MANILA, Philippines -- It's not easy being Chris Nelson. After all, being president of merged giants Philip Morris Philippines and Fortune Tobacco Co. Inc. (PMFTC) is no languid stroll at the Luneta Park. Skillfully handling the helm of the country's biggest tobacco company takes a lot of dedication and determination. And a great deal of work.
''I think it's very demanding and action-oriented,'' Chris says about his job. ''I think that you can make a difference almost every day. You have to make decisions every single day. You can almost see your performance daily. That's what I like. (In my assessment), I don't think I would be particularly good in a staff role because I'm action-oriented and market-driven... I think that when you see things, you make a decision and you see the end result, that's very rewarding.''
Chris' staff would be the first to agree about his exacting work style. Up bright and early (though not necessarily at the crack of dawn), he would go down to his favorite room, read the papers to ''check the BBC, look at the football results and what's happening in the world''. Then, by 7:00 a.m., he starts texting people, giving them their marching orders for the day. And each working day can be very long, with Chris attending to so many concerns even well into the evenings.
''Of course, some days, I wish there weren't that many decisions or I wish work wasn't that hard,'' Chris muses. ''But on the balance, I prefer it that way.''
Then, after the corporate smoke has cleared and the work day is done, Chris is ready for some quality down time. As they say, ''work hard, play hard''.
''Well I think Chris Nelson on the personal side is a little bit like Chris Nelson on the work side,'' Chris reveals. ''I've a pretty structured weekend. I wake up early. I always go to the gym on Saturday mornings. I try to play nine holes of golf in the afternoon. Then I go to church and afterwards, dinner with my wife and three children. On Sundays I play tennis, then another nine holes of golf in the afternoon. Then, I have the evening with my family.''
Hmm, his weekends look rather like his working days. Chris says, ''It is actually. But I prefer it that way. People have different ways of relaxing. I like to stay active.''
Looking back on his early years, Chris recalls how his parents inspired him to be this driven. He explains: ''We were not that wealthy. But I look at my parents' lives and I saw how they put a lot of pride and emphasis on education. I have two older brothers and they all went to what we call at that time, grammar schools. And then of course, I was fortunate; my elder brother went to Cambridge and I went to the same college. So I think the drive would come from my parents, and two older brothers who were also that way; it tends to inculcate a driven atmosphere.''
This drive served him well after graduation when he serendipitously landed a marketing position. The original post he was applying for missed out some lines in the advertisement; so he was offered another position as a management trainee. That jumpstarted his career. ''One of my other beliefs, actually, is I think you've got to be very lucky as well,'' Chris says. ''I think you're going to recognize (when) you're lucky, good things happen. Right place, right time. I see people in business, I've seen people in companies who are as good as me and I think I'm just fortunate.''
Now at the top of the ladder, Chris acknowledges some lessons learned from years of working his way up. He reflects: ''I'm a father who spent a lot of time away from home, traveling, working. I think as you get older, you recognize that you didn't spend enough time (with your family). The first child, I wasn't involved in some instances when I should have been. The second one, I got more involved and now the last one, I'm really involved.''
Chris also considers himself to be very blessed to have a wife who has been very supportive all these years. She takes charge of the household and all the details that come with it, including the look of their home. ''This is entirely my wife,'' Chris proudly shows off the house's interiors with a wave of his hand. ''She does everything. So, in fact, that's one of the things that make it easy with my work.''
It seems that Chris Nelson has it all - great job, great family, great home, great future. And with his energy and drive, he is a very, very long way off from retirement. Yet looking wistfully on the horizon, he says he may consider traveling more, or even going back to university or get his doctorate degree. ''But I have to be honest,'' Chris admits. ''I haven't thought about it because I'm too busy.''
