News

Who's Who: Fiona Naughton

As global business development manager for coin and cash acceptor manufacturer MEI, Fiona Naughton keeps busy at the office. When she is away from work, she feels no need at all to slow down her activities.

August 22, 2002

Her home base is London, but MEI global business development manager Fiona Naughton tends to be a citizen of the world. From frequent forays into Europe to business excursions to the United States every six weeks, Naughton spends enough time living out of a suitcase to command the best perks that frequent-flyer plans can offer.

So what does someone who spends, by her own estimate, 60 percent to 70 percent of her time on the road do to relax? Of course, she does anything but lie on the couch.

From coaching a suburban London netball team (more about that later) to traveling the world seeking the finest in whitewater rafting adventures, Naughton is always finding ways to satisfy her Adrenaline Jones.

"I do travel in my own time," Naughton admits. "You might think `Why not stay at home?' But I like to get away from home.

"We've got a bank holiday this weekend (Aug. 24-25)," she added. "I'm going to Barcelona to get away from it all -- it's important to do that."

Naughton gets away frequently, but when she is sitting across the table from kiosk executives and planners, her focus is sharp and vision clear, according to Kiosks.org Association executive director Craig Keefner.

"Some people are tacticians and others are strategists. She's a strategist," Keefner said. "You sit down with her for a chess game and she's already worked it out to the 64th move."

The right fit

A native of Luton, England, Naughton was well traveled from a work standpoint by the time she arrived at MEI in November of 1998. In the nine years after receiving her master's degree in economics from St. John's College at Cambridge University, Naughton worked in the office equipment, leisure and gaming, and mobile phone industries.

When she is not traveling on business, MEI's Fiona Naughton can frequently be found seeking the best whitewater rafting adventures she can find.

But when she joined MEI, a subsidiary of international candy manufacturer Mars Inc. which develops and manufactures electronic cash and coin acceptors for the vending, gaming, and kiosk industries, Naughton found the right spot. At MEI, she applies her expertise for marketing and product solutions while traveling extensively to meet clients.

Getting out of the office is an important component of her job, and she would not have it any other way.

"If you went to the same place and saw the same faces, you'd lose the will to live," she said. "But if you get to see a lot of customers, it's good. The real thrill is when you get to have conversations you normally wouldn't have."

The title global business development manager is fairly self-explanatory; Naughton spends most of her time working with clients and potential customers to find opportunities to integrate MEI products into their own. Her ability to communicate MEI's message is what makes her a success in the job, according to Otto Lohse, MEI industry manager, retail systems.

"The big thing with her isn't the amount of travel; the big thing is the quality of the travel," Lohse said. "She really stays in tune with her customers.

"She's been to many customers and trade shows and instinctively has the ability to find out what the customer needs," he added. "From a marketing perspective, she's very customer-focused."

The global community

Naughton has to be focused, because the word "global" is in her job title.

"If it was a region it would be challenging enough, but being global makes it even more interesting," she said.

During one week in mid-August, she spent Monday in communications meetings, Tuesday in project reviews, Wednesday catching up with the company's sales staff, and Thursday flying to Geneva for a retail development review.

"I usually spend more time in the field than that," she said, sounding somewhat apologetic.

While Naughton is on the road a lot, Keefner said she still has time to connect and communicate with people in the kiosk business, allowing her to stay close to the pulse of the industry. Keefner said that is especially critical for a company that focuses on currency-acceptance technology such as MEI, because different regions have different tastes when it comes to currency; some regions preferring cash, others coins.

"She's one of my baseline sounding board people," Keefner said. "She's very busy, but she'll find the time for you."

Fun with friends, fun in the wild

Naughton is also willing to find time for others outside of the workplace. One of her favorite activities is to serve as a coach for the Teddington Swans, a netball team that plays in English county leagues in Surrey and Middlesex.

Netball is a 7-on-7 sport that has some similarities to basketball, but only two players -- the goal shoot and the goal attack -- can actually shoot for goal. According to IFNA, the sport's governing body, England is ranked third in the world in the sport, after Australia and New Zealand (the U.S. is ranked 15th among the 40 member nations).

"I tell people it's basketball with more skills," Naughton said of the sport.

But while she takes a humorous approach to explaining the game, Naughton is dead serious about the pride she has for the club.

"We started from nothing about 10 years ago and now we've got 50 members," she said. "They're a great bunch of girls. Some of them are just mums who want to come down and play."

While netball takes up a good chunk of her free time, Naughton still finds time to soak up the adrenaline rush of whitewater rafting. That activity is the perfect tonic for Naughton, combining her quest for excitement and desire to travel.

"I've been to Peru; I've been to Chile; I've been to New Zealand. I'm going to Nepal in October," she said. "It's nothing to do with work, it's all my own time. I do get bored easily."

Fortunately for the kiosk industry, Naughton has plenty to keep her busy and focused when she returns to the office.

"This is a new business for us," Naughton said of MEI's work in the kiosk industry. "There are a lot of opportunities to try different things."