Tim Parker is the chairman and chief executive of Samsonite, a role which takes him far and wide. On his last trip to Hong Kong he opened up to Alex Andersson about the baggage that comes with frequent flying.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ASIAN CITY TO DO BUSINESS IN?
Without any question it is Hong Kong. It is fantastic. It’s like the Monaco of China.
WHAT DO YOU DO ON A PLANE?
First I get the work done – I’m surprised by how few people do. I don’t watch movies very much. I read, and for me that is a great pleasure because it is rare these days. I’m also lucky that I can easily bore myself to sleep thinking about finances and such, and if you can get the sleep in it makes life a hell of a lot easier when you arrive.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?
I’m reading a book by Rose Tremain called Merivel. It’s not that good. And that’s really annoying because I’m one of those people that can’t just chuck a book out half way through.
WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO?
I like music. I play the flute and I listen to everything. I’ve got all the classics for someone from my ancient age group – Jimmy Hendrix and Cream and all that. I’ve also got a lot of classical music. And I often pick up stuff that my kids load onto my MP3. Some of it is good, and some is obviously unlistenable. The only music I don’t like is traditional jazz and folk. I could never handle folk – it really annoys me. Country & Western also annoys me.
WHAT DO YOU IN THE AIRPORT?
I spend a lot of time looking at other people’s luggage.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU IN A BAG?
Three things. The first is that it’s got four wheels, not two, because it really is a hell of a lot easier if you are just pushing rather than pulling. The second thing is it’s really light. And it must have an easy pocket because I’m always in and out with the wretched plastic bag at security. You just want a few decent-sized pockets to put a variety of things in. I haven’t got the time, nor can I be bothered, to put a pen in a special little loop – who does that?
ANY PLANE PET PEEVES?
Occasionally I travel in planes where I’m convinced they turn the temperature up or down and change the inside climate. That does bug me. I also hate gratuitous welcome announcements about the weather and nannyish security announcements.
DO YOU TALK TO PEOPLE ON FLIGHTS?
No I do not. I live in fear that the person next to me will tell me his or her life story. But I think basically there is an unspoken rule these days that most people follow – unless you’re a bit naive – that you don’t turn to the person next door and start nattering away.
