By: DAISY SAMPSON
daisy.sampson@the-resident.com
IN HIS first interview since assuming the role of Consul in Portimão, Paul Rodwell exclusively told The Resident why he feels he is the best man for the job.
“I regard the consulate as being a service based industry,” he said. “It is key for us to go and meet with the community and get a feel for the needs of the British people in the Algarve. Because of the large British community in the Algarve we have a lot of scope for the work we can undertake at the consulate.”
As a new resident in Portugal himself Paul Rodwell feels he is qualified to understand the frustrations and needs of those moving to the country from the UK.
“I am experiencing what everyone who moves to the Algarve experiences.I am getting my Residência, finding out about importing a vehicle and dealing with other aspects of bureaucracy, I can identify with a new British resident.”
Although he comes from a background in hotel management, he feels that his work in the tourism field has equipped him well to deal with the demands of being British consul.
“While I was working a in a hotel in the Atacama desert I had to deal with many serious issues and collaborated heavily with local entities. I dealt with cases of rape and also with a case of people being lost in the desert for three days.
Great services
“I have worked in places with very little official infrastructure, luckily we have hospitals, a police force and a great infrastructure in the Algarve to work with.”
He believes that the invaluable experience of the members of staff at the consulate will also help him in his new role.
“Between them the staff here have more than 40 years of consular experience. They are extremely experienced. Questionnaires filled out by visitors to the consul reveal that 90 per cent of visitors rate the consular service as either very good or excellent. I have inherited a very good team of caring and hard working staff.”
As for the future of the consulate and their services, Paul Rodwell says it is too soon to say what changes he hopes to make.
“It is very early days for me here. I am observing the consulate at the moment before I try to implement any changes.”
Paul Rodwell and his wife Noemí are settling into a new way of life in the Algarve with their two rescue dogs: “Portugal is a beautiful country. It is mind blowing how beautiful the coastline of the Algarve is.”I always say it is nice to be in a nice part of the world and the Algarve is a nice part of the world.”
Committed
He is also hoping to learn Portuguese now that he is living here: “I love languages and already speak French, Spanish and a bit of Arabic.”
While he found his work in the hotel industry very rewarding, he is looking forward to his new role: “In the consulate we are really helping people and big rewards come from working to make peoples lives easier.
“I have travelled a lot in my career so far; Morocco, Spain, France, Chile, but now I want to stop.I am not intending to leave this job and I am committed to my role as consul.”
For information about the services provided by the consul please visit www.ukinportugal.fco.gov.uk
