The A-List: 2008

Born

1st January 1961

Job

Chief executive, Leo Burnett and Group

Company

Arc

Work Telephone

Undisclosed.

Address

Warwick Building, Kensington Village, Avonmore Road,, London, W14 8HQ

Fantasy business partner

Ross Perot, after reading Ken Follet's On Wings of Eagles.

How do you off-set your carbon footprint?

Never drink wine from a plastic cup! On a serious note, we recycle and are very water-wise.

Greatest influence

Rugby Union. It taught me that a team is always better than an individual.

Clubs

Manly Golf Club, Terrey Hills Golf Club, Sunningdale Golf Club, Chobham Rugby Club.

Favourite gadget

Corkscrew.

Desert island objects

Deck chair, an umbrella and an esky. Figuratively, the three most important things in my life are my family, good health and laughter.

Most-admired politician

John Howard. Makes decisions and sticks to them.

Favourite media

The Sunday Times, Golf Digest, The Footy Show, Triple M, bbc.co.uk/sport.

Biggest risk taken

Moving my family back to the UK, having lived in Australia for the past 20 years.

Perfect day

Wake up feeling great, despite a night out with good friends, play 18 holes with my brother-in-law in the morning, watch England beat someone at Twickenham and then home for a family roast and the rest is censored.

Who should play you in the film of your life?

Bob Hoskins.

Career highlights

Selling my company to Leo Burnett.

Fictional hero

Tintin.

Hidden talent

PlayStation Singstar.

Best job outside advertising

Barman at the Hare and Hounds, when my mate's parents were the publicans.

Lowdown

Since taking over from Mike Spicer as the managing director at Arc, Edwards has rolled up his sleeves on the UK side and brought in a bunch of new faces. His tenacity and skill have paid off with his promotion to head up the Group following the departure of Bruce Haines

Most expensive purchase

A Great Dane. Initially, not much, but as we were in a "no pets" rental at the time, we had to buy the house!

Why are you good at what you do?

I'm not afraid to make decisions.