48 HOURS: Tech guru Sukhin
NEW YORK (Reuters) - It is a long flight to Sydney from Silicon Valley. But tech veteran Sukhinder Singh Cassidy – the former president of StubHub who also held key positions at Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O), Google and at Amazon.com (AMZN.O),– finds it best to hit the ground running when she travels Down Under for her current job as CEO of the accounting software firm Xero (XRO.AX).
Cassidy offers the following tips to get the most out of Aussie-style business travel. Following are highlights from her interview with Reuters last month, which has been edited and condensed.
WHERE TO GO FIRST AFTER YOU LAND?
I drop my luggage at the hotel and go straight to our Sydney office (Central Business District, by Wynyard Park). It’s my jet lag hack. I always fly overnight from the U.S., land in the morning and go straight to work. No naps.
Our office in Sydney is a great place to spend the first day: It has panoramic views of Sydney Harbour, the Harbour Bridge and the city, with tons of sunlight to help your body get into a new rhythm.
WHERE TO STAY
Usually the Sydney Hilton (George Street), as it’s close to everything. The Hilton is just across from the Queen Victoria Building, one of Sydney’s most charming Victorian buildings filled with boutiques. It is a five-minute walk from David Jones (Elizabeth Street), which is one of the best department stores in the world for fashion, food, beauty and more.
Both are open late, which means I can usually squeeze in a quick visit after a day at the office.
BEST PLACE FOR TEAM MEETINGS
Last year we hosted our global leadership team offsite at the Coogee Bay Hotel (Coogee Bay Rd.), which is right on the beach. We all loved the beautiful setting, but it was a great environment for focused planning and team-building,