July 05, 2011
For most people taking tennis player Maria Sharapova or Russian football star Andrei Arshavin for a dinner is nothing but a dream.
But for Richard Wallace reaching out to the stars is an everyday event – his company delivers hospitality services and organises high-profile events with Russian and international sport stars.
But the key to this glamorous world was an unlikely one – a hard-edged language teacher from Glasgow.
Beaten into Russia
Wallace has spent seven years working in or with Russia, starting his Russian career as the head of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce.
And Alan Crombie, the ‘hard man’ from Glasgow was the one who sparked his interest in the country making Wallace and his rowdy friends from a rugby team really work in the class.
“We were scared of it. Every other class we were lazy but he made us wake up and study,” Wallace said.
“He really beat into us everything that was Russia,” he continued. The language, the grammar, the literature, the history, the culture and Wallace’s very first trip to the country were all driven home by one inspirational mentor.
No-one else of the school’s staff was as successful as the tough Glaswegian, Wallace said, and his further choice was to continue with Russian at university.
“So no regrets, that I did Russian and not German [another foreign language offered by his school],” he laughed.
In the front row
Currently Wallace, together with former All-Blacks rugby captain Sean Fitzpatrick, runs Front Row Hospitality.
And his experience in Russia has become one of the main assets for the business as the company has a special focus on Russian clients.
“Because I’ve been here, I understand Russia, we’ve got that trust with our clients, and that’s why they are our clients,” Wallace told the Moscow News.
And given Fitzpatrick’s contacts in the sporting world, the list of the sport legends they brought to various events for their clients is rather impressive.
Formula One Champion Mika Hakkinen, tennis legend Boris Becker and even Pele, widely regarded as the greatest ever footballer, join a galaxy of Russian stars among the firm’s contacts.
Last minute Russia
Any top sportsman will tell you that the game is never over until the final whistle – and that also applies to business in Russia.
Last-minute requests are one of the traits – and probably the main stress factor – of working with Russian clients, according to Wallace.
On the other hand, “if Russians want something, they really want it,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s very last minute but if they really want something, it will happen, they will do everything it takes,” he continued. “Sometimes in the West we procrastinate, people get lazy sometimes, but Russians, when they need something they do it very fast.”
This is a welcome challenge, along with the on-going determination to provide a high-quality service.
“I like that, I think it’s important, because you shouldn’t do something if you don’t want it to be 100 per cent accurate,” Wallace said.
Cracking the code
The mysteries of the Russian soul might seem off-putting to outsiders – and there are cultural niceties which can disconcert the most confident operator.
But Wallace believes there is nothing to stop anyone from making progress in this land of opportunity – Russian or not.
“If you’re smart, and if you’re organised and structured and work hard, then you can,” he said. “There are so many examples of successful expats and foreigners who have build companies here, big companies, and been very successful at doing it,” Wallace added.
The thing is not to forget that you’re a ‘guest’ here and be keen on working together with local partners, he believes.
And being patient and being aware of “the rules of the game in Russia” together with the current political situation are among other things one should mind working in Russia.
“And also – be strong as in be strong in what you believe you want to do,” he concluded.
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