Infinite sense
Contemplating mortality has helped Harry Hui to put things in perspective and kept him driven. 'When you look at things in light of eternity and a time span that's greater than your own life, you can see them more clearly as they are placed in their true size, true weight and true importance,' he says.
The marketing veteran and youth culture expert was the innovative mind behind some of the mainland's biggest music and television hits, including the first music video award show and a talent quest called My Show, which became a sensation among young Chinese people.
Hui developed an understanding of the finite nature of time when he was 25, a year that saw his grandmother pass away, a break-up with his girlfriend and the moving away of his best friend.
'These things made me realise that so much of what we consider as important is trivial. The only things that last are ... memories,' says Hui, who now runs a private equity firm in Shanghai.
'Time is probably the greatest asset in the world. You only have a limited amount of it - you can make the most out of it, squander it, waste it, invest it. It's entirely your choice in many ways.'
Living life to the fullest entails appreciating every opportunity and learning from each experience. A Global Leader of Tomorrow, named by the World Economic Forum, Hui says despite the seemingly disparate nature of his work experiences , the time he spent in the entertainment business - he worked for Warner/Chappell, MTV Asia and Universal Music - and his three-year stint as chief marketing officer of Pepsi China equipped him for his present role as an investor in the media and consumer product sectors.
'I'm applying my operational knowledge to what I do now, evaluating business plans and models that I failed or was successful in [implementing], and working with people I enjoy ,' he says.
While enjoying interacting with others, Hui also finds that being by himself helps to replenish his mind. 'It is only after a period of meaningful solitude then we can engage people and share our thoughts with others in a deeper way,' he says.
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'I'd like to buy this one day. It's intricately designed, with thousands of components working together. At first glance it looks chaotic but it's a beautifully working mechanism. At times I feel that my life is like that. It has the basic features and functions I like. I do a lot of sports and so a chronograph makes sense.'
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