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NEVER TOO LATE

Jacqueline Moyse, Head of Organisational Development at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in Hong Kong, assures us that the life of an expatriate is…well, timeless.

The trend today seems to be for young people to take a gap year (or two) and see the world. At forty-something – I decided to follow the trend.

I have recently relocated to Hong Kong to take up the newly created position of Head of Organisational Development with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. The group is rapidly expanding across the globe and plans are in place for it to double in size over the next few years. Put simply, my role is to ensure we have the right people in the right place, with the right skills, at the right time.

Crunch time

Having worked internationally for many years but never actually relocated abroad, this was certainly a big decision.  I was going to leave my very settled life in London. Six months on, I have no regrets.

But the logistics of such a move -- in my case from a three-storey town house in West London to a 42nd floor apartment overlooking the entrance to Hong Kong harbour -- should not be underestimated. Mandarin Oriental were incredibly supportive, however my years of hoarding (just in case!) caught up with me and suddenly the enormity of it all hit me when I was surrounded by packing cases labelled Moyse – from London to Hong Kong – by sea.  Once the last packing cases had left the house, I was both exhausted and excited, not to mention a little nervous about what lay ahead.

For the first six weeks I lived in the Excelsior Hotel, one of our properties in Hong Kong. The new General Manager, Amanda Scott, had moved out from London four days prior to me, so we teamed up and shared the exciting days during our ‘honeymoon period’ in this new city.

The first culture shock, though I had been warned, was that a three-bedroom apartment really does mean a small double and two cupboards. The weather, however, was beautiful, the Asian food delicious and the people couldn’t have been more friendly and welcoming.

West meets East

As for work, everything was extremely well prepared for me and I settled in quite quickly. Then, just when you start thinking, ‘well this really isn’t that different,’ something happens in a meeting or a conversation to remind you that you are living and working in a very different culture and you have a lot to learn!

Perceptions of meetings and their outcomes were frequently quite different and I soon learned not to make any assumptions. Whilst no one challenges you or questions you, somehow you know when there is dissent and you have to find a way of resolving this.  Suddenly you miss the odd upfront conflict that you never thought you would.

The workday is long, though so is the lunch break, when the office clears out and everyone disappears for noodles and shopping. The public holidays are plentiful – though many of them fall in the middle of the week and the Queen’s birthday has been replaced by Buddha’s birthday!

So how does it look six months on? A very comfortable flat in an apartment block with a gym, indoor and outdoor pool, tennis courts and more. A great working environment, with some fabulous projects ahead, to help develop this world-leading brand. A number of trips behind me – and ahead of me - to some of the most luxurious and well run hotels in the world. Overall, one very happy expat who would recommend it.  No, it’s never too late!