Tom Page, sales and marketing director of Wagg Foods, on skiing, vertigo, Lord of the Rings and Uma Thurman


What was your first-ever job? Sweeping the factory floor for my father in the school holidays for the princely sum of £1/hour.

You've got 25 words to describe your career. I'm not sure working in a family business can be counted as a "career". We've increased our sales by over 5,000% since I started here, though.

How do you describe your job to your mates? Dogfood salesman.

What is the worst job you've ever had? I washed dishes in Switzerland for six months - luckily in a ski resort, so there were upsides.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? Winning new business picking up a new listing or a new customer still excites me.

What is the least rewarding part? Losing established business. I take it personally.

If you didn't work in grocery where would you work? Anything that puts food on the table.

What's your best interview tip? Be true to yourself; say what you believe not what you think the interviewer wants to hear.

Where do you hope to be in five years' time? Selling pet food in Europe and beyond.

If you were allowed one dream perk what would it be? A putting green outside the office.

What is your motto? What goes around comes around.

What do you like to do outside work? Spend time with my family (I have five children). I also ski and play golf.

What was the first music single you bought? Bang Bang by BA Robertson.

What did you want to be when you were a kid? I only wanted to work with my father although I did want to be in the army for a while.

What's your favourite movie? I love The Lord of the Rings and intend to watch them back to back one day.

What was the most embarrassing moment in your life? There were some extremely dodgy clothes/hairstyles in the 80s. Looking at pictures now makes me cringe, although my children find it highly amusing.

Do you have any phobias? Given my love of skiing, vertigo is a bit of a hindrance.

Which celebrity would you pick to join your staff? Uma Thurman, for all the wrong reasons.

What's the weirdest thing you've eaten? We used to sell Wagg dog gravy, a kind of ketchup for dogs. I used to eat it in front of buyers to show its palatability.

What animal best reflects your personality and why? Dog - because they love their Wagg as much as I do.

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