'I get up every morning between 5.30am and 6am. It is definitely the most beautiful time of the day and the perfect time to indulge in one of my passions: running. I run with weights on my elbows and ankles, something I started doing a number of years ago when I was based in Johannesburg. I also spend time working out in the gym.
I live in a converted barn. It is 150 years old and is situated about 400 metres from the sea, where I also enjoy sailing in the summer. I really enjoy living in the countryside and all that goes with it. Cycling cross-country is another of my hobbies.
I also ride a BMW 1200 GS Enduro motorcycle, which can go practically anywhere, on- or off-road, so that provides lots of excitement and is a great way to explore the countryside. As if that - and my work - weren't enough to keep me occupied, I am also a golfer. Golf is another enjoyable way of exercising while being able to appreciate the peace and tranquility that golf courses provide.
When I'm at home in Britain, I have breakfast every morning with my two children [son and daughter] and put my son on the bus to school before leaving for the office at about 7.30am. My daughter is now old enough to drive, so she takes care of herself.
After I graduated as an engineer, I had the option of going to work on the oil rigs in the Middle East, as did many of my friends. However, my love of cars won the day and I chose to work in the automobile industry, initially as a graduate trainee with Rover.
I made a conscious decision early in my professional life that I wanted to be able to provide my family with a solid and permanent home, and that I did not want to be based overseas. I also wanted to avoid the rigours of shift life as experienced by my friends working in the oil industry, where people spend two or three months at work, followed by two or three months off. That's not a great way to live, either for an individual or their family. Looking back, I definitely made the right decision.
As chairman of Rolls-Royce, I travel about 100 days a year, so time spent 'grounded' at home with my family is very important to me. The novelty of sleeping in a different bed in a different hotel in a different city every night wears off very quickly. It's a bit of a cliche, but there really is no place like home.
