Nomadic

If anyone knows how to save time when travelling, it's Judy Yu. The owner of Carsac, a major distribution company based in Hong Kong, she spends many days a year flying from Milan to Paris, New York to Shanghai, sourcing luxury goods and designer homeware products for various high-end brands.

The result is that she is on the go most of the time, a life she manages very well thanks to a nomadic streak alongside a love for fashion and accessories.

Yu says such enthusiasm for her work is the reason she manages to make the leap from the position of general manager of Carsac in 1982 to taking on the company herself during the Asian financial crisis in 1997.

In 2002, she was named as one of the 'Most Successful Women' by Jessica Magazine and last year, the consul general of France in Hong Kong and Macau, awarded her the Ordre National du Merite Knighthood, aimed at recognising Yu's dedication to France, including co-operating with the cultural department of the French consulate as part of Le French May Arts Festival.

'I have been back in Hong Kong for three days,' Yu says.

'Then next, I am on to Milan for shoes and handbags and to meet potential brands. If something catches my eye, I stand to attention.'

It's not all work and no play for Yu, however. She credits much of her success to being able to switch off when her working day is done, so she can make time for friends and attend business dinners, where anything but business is discussed.

'Once I walk out of the office, I take a deep breath and let it all out,' she says. 'And I like to move around. If I'm really doing what I love, then it doesn't feel like I'm working. You're not counting the minutes.'

It's fortunate she enjoys being on the move, as one of the brands Carsac distributes here is LeSportsac, a handbag and travel accessories brand and one which she has a long relationship with, primarily because she came up with the idea for one of their best-sellers - the Packing Pouch.

'If I need to dress up, I can find my accessories easily [in a mesh hold on the outside of some pouches]. Otherwise, things can get messy.'

When not travelling the globe, Yu always finds time for friends, most of whom she has known since her school days at St Paul's Secondary School in Hong Kong.

'I treasure my friends,' she says. 'Every two or three weeks when I am back, we have dinner together to catch up.'