In an average week Vincent Chaillou, managing director (Asia-Pacific) of Computervision, may be asked to change the way of the world in various ways: to make it possible to design a new car within 18 months instead of seven years; a jet engine in three instead of 10; to put a nuclear plant on a single database. It's a fantastic challenge, he says, taking time off from jetting around the region.
Monday OFTEN the previous day finishes very late. For me, another day starts at 6 am, when I go for a jog. It is still dark, but nature is beautiful at that time of day - particularly at this time of year.
I shave while watching CNN news. News can affect customers' moods. Breakfast with my wife and five kids is the only consistent time of day we get together during the busy week. It usually features a lively argument over the hot issues in the newspaper, and it goes too quickly.
I am through the Aberdeen Tunnel before it jams up, and in the office by 8 am. Sometimes I get calls from the US in the car, but this morning Jack Shields, the president of Computervision, reaches me in the office, wanting Asian business information. It is still 7 pm on Sunday in the US. This time difference wins us an extra day of business - a great advantage at the end of each financial quarter! If I am not catching a morning flight to Taiwan, Korea or Singapore, this is the time for a meeting. Today my meeting is with our development centre to discuss projects in Asia with specialised localisation needs.
Then comes the regular review meeting with the subsidiaries. This is where Hongkong's advanced telecommunications are so wonderful. We pull all the general managers in on conference calls, sharing the concerns and the challenges of the region as a whole.
Lunch is usually in the office - a quiet time; a meeting with myself. Not today. It is with Francois D'Orcyval, editor of a French magazine, who wants to discuss our Asian activities.
After lunch, I am off to the Polytechnic to check on the running of the $33 million of software we donated to the CAD/CAM centre.