THE TASTEMAKER

Carmen Chiu gets 1½ hours of deep sleep every night but hits the office raring to go. When working for a 90-year-old chocolatier that’s bent on reinvention, standing still isn’t an option, says the marketing and merchandising director.

Belgian chocolatier Godiva celebrated its 90th anniversary this year. But Carmen Chiu, 39, is already hatching plans for 2018. “We work 18 months in advance,” explains the Hong Konger, before quizzing me about wedding traditions in Singapore. Wedding favours are an area she’s exploring for Godiva, which is shedding its image as a gifting brand in favour of a lifestyle one offering a full suite of chocolate “experiences”.

As gatekeeper of the brand in China and the Pacic Rim, Carmen’s job is to market Godiva’s new image. This includes enforcing the brand’s new look (she travels across Asia to inspect stores); having a say in new product categories (she’s exploring the launch of a glitzy Godiva lifestyle boutique here next year); oh, and taste-testing every chocolate variant before it goes on sale in the region. Sweet deal.

We chat with her about work, life and getting things done.

York office starts work. So e-mails come in all the time. I don’t have children, so I can put in longer hours without guilt, but weekends are spent with my husband. Work-life balance, to me, is highly personal – it’s the point when you feel comfortable balancing both. in Shanghai, and I feel their will to do better. In some markets, people are afraid to ask questions. Not in China. If they’re unclear, they’ll ask. If they want to challenge you, they’ll do so. Our conversations in China are extremely active.

“We’re in a fun business,” says Carmen of her work. That’s evident based on these photos of her on the job.