Pall-Ex MD Hilary Devey finds out there's no smoke without fire
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It's worth remembering that tne great ano the good also have truly bad days. Hilary Devey's speech to her members at Pall-Ex's 10th birthday was nicely nostalgic but focused on some of the less glamorous moments in the network's dizzying climb to success.
Devey recalled waiting in her portable office one morning a decade ago for the bank manager to arrive, hoping to impress upon him her need for a £20,000 overdraft Unfortunately the night before she had dropped a lit cigarette into the bin before leaving for home and was summoned back by a security guards with the immortal words: "You'd better come in. Your office is on fire."
"We must have used 20 cans of air freshener trying to air that place out for my meeting." Devey recalled. "He gave me the loan anyway, though.' Perhaps he was high on the fumes, She also recalled the first night run. "Do you have any idea how much fresh air you can cram into a 40-tonner? I finally fell into bed at 7arn only to oe woken at 8am by Huey who wanted to know where his pallet had gone..."