TECH EXEC CHECKS E-MAIL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
Trevor Adey
Age: 38
CEO and co-founder, Consilient, St. John’s, Nfld. Business “Our business is very simple. We connect e-mail to all the different mobile phones so that travelling executives and people on the move can still maintain their personal and business interests.” Where do you travel?
“Our business partners and customers are in the U.S. and Western Europe, so most of my [travel] time is in San Francisco and different European cities. I’ve been in San Francisco since June.” What’s the purpose of these trips? “ The first several meetings being facetoare critical, especially for a smaller company; the larger company really wants to touch and feel you to see what you are made of. We’re pitching what we have, but we’re listening to what they want and then we’re going back and modifying our technology.” What is your biggest issue when travelling, and how do you deal with that? “ Being away from my three daughters. I talk to them several times a day either through e- mail or voice mail, and I take them with me whenever I can.” What type of schedule or activity do you attempt to maintain? “ It’s [about] flexibility so it really becomes almost no morning and no night because the clock [you follow] is when you can sleep you take sleep but the key is to get it all in every day.” What helps you maintain an upbeat attitude? “ It’s important to focus on the positive aspects and not get overwhelmed by the negative because it would be very easy to get overwhelmed by the jet lag issue and being on planes for long periods. I like to run and train, so there are certain routes, certain things to do in these cities that I very much enjoy.” How do you stay connected?
“I use a Nokia 9300 Communicator that has Consilient software on it to allow connectivity to exchange e-mails.” Do you ever turn your cellphone off? “Not very often. It wouldn’t be strange for me to wake up in the middle of the night and to answer a couple of emails that have come in on my phone before I go back to sleep.” How much travelling do you do each year? “ Last year I was on the road for 174 days, and this year it will be even more.” Where are you off to next?
“My next trip is pretty short: a day in Helsinki, a day in Stockholm and then a day in Zurich, and then back to Canada for a couple weeks.” Any tips for other frequent travellers? “ If you find jet lag difficult, maybe a glass of wine to help you stop thinking about the fact you can’t get to sleep and if you find yourself staring at the clock at four in the morning, the thing is to know that is the normal thing.”
Philip Quinn, Financial Post