Do you ever feel lonely at the top?
After two years of massive losses at Go, the business was not improving as we had planned.  We had predicted big losses, but they were colossal.  That we made it through this crisis is a great example of how good ideas come from all sorts of areas – sometimes from the most unexpected areas.  We needed to identify new routes to fly some additional aircraft.  We had a department of brainiacs who sat at computers figuring out which routes would be the most financially attractive to us.  But at the same time my PA had been complaining about the cost of visiting her house in the south of Spain and the inflexibility of the charter airlines’ weekly schedule.  She wanted to know why Go didn’t fly to Alicante? The analytical approach matched up with my PA’s gut feel.  The management team made an emergency decision to take our new aircraft and start flying to Malaga, Alicante and Faro. We called it “Operation Summer Sun”, and within a six-week period we turned the whole company around in a new direction.
It required the co-operation of everyone in the airline because making such a big change in the flying schedule affected every part of the business.  It was a big risk but it was the turning point of the business. We tapped into a new demand for frequent, low-cost flights to the south of Spain and Portugal, and the business dramatically improved. If we had not had the guts to throw away our business plan we would have gone under - without a doubt. Ideas come from all sorts of places; it’s just being open enough to hear them and act upon them at the right time.

When British Airways decided to pull out you risked a seven-figure sum of your own savings for a management buy-out, do you think it’s important to take risks in business?
I put all my savings into buying the company because I was so sure about what we were doing. (But my husband was working, so I knew we’d be able to put groceries on the table and make the mortgage payment). I made that money from the early stages of Go and two colleagues and I reinvested almost all of our earnings, which secured 23.5% of the company for employees. That wasn’t my share; I only had a few percent. But by demonstrating that I was so committed to the business that I risked all my savings, it made financial backers feel very secure that I was committed.  We really wanted to share ownership with everyone in the company; it was fair given how hard they were all working.

How did it feel to win the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year award at that time?
It was amazing to be a finalist and then when I won I was really humbled. It’s a bit embarrassing to be acknowledged for something that took a lot of people to achieve, but it was a wonderful honour. There is a grapevine at the Manoir de Verzy vineyard that has my name on it! It was a huge privilege - really, really wonderful.

What was your response when 3i, the venture capital group that owned the majority stake in the company, decided to sell to easyJet?
I was devastated when they sold Go because it was my baby. I felt there was so much more to do. At that time our turnover was £250 million and I could easily see how we could grow to be a billion. Customers named us the most popular low cost airline and we had a profitable business model.  We thought we were going places.  But it was a really important life lesson for me; if you take someone else’s money, ultimately they control the business. It was more than a business to us, but it was all painted orange.  That’s why I wrote the book, Go: An Airline Adventure.  I needed to tell our story.

Were you surprised when you were asked to chair the London 2012 Olympic bid?
It was a real surprise. On the one hand it was a departure from my experience in the airline world, but on the other it was exactly what I know how to do. It was a start-up, an idea that had no structure, no people, no detailed plan, no marketing and limited support from the public.  I thought I could help and it was time for me to give something back to London. As a foreigner, it was always amazing to me that I’d been welcomed in the UK and enjoyed tremendous business freedom. This was an opportunity to do something where I knew I could help. We hired a wonderful team of people, a combination of experts combining Olympic gurus, business executives, urban planners, athletes, transport experts and community workers.  We put together the bones of the plan to win the games for London. However, I didn’t have connections with international sport and I’m not a politician, so after being in the job for some time, it became apparent to me that a sporting politician was needed to lead the bid for the vote-winning second half of the bid. I was the original architect of the bid team, but when you start something with the intention of winning, if you think you might be an impediment, it’s your duty to step away. A lot of people have asked, ‘Did they force you out?’ They didn’t, nobody did. I spent the second year as vice-chairman running around Britain being a promoter for the brand, and trying to build support in this country.

The Olympic budget has been heavily criticised in the British media, do you think that is fair?
Winning the right to stage the Olympic Games is huge. The budget was established very early on and it has now trebled. Unfortunately, there’s nothing unique about what’s happening in London. Bids start eight to ten years before the actual games. The reason I support London staging the Games is because the East End of London will see economic regeneration that will help the people living and working there. It isn’t just a two-week circus.  But it will take a lot of work to ensure the full potential is realized. I am very proud of my contribution, but I was one of many, many, many people who made it happen. I will be back in 2012 as a volunteer in a t-shirt. I think there’s going to be a requirement for 80,000 volunteers, so lots of people can join me!

You were brought on board at Jury’s Inns to ‘drive the growth and development of the brand across Europe’, what were the first changes you made?
I’ve been in the role at Jury’s for a few months now and the first thing we’ve done is add to the team.  We have big ambitions to grow significantly while managing our existing hotels.  This requires a different mix of people with a variety of skills. Next year we are opening six new hotels in the UK It’s lovely to be involved in a business where you give customers good value for money. Jurys Inns offers city centre accommodation at a reasonable price in an environment where you feel comfortable.  The team here is committed to customer service and I enjoy travelling around the country meeting the teams at the hotels.  As chairman, my role is to make sure the business plan makes sense, the management are geared up for the challenge, then my job is to step back and let them do it.  Oh yes, and it is my job to admire the hard work and great people throughout the company!

Your energy and enthusiasm are well documented; do you always take on projects that you’re excited about?
I’m now at a stage in my career where I can be choosy. Earlier on, I took any progression that I could because to be a good manager, you need to experience a wide variety of roles and departments. But some of the jobs didn’t suit me and I hated them.  If you are at that stage of your career, you need to grit your teeth and get through it as best you can because you will be stronger and better for those tough experiences - once you’ve left!
I’m at a stage in my career where I only get involved in things where I can make a difference or I’ll have fun, I’m lucky.

Have you ever felt like a woman in a man’s world?
No, I’ve always been so busy in getting on with the task at hand; it’s only afterwards that I’ve looked back and said, gosh! I was the only woman there. I would really encourage people to stop thinking about the gender issues and get on with the job; it is about who you are and what you achieve.

How do you relax?
I spend time with my family, friends and horses when I’m not in business. Weekends have always been sacrosanct. I have four horses; my daughter and I both ride so it’s lovely being able to do that together. One of the things I’ve worked on since the Olympic bid is to create a legacy for the equestrian sports in London. We’ve established Hoof, which is an initiative sponsored by the British Equestrian Federation. We are bringing together anybody interested in riding in London through our website www.hoof-in-town.com. We’ve just launched a schools programme to enable kids to take riding lessons and to learn about caring for horses. By offering grants for some of the lessons, we help children whose parents aren’t horsey or don’t have the money for lessons. It is currently available in just a couple of parts of London, but I hope it will expand across the city.  I didn’t
have horsey parents so it was a huge struggle to ride. Riding is a bit of a sickness you can’t shake off; but it is my passion and gives my huge pleasure.  Through Hoof, we want to help anyone interested to have a go.

Do you feel like you’ve achieved a lot?
Most days I feel good that I’ve been given a lot of opportunities, had a lot of luck and worked hard to achieve results. Unfortunately I don’t have a contented personality, so I’m always looking around for an interesting project.  I was pleased when the Jurys Inns role came along because I enjoy working with great people, in a lovely business where we have ambitious plans.