A day in the life of Massimo Brancaleoni

0730

After a late night the evening before, I wake up and enjoy breakfast with my wife and son. My son is usually asleep when I come home from work, so this is a great time for us to spend time together. I alsolike to get the day started by reading the South China Morning Post and the Wall Street Journal Asia to find out what is happening in Hong Kong, and the rest of the region.

0830-0900

I head to the office where I spend the morning working on Costa’s business within Asia Pacific. Due to the time difference with Costa’s head office in Italy, it is too early to be liaising with the team, so I take this chance to focus on our business here.

The cruising market is increasing rapidly in Asia, and Costa foresaw this trend by being the first cruising company to offer cruising holidays out of China,which are becoming very popular. As a result of Costa’s growth here we have had to double our presence by deploying another ship in Asia as well as increasing the number of sales agents in some markets, such as Australia, Japan and India.

This morning I am on a conference call with all of our business partners in Asia, discussing Costa’s 2009 brochure which has just been released in Asia. We were one of the first cruise companies to do so and it offers innovations in the industry in terms of both the ships and the itineraries. Everyone on the call agrees that the brochure should be well received by the market.

1230

Time for lunch. Dining is an important part of the day for most Italians, so I like to meet either my colleagues or family at one of my favourite restaurants: usually Chinese, Japanese, or of course Italian.Today I meet a business partner at my favorite restaurant - Grissini’s at the Grand Hyatt. Delizioso!

1430

The Costa Allegra, Costa’s first ship deployed in Asia permanently, and soon to be joined by the one of the most popular ships in our fleet, the Costa Classica, is docked in Hong Kong today: a stop over on one of her 14-day Asian itineraries.

I meet with her cruise and hotel directors and discuss how the cruise is going. Costa Cruises, being an international cruise line with a long history, are loved by passengers of all nationalities and cultural backgrounds,and as a result I usually hear some great stories about the fun happening onboard.

Nothing makes us happier than to hear that a couple may have become engaged on board, or a big family is having a reunion after many years, or that a pair of honeymooners is enjoying their relaxing time together.

1600

Back to the office, where I take part in a conference call with our headquarters in Italy. We are exchanging insights and sharing thoughts on how we could best celebrate the 60th anniversary of Costa Cruises this year! With so many Italians on the line the meeting is buzzing with ideas. Costa started as a family business 60 years ago, so the team is experienced,and very passionate about the cruising industry.1700

I meet with the team in our Hong Kong office now, and each reports back to me on the business in their particular region within Asia Pacific. Costa is celebrating its diamond anniversary this year, so there are special offers and deals for cruises to be discussed. With this special celebration and the rapid growth in cruising in Asia,we all recognise this is a very exciting time to be working in this region.

2000

The working day is over, so I head to a game of tennis with friends. I like the fitness I get from tennis, but more importantly I find it really helps me unwind. With a small son, I feel like I need more and more energy these days to keep up with him. And tennis is ideal. I can’t say much for my backhand though!

2100

Dinner I spend with my wife at home. Hong Kong, like Italy, has quite a culture for late dinner, so we often have friends over at this time to share dinner with, which we really enjoy. My wife in particular loves entertaining. But tonight it’s just the two of us. We talk about our days, and all of the activities our son got up to, and discuss the things that make us happiest - like art and music.

2230

I usually do one last browse on the internet to catch up on Europe and China’s news, while watching TVB Pearl, BBC or Bloomberg for any other developments.I’m an avid reader so then usually go to bed with whatever book I’m reading at the time.

0100

ZZZZZZZZZ