HE IS a guitar-loving company trouble-shooter who has been around the block a few times. We put Peter Buchanan, a leading light in Southampton's business circles, on the spot

WHERE ARE YOU BASED?

Southampton - though we do have two satellite offices in Bournemouth and Chichester which I visit periodically.

WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES?

I am the managing director of Buchanans plc, a business advisory practice. I am responsible for its day-to-day running, in addition to a portfolio of client work.

WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?

I am a chartered accountant and a licensed insolvency practitioner. I have a penchant for advising troubled companies on solutions that do not rely on formal insolvency procedures.

I also advise on some corporate finance-related issues - corporate debt structures in particular - and some clients like to engage me for due diligence assignments because they think I have been around the block a time or two!

WHO ARE THE SIGNIFICANT PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE, BOTH AT HOME AND WORK?

At home: my wife of 14 years, Karen, and our two children, Catherine, 11, and Christopher, seven. Though not a person, our air-headed springer spaniel, Malty, is a significant contributor to the chaos that seems to pervade our domestic life.

My mother, who is in her 80s, lives in the Midlands so I don't see as much of her as I should, although we speak on the phone regularly. Karen's family are all close and so the various in-laws are regular (and actually welcome) visitors to our house at weekends!

At work, I would choose my senior colleagues - Barry Watson, Caroline Williams, Adam Fraser-Harris and Peter Hall are all very key in what happens on a day-to-day basis. Just as important, they are all bright and lively people and seem to blend a boundless enthusiasm with an irreverent sense of humour.

I should also mention Audrey, who has worked with me since I left one of the large accounting firms and began on my own. They say that behind every successful man there is a woman telling him he is wrong. In my case, however, that particular woman is not my wife!

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED?

The desire to build a successful and profitable business advisory practice, two children in private school, a wife who wants to work part-time and an enormous mortgage.

WHO IS YOUR HERO?

I am not sure I have a hero as such, but there are quite a few figures that I admire.

In the world of international politics and diplomacy I would choose Kofi Anan. I don't know that much about him but he generally strikes me as a dignified and cool head in a crisis. I am afraid that there are few business leaders who I would regard as inspiring although I cannot help but admire the achievements of Bill Gates.

On the lighter side of life, I would love to be able to play guitar like any one of John Williams, Eric Clapton, Tommy Emanuel or John Etheridge (all of whom I have seen live at least once) whilst being able to windsurf like Bjorn Dunkerbeck, who I met briefly in Ireland in 2000. He was professional world champion for an incredible 12 years in succession.

DESCRIBE YOUR COMMUTE TO WORK - AND WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO ON THE RADIO.

Assuming I have a day in the office I generally leave from home in the New Forest at about 7.30am. It then takes about 25 minutes to drive the ten miles to the office, during which I generally listen to the Today programme on Radio 4.

At the moment, though, I am preparing to play guitar in a local charity bash in our village hall so I have been listening to CDs of the tracks we will try to emulate - mainly old stuff like the Beatles, the Stones, the Eagles, Status Quo and some good ol' rock'n'roll.

I try to cycle to work at least once a week. Then I try to leave home by 7.15am so as to get to the office by 8am.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR PROFESSIONAL LOW POINT?

In 2003 we embarked on a business development project that did not work out. Apart from costing the firm a lot of money, there were difficult discussions and some relationships were strained.

Although I believe we made the right decision to get out of that particular sector a year later, I very much regret the pain and difficulty it caused for all concerned.

AND HIGH POINT?

I think that professional life is at pretty much of a high point right now - we have assembled a great team of people whose collective efforts are beginning to bear fruit. This is a very exciting time for us.

Prior to that I would have said it was in 1990 when I became a partner in one of the large multi-national accounting firms.

WHAT FLOATS YOUR BOAT IN THE WAY OF TV AND BOOKS?

Whether it is because I am getting long in the tooth but I get increasingly exasperated by TV - cookery, gardening, soaps and fly on the wall documentaries all irritate me.

I do like watching top-flight sport - international football, Olympics, etc; quality dramas, and more humorous content such as Have I Got News for You. In terms of books I am presently reading Matthew Pinsent's, Life in a Race.

Prior to that I read Ranulph Fiennes' account of Robert Scott and I ploughed through Roy Jenkins' biography of Churchill. On the lighter side I like John Le Carre and the ribald wit of Tom Sharpe.