Arranging a five day itinerary for a trip to Chengdu, securing a last-minute VIP box at the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies, tracing a digital camera that was left in a taxi, and bypassing the two-year wait list to purchase a Hermès birkin bag -- these are just some of the day-to-day requests from Quintessentially members.
It's all part of the job for Fiona Foxon, managing director of Quintessentially Hong Kong, international jetsetter and competitive rugby player (representing Hong Kong in both the sevens and 15s). Born in Singapore with a whirlwind upbringing in the US, Hong Kong, Phillippines, Indonesia and Taiwan, the beautiful and bubbly Foxon shares her typical working day with us in her own words:
6:00am
My gorgeous Lola enjoying her very own space heater -- perfect for those cold winter mornings. Thankfully, spring is nearly here!
6:15am
I have my accessories prepared from the night before and as we ladies know, you can never have enough jewellery. I keep the bling to a minimum during the week but just couldn’t resist buying this funky double-finger dragon ring to bring me luck in the Year of the Dragon.
7:00am
Nothing beats a great spin class at Pure to wake up my senses and blast last night’s chocolate cake away. The awesome instructors’ classes are always full and the booking system is a nightmare, but today’s my lucky day and I get the last bike in the front row. I’ve always been the teacher’s pet!
8:45am
As I walk from Pure to our Quintessentially offices in Sheung Wan, I spot the most adorable old man in his morning sun lounge chair and ask him to smile for the camera. He mumbles to me in Cantonese that he has no teeth and can’t smile, but musters up a friendly smirk nonetheless. I love the eclectic streets of Sheung Wan.
9:00am
It’s time for a breakfast of champions to fuel the intense morning session of emails and phone calls –- a Starbucks Americano and two hard boiled eggs. Let’s just say I save the creativity for work and not my breakfast meal planning!
10:30am
We receive the latest edition of our Quintessentially Asia Magazines in the office and I meet with Avey and his marketing team to review the final product before we send it on to our clients. We’re loving the eye-popping fashion shoot and of course, I immediately fall in love with the gorgeous jewellery on the models from Marijoli by Marielle Byworth.
12:30pm
With clients in town from Paris, one can never have enough dim sum! It’s a toss up between Tim’s Kitchen and the dim sum trolley at City Hall, but for our clients who love the delicate combination of char siew and Parisian-style puff pastry, this dish at City Hall wins hands down.
3:00pm
I have a chuckle as my friend and teammate Dani whatsapps me photos from our recent Hong Kong Women’s rugby tour to India. I started playing rugby when I was in high school in Taipei and have been playing for the Hong Kong Football Club for the past five years (shout out to the ICE Ladies!).
6:30pm
The InQredible team at Quintessentially! After a busy day fulfilling member requests from all over the world, we take a break in the member’s area to celebrate a birthday. Our team is in the office 24/7, so for some of our member assistants, their work day is only just beginning.
7:30pm
My boyfriend Alex and I decide to trade a quiet Friday night in for a drive out to Sai Kung for a fresh seafood dinner. We’ve both had a manic week and there's nothing better than escaping the concrete jungle with a fun drive and change of scene. We order fresh steamed scallops, sweet and sour pork and stir-fried dou miao.
10:00pm
My good friend Rach calls and we pick a place to take her friend who's visiting from Sydney. We agree that we just can’t handle the Featherboa crowd tonight and head for the comfy chairs at Soiree instead for some delicious mango drinks.
11:30pm
We’re more than fashionably late, but we head to the launch party for ELEQT to support Valerie and her team as they conquer the world of luxury social networking. The party’s a hit with over 300 guests, and Sejal and I pose for a snap in front of the Lamborghini.
Want to know more? Follow Fiona Foxon on Instagram (fionafoxon) or Twitter (@fionafoxon)!
