‘Either way,’ Geoff said, with a toss of his hand.
‘This light is just incredible,’ Marco said. ‘Too good to waste!’
By the time they sat down for the interview, it was seven thirty. Geoff opened an app on his phone, hit record and put it on the table by the flowers.
‘Let me move these out of the way! We can barely see past them!’ Issy said, relocating the vase to the desk. ‘Hugh spoils me!’
‘I heard about you and John Thorburn’s boy. Going well?’
‘Boy? Geoff, he’s forty-eight.’
‘Is he?’ Geoff scratched his head as though he was doing the maths. ‘He must be a fair bit older than you then?’
‘Eighteen years,’ she said with a shrug. ‘I’m used to that, being so much younger than my brothers.’
Geoff nodded, thoughtful. ‘What’s it like growing up as the youngest—and the only girl—in a family like yours?’
‘Honestly, it’s wonderful,’ she said, pleased to have the chance to share her first key message. ‘I feel so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had in my life and continue to have. The thing about money is that it’s an enabler. It means we can make a difference.’
‘What sort of difference do you want to make?’
‘Great question.’ She squinted slightly, as though contemplating it, keeping her tone casual as she recalled her next point. ‘Our vision for the next phase of the Ashworth Group is to invest in the vibrant fabric of our cities and communities by creating innovative, sustainable spaces where people can connect and thrive. I know I speak for Spencer and Felix when I say we want to build on the extraordinary achievements of our father to leave a lasting legacy for the Australian people. In fact, we believe we have aresponsibilityto do that.’
A smile played on Geoff’s lips. He was probably surprised to hear her talking like this. She was still in high school last time he saw her! He was used to thinking of her as the baby sister, not as a competent—let’s be honest: impressive—executive. What was it with Boomers? They seemed incapable of recalibrating their perceptions of the younger generation. Her father was the same.
‘And how do you and your brothers plan to manage the company into the future? Sibling relationships can be tricky when it comes to succession planning.’
‘So we hear, Geoff—’ she leaned forward in her chair, ‘—but we have strong relationships built on mutual respect. We each bring something different to the table and we have enormous admiration for each other’s strengths. Spencer’s very committed to the property business, Felix prefers to manage investments, and my skillset is well suited to Operations. We make a great team. Having said that, Dad has no plans to step back at this sta—’
There was a ding from the lift then footsteps in the foyer.
Crap. Issy looked out the door to see Spencer approaching, immaculately dressed in an Armani suit as always, his red silk tie Windsor-knotted to perfection. His black leather shoes were shinier than his bald patch, which was visible because he was looking down at his phone.
‘Spencer!’ Geoff said. ‘My good man.’
Spencer’s head snapped up. ‘Geoff!’ They shook hands, Geoff adding a back slap for good measure. Spencer glanced over at Marco’s equipment, frowning slightly as his eyes flicked to the camera bag, then to Issy’s belongings strewn across his desk. ‘Issy,’ he said, meeting her eyes, a question rather than a greeting.
‘Geoff and I are just finishing,’ she said, standing.
‘Finishing what?’ Spencer held her gaze for slightly longer than usual.
‘An interview,’ Geoff said. ‘For the weekend’s magazine supplement.’
‘Excellent, excellent,’ Spencer said.
Issy nodded and cleared her throat. ‘Don’t let us hold you up, Geoff.’ She gestured towards the door.
‘We should play a round of golf soon,’ Spencer said. ‘You, me, Dad, Hugh.’
‘That’d be great, mate.’ They shook hands again.
Issy led the way to the lift. Once Geoff and Marco were gone, she went back to Spencer’s office.
‘What was that about?’ he said.
She rolled her eyes. ‘He’s been hassling me for an interview. I’ve put him off for months, but I figured I had to say yes eventually. Keep him onside.’ She gathered her belongings from his desk. ‘Let me get these out of your way. I hope you don’t mind me using your office.’
There was a long pause. ‘We have a media strategy and a PR firm to manage it. We don’t go organising interviews outside of that.’
