Hans Leijten's move from an established airline to a fast-growing serviced office company has reignited the feeling of adventure in him.
Leijten joined global serviced office provider Regus in 2008 as regional vice-president of East Asia, when demand for a flexible working environment was fuelling expansion in Asia.
The Shanghai-based executive has to keep up with the speed of development of an ambitious company growing at close to 30 per cent a year.
'We are growing towards a team of 300 staff and I have about 12 direct reports,' he says. 'Apart from China, I oversee Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Mongolia. We are looking for opportunities in Ulan Bator with landlords who are interested in setting up a joint venture with us.'
An early riser, Leijten tries to finish off his e-mails and get organised for the day before the phone starts ringing. He has daily, weekly and monthly meetings, often with pre-set agendas to review business plans, contracts with landlords and the design and building status of the next openings. He has to find staff for new offices and ensure clients are happy.
'It is a challenge to find people who can come on board exactly at the right moment. And if you open in three to four cities at the same time, it's obviously an even bigger challenge,' he says, adding that it is likely Regus will have four to five openings every year in new cities in East Asia in the next few years.
