People

I want people to think of Lego not as some quirky Danish construction toy outfit but as one of the leading blue chip companies. Ultimately, I want Lego to be perceived in the same way a Proctor and Gamble or a Unilever is. That is to say, the company is as well regarded for our business acumen and practice as we our for our range of products.

When I go to a dinner party or a function and I tell people what I do, the first thing they do is complain about how their kids leave Lego lying around all over the house. It’s tricky and the truth is I have no answer. It’s a parental rite of passage to feel the sudden pain of a piece of Lego under your bare feet. The trick is not swearing in front of the kids when it happens.

Dishonesty is unacceptable in business. Obviously, there will be times when you need to present things in an optimistic fashion, but blatant dishonesty is just plain wrong.

What we do each year is bring out new sets in different guises. It could be a Star Wars set or, as with next year, a Toy Story set. It’s about reincarnating the sets but retaining that unique ability for children to take the models apart and build something completely different.

Lego is timeless. That’s why the hairstyles never change on our Lego men. I don’t foresee a time when we’ll give them a makeover.

It’s preferable to work with people that you like but if that’s your sole criteria for doing business you won’t get very far.

There’s a small bit of me that’s still a child. That’s vital in my business because it helps you to maintain your enthusiasm for what you’re doing. I think I’d struggle in the City or working as an accountant.

Meccano? Who?

My office is surrounded by Lego models. I was a Lego fanatic as a boy and got my first Lego Space set when I was six.

Most people don’t think of Lego as a system of play. All of the bricks can be combined to create whatever a child wants or imagines. The possibilities are endless.

I never slam my fist on the table in meetings. I tend to show my displeasure with something by going rather quiet, staring at people and giving them ample opportunity to talk themselves to death.

Innovation is key. It’s at the heart of everything we do at Lego.

People think I’m duty bound or contractually obliged to say Lego was my favourite toy as a boy but it wasn’t. It was my Evel Knievel wind-up motorbike with the ramp. That went everywhere with me.

We do much more than just knock out a few plastic bricks.

The picture on the front of the Lego box may appeal to the kids but, inevitably, they’ll just smash it to pieces and build a spaceship.

Lego UK managing director Marko Ilincic, 37, started work for the toy company straight from university in 1995 as an assistant brand manager. Since then he has worked all over the world for Lego in various roles and became MD of the UK operation in 2005.