A hug contacts book and great patience have helped Mike Plummer become a world-wide business Mr Fixit. RAY BRADLEY went to meet him

Mike Plummer was at the cheese counter in Tesco when his mobile phone rang.

The caller was an old friend in Singapore who urgently required expert advice on implementing a broadcast system for Disney's Fast East television operations.

An hour later on the M25 there was another call . . . from Saudi Arabia. "Mike, can you get hold of an experienced construction site foreman for a job in Riyadh?", pleaded the caller. "It's a six month contract. Tax free!"

Two unusual requests but all in a day's work for the 50-year-old Billericay computer and company consultant who sorts out other people's problems with a minimum of fuss.

Have there been more bizarre requests for the man known as Mr Fixit?

Mike gave a charming smile as he confessed: "Yes, there have been a few, some too silly to mention -- usually from places like East Africa or Nigeria.

"Once I was asked to provide a teaching golf professional for a club in Nairobi, Kenya. Not exactly in my sphere of work and I politely suggested they contact the Professional Golfers' Association.

"They eventually got their man, but I'm afraid there was no cheque in the post. Just good for contacts."

Mike's wealth of contacts around the world have been built up over the years after working as an IT consultant around the globe.

He has a proven track record of success and excels at organisation and team motivation in a number of trouble-shooting roles in different industries and environments.

"A paramount virtue is patience," he explained affably. "People ring because they know and trust you to sort out a problem."

The statement begs the question: From whom did he acquire his entrepreneurial skills?

"My mother's family were born in Egypt and visiting the family was a good schooling in the art of negotiating deals. Making deals is an inherent part of the Egyptian culture. Connecting the right people, making the right decisions is the ultimate art."

Mike works as an independent consultant, often on short-term contracts and is a very experienced negotiator. He is a hands-on team leader with a flexible attitude to achieving results.

"Once, in a remote area of Zambia, the brand new computer ordered by my client broke down. Without manuals, we systematically stripped it down, cleaned the circuits and re-assembled it all in a humid 90 degree temperature.

"Thankfully, it is not a normal problem, but you have to be prepared to answer all emergencies."

In the last ten years he has concentrated on the emerging digital broadcasting services.

Mike worked during the '90s for both Sky Television and Walt Disney International TV. He has filled a variety of roles because adaptability and versatility are the name of the game.

"I have run my own company for 20 years and supply services all over the world," he added. "The traditional world markets are wide open for new technology services and English expertise is still coveted."

Mike is currently developing interactive early learning centres in shopping malls in Taiwan and this could open the door into mainland China -- the prize market.

"Basically, what we are teaching is English as a second language outside the school curriculum," he explained.

"The potential is enormous now that trading has expanded between East and West. The world is ruled by computer technology and you have to be on the ball or you are out of the game. Everything is judged on getting results."

Mike is also devoting his energies to a major development project which will provide emergency housing for distressed regions as a result of wars and natural disasters.

"The Aid agencies, including The World Health Organisation, have indicated an interest in the concept," said Mike. "The challenge is to find a business partner to take it from the drawing board stage and into production.

"The cost of setting up an emergency housing prototype is not high in investment terms and I'm hoping that a British investor will take up the challenge and prevent the project going overseas.

"It is a simple concept and a wonderful opportunity for an entrepreneur to come forward and invest in a totally British idea. Too often we have to go abroad and lose the rewards of enterprise."

A confirmed family man, Mike works from his home in Billericay but still enjoys his forays abroad.

Wife Michelle and daughter Claudia are very understanding over enforced absences but wish they could join him on some of the more exotic locations around the globe.

"I took the family to Disneyland Paris recently," he said. "It was one of the few times they were able to join me at work. But they would have preferred a trip to Disney World in Florida followed by a week at Indian Rocks on the Tampa coast."

Now that could give Mike a real problem!

Friendly consultant -- Mike is often torn away from his family in Billericay to sort out problems on the other side of the world

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.