Sally Maier-Yip on working across Asia and UK time zones

Based in London, Sally Maier-Yip is the founder and MD of 11K Consulting. This is her day...

My day

7.00am: My alarm is always set at 7am but I always manage to wake up just before. First thing I do is to check my iPhone – work email, personal email, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, WeChat (China’s version of Twitter and What’sApp) and What’sApp – to ensure that there’s no urgent action required before I take time to enjoy my bowl of cereal, a slice of toast and a cuppa.

8.00am: I move to my home office which is apart from the rest of my home to keep my work and personal life separate. I review and write down the priorities of the day on a little black book before I go online. My day usually consists of three parts: client work in the morning, meetings in the afternoon and an event in the evening.

8.15am: I start my day by responding to important and urgent emails. Working with a lovely client KWANPEN based in Singapore and having colleagues in Hong Kong mean that there are already emails in my Inbox before I wake up and I usually reply to their emails and calls first.

9.00am: I love to do the most difficult or important tasks in the morning when my brain works the best. They usually include writing new business proposals which require strategic thinking and competitive analysis, writing articles or press releases for my clients which require insights and creativity, or sending a tailored email to those important contacts or prospects I met at a networking event last night.

11.30am: I wear my make up and get ready to have my first meeting of the day in Mayfair. I am meeting a prospect, an ultra-luxury boutique hotel in Mayfair, who is interested in reaching out to Chinese and Asian tourists and HNWIs living in London – ie, what we do for our clients such as Burlington Arcade, KWANPEN luxury crocodile leather bags and Benjamin & Blum rare teas.

1.00pm: I have some sushi and miso soup for my lunch. After a quick lunch, I check my work email as well as LinkedIn and Twitter to get a quick sense of the news of the day. 

2.00pm: I have a client meeting with Susan Fang, CEO of Academic Powerhouse, to discuss her UK thought-leadership programme. We talk about her key messaging for her next speaking engagement at Women’s Entrepreneurship Day and media interview with PIE News.

3.30pm: I travel to my third meeting of the day in Parliament. I regularly attend the All-Party Parliamentary China Group (APPCG)’s seminars which always have high-level speakers debating UK-China issues. Today’s topic is about challenges and opportunities for British media in China.

5.00pm: I now have an hour free before I head off to an event tonight. I answers urgent emails, arrange meetings for the weeks ahead, and post photos and text about the events I have just had on my social media.

6.00pm: I head off to the committee meeting of Institute of Directors (IoD) City Young Executives group at the IoD Central on Pall Mall. I am the PR and Marketing Officer in the committee. We discuss about our official launch in January.

8.00pm: Finally my day ends and I go back home. I have dinner with my husband, talking about our work and interesting events we have encountered today. It has been a productive day.

9:30pm: After dinner, I quickly checked my iPhone and social media to see if I have missed out anything urgent. If needed, I go to my home office and answer important emails on my laptop before Asia wakes up in a few hours.

10:30pm: I shower, start switching off from any screens, read for half an hour, and fall asleep slowly for another brand-new day.

Article written by Sally Maier-Yip, founder and MD of 11K Consulting