DESPITE nearing his half century Carl Grose is still in better physical condition than the majority of men half his age.

Lean, imposing and well-built, it comes as no surprise to hear of his athletic pedigree.

While his days of hurtling down a bobsleigh run at 80 miles an hour are but a distant and fond memory, Carl's love of sport remains undiminished.

It is a fair bet that, had he not chosen business as the focus of all his energies, Carl could have achieved more in the sporting field.

He believes the skills, honed in the gym, on the soccer and rugby fields and on the bobsleigh run; have equipped him well for his corporate career. He says: "Discipline, teamwork, co-ordination, commitment and hard work are all vital skills in bobsleighing - and also in business. Sport has taught me a great deal.

"When there is a four-man team on the ice, the importance of preparation, co-ordination, everyone focusing on the same goal is paramount. It's the same in a company, the left hand has to know what the right hand is doing."

Carl, 47, was selected for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, but chose to concentrate on his business career.

It is clear, when Carl speaks of this, that the "What if?" question is one he has asked himself many times. He says: "I do regret it sometimes, but at the time it was the right thing to do. I was ambitious from a career point of view. I had also just met up with my wife and we were looking at our lives rather than just my life.

"I wanted to get on the industrial career ladder, I was very fortunate to get on the Unilever graduate management scheme, and I would have lost that chance if I had gone to the Olympics, as I would have needed 14 weeks off."

Carl, who did represent Great Britain in the European Bobsleigh Championships in 1983, says missing out on the Olympics and giving up on competitive action was really brought home months later, when he watched his best friend and best man, Buster Watson - a top British sprinter - competing in Los Angeles in 1984.

Clearly committed to the dictum that equates a healthy mind with a healthy body, Carl keeps in good shape by walking and rowing, not on water, but on the tough aerobic machines favoured by the England rugby squad.

Although a Londoner living in Yorkshire, Carl, business services director for ntl business in the north, has a strong affinity to Manchester.

He helped put the city on the map when he arranged what was then a pioneering sponsorship deal in the early 1990s between US cable firm Nynex, and the builders of the Manchester Arena.

Brand

"It was my deal," he says, "We did a lot in terms of getting the brand name well known in the market place. We also sponsored Lancashire Cricket Club for three years, which was fantastic because one year they won the double."

His success as general manager for Nynex's first UK franchises saw Carl promoted to executive director, before Cable & Wireless bought the company in 1997. Three years later, as consolidation in the telecoms sector moved up a gear, C&W was gobbled up by ntl.

In his current role, Carl, a married father-of-two, leads a team of about 170 staff based in Manchester.

A confessed workaholic for whom a 14-hour day is a standard, Carl spends a lot of time on the road. He is responsible for the north west, Yorkshire, Teesside and the East Midlands.

ntl provides voice, data and Internet services to businesses and organisations. A particular strength is in the public service and in what Carl calls "the blue light" services - fire, police, ambulance, lifeboats and coastguard.

After a traumatic rollercoaster ride over the last decade - characterised by acquisition-hungry firms amassing debts running into tens of billions - Carl believes confidence is once again returning to the sector.

ntl was no exception to this madness, the company, listed in New York, had to file for bankruptcy at one stage, as it struggled with a debt mountain of $17bn.

Carl says: "I think we have a positive story, we have been through our restructuring. We are self-sufficient. Last year we were the best performing stock on NASDAQ (the US high-tech market).

"We are focused on growth, but profitable growth. We have examined our costs, products and services and our customers too.

"We don't want to be busy fools and we are a leaner, better shaped business to be able to move forward. Profitable growth is our mantra."

In his spare time Carl enjoys walking in the countryside near his home in Ribblesdale.

"After being at work it's great to get close to nature, the clean air always helps me clear my head," he says.

A politics graduate from Exeter University, Carl strives to keep to date with current affairs. He combined this with travel on a recent visit to Cuba.

"Having read politics at university and studied the Cuban system, it was absolutely fascinating to go there and see the society and the political order."

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