I would only have read about him before he became the chairman of the 2003 Games Organising Committee. When I met him it instantly struck me that he was a true entrepreneur.

He seemed to have unshakable belief in himself and what he could do. But I think the nice thing about him was that he was able to transfer that sense of self-esteem and worth to people like myself who were involved in key positions in the games. Of course that was invaluable because of the sheer scale of what we had to do over the following four years. He had con"dence in spades when the rest of us didn't have it and it was very reassuring.

What other qualities does he have as a mentor?

He's not a formal person. I often say, "Bureaucracy strangulates, informality liberates, " and he has an informal style that's not layered with bureaucracy. If you need to say something he much prefers that you just ring up. I was very impressed at how accessible he made himself. He's a busy man but he told me that I could call him any time of the day or night. And he was willing to get involved at any level we wanted him to. There was no sense of 'I'm the chairman of the board!' If we needed him to come to a sponsorship meeting, he'd come. If we needed him to come and motivate our staff, he'd come. I can't think of one thing we asked him for or needed him for that he couldn't or wouldn't do.

Do you remember any particular events?

When Sars happened and there was a danger that lots of the athletes wouldn't be able to travel, I remember him rolling up his sleeves just the same as everyone else. It was . . . "What do you want me to do? What do you need me to do?" And he always knew that line between the executive position and the non-executive position. He seemed to have the knack of intervening at the right time but never taking over.

So in summary?

He's a real leader and I still look to him for support and for advice.

He's a hard-nosed businessman and yet he has the most incredible sensitivity towards the causes he gives his time to. He has gone on to do so many things since I met him in 1999 but he's never lost that other side of his life. I admire that a great deal.