think it reflects the younger business generation.To succeed in any career, I would say that the most important qualities are perseverance and determination. I didn’t have a master plan, and like a lot of people my career has been haphazard. I have never been particularly good at networking, and I believe my career has been mainly based on luck rather than contacts.

It doesn’t matter how well-educated or talented you may be – if you give up and don’t keep trying in the face of despair, you may well not succeed. Certainly, today’s City graduates may face more competition, but the pay has gone up and prospects are as good as they have ever been.Interview by Selina Malhotra. I’m also planning to extend Belgo’s into a chain – the Belgian restaurants synonymous with waiter “monks” and an extensive menu of mussels and beer.I try and balance work with play – I play tennis and squash and I frequently travel for both business and interest In fact I’m planning business ventures in America I also write for myself and for business publications. One of my books, Betting to Win, was based on my and my partner’s gambling experiences.I lead a fairly varied social life. I helped to put on a play in Edinburgh last summer, called Wasp, and although my student DJ days may be over, I still like music.I got involved with the media-type Bohemian Cobden Club in Notting Hill Gate, which is near to where I live.

I helped to raise funds for its refit and I am now chairman – though I still see myself as more of a gatecrasher!I set up the Mandrake Club to provide a once-a-month get-together for people who are in business. It’s not an elite, old-school gentleman’s club – there are women and it doesn’t pertain to formal rules. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have any of the energy and wit his stage plays might lead you to expect, at least not to begin with. Asked for a swift run-down on the chronology of his life so far, he rambles rather despondently for 40 minutes, going into interminable detail about petty aspects of plays he did 20 years ago and skipping without comment over huge tracts of time.