My day

8.00am: My day always begins by reading my mail in our Paris office. Paris is where I grew up and was educated and so it will always be home. As CEO of a company that works across a range of countries it might seem hard to spin lots of plates at once while staying in one base, but the capabilities of IT mean I feel like I am always close to the whole business. My activities for the rest of the day also ensure I know exactly what is happening in all areas of the company.

9.00am: I spend an hour visiting our in-house IT teams to ensure things are running smoothly. We’re an internet-based company and of course, IT is essential, so I keep regularly up to date with both our usual processes as well as any new projects.

10.00am: Over the next couple of hours I spend my time in meetings to check the business is in-line with key targets. Press Index works across a number of European countries. My teams look after the day-to-day management, but I have to be in a position where I can take a wider view of the business; to make sure I’m looking at the strategy and how we are developing.

1.00pm: My afternoon is predominantly spent working closely on our Pickanews service. This was launched as Europe’s first free multi-media news search engine service. Pickanews is already established in France, Spain, Italy and Germany, and we more recently launched in the UK. I’m lucky to be in a position where I can focus a lot of my time on the development of Pickanews, which I am truly passionate about.

7.00pm: This is usually home time. Because we are a European agency we have to be considerate of any time differences, but generally I have very “normal” hours of work. I’m a great believer in using my working day effectively so that I can enjoy quality time in the evenings and at the weekend doing the things I enjoy, including sailing, gardening and reading.

Time out is important for anyone working in a creative industry. It’s very easy to become entrenched in mundane activities and not allow time for creativity, after all, trying to force an idea never works.