PURPOSE | LEADERSHIP
“ Now you ' re trying to go to the moon . So you need people who understand how you got here and what makes you effective here , but you also need people who are experienced in space travel ” Dean Forbes Chief Executive Officer , Forterro It is hard to imagine how an in-demand CEO of a business recently acquired by Partners Group for EU1 billion could have been in that situation , and the resilience he had to show to climb out of those depths . The emphasis there being on ‘ had to ’, as Forbes simply had no choice .
The first time he was made homeless was around the age of just 14 , when escaping from what he describes as “ a very bad family situation ”. The second time was arguably even harder . Forbes ’ mum had worked hard , despite disability , to become a homeowner , only for her to lose her job and ultimately the family home .
“ Both times were very difficult for our family ,” says Forbes . “ We went into hostel accommodation and the second time , we came out of it by breaking up the family . I was of age so I left home and had to go and make my own way . That was around the Motorola time so I left home which meant my mother needed a smaller place which we were able to find more easily . Four years later I was actually able to buy her a home .”
“ Looking back on it now , it ’ s just incredibly difficult . The emotional aspect of losing your home is something I can ' t put into words , and especially for us – our home was our refuge from a very , very difficult earlier situation . We didn ' t just emotionally lose the roof over our head – we lost the sanctuary from the thing we were escaping from .” businesschief . com 79