51-52 careers feature 30/1/09 17:37 Page 52
52 careers feature
Eastern etiquette
Gary Povey, head of sales at London-based Omega
World Travel, shares similar experiences with Lukan.
While in China, he learned that respect for local culture
is as tantamount as good business acumen.
“When a Chinese businessman gives you his business
card, he will do so with two hands and he will bow his
head at the same time,” says Povey. “To the Chinese,
offering your business card is seen as sharing
something valuable and personal. You must reciprocate
the gesture by accepting it as if it were made of gold. If
you carelessly shove it in your pocket they will take
this as an insult.”
Povey, a native South African, has travelled
extensively throughout his career in travel manage-
ment and foreign exchange. He believes clocking up
airmiles and engaging with people around the world is
vital for your career, and urges younger people in
business travel to seek out opportunities.
“Spending just six months in another country and in
a business environment foreign to everything you’ve
ever experienced may well go far in helping you
progress professionally. It could be learning about how
to close deals, how to follow corporate procedures or
how to talk to someone on the phone,” he says.
Personal growth and a sense of pride
Sandra Buckman is a marketing coordinator at
Manchester-based Key Travel. After working in
campsite management in France, Buckman landed a
reservations consultant role with a travel management
company in Sydney. She spent eight months in
Australia working on large accounts for both Amex
Business Travel and Carlson Wagonlit Travel.
L50480 United States I was working in the biggest travel She says: “I’d definitely say the experiences helped
market it the world. While that was a great experience me grow as a person and increased my confidence.
and an ideal landscape to cut my teeth in the business I Knowing that you can go to another country, find
might have been guilty for thinking the US was the work, find a place to live and make friends gives you
centre of the world,” he says. “But in 1997 I moved to a huge sense of pride. It is a real personal growth
Hong Kong and it was a life changing experience. It experience. Even silly things like setting up a bank
made me realise the world is bigger than what is account abroad or registering with a local doctor help
between New York and California.” prove to yourself that you can cope anywhere.”
Buckman says her experiences helped her deal
Learning is a long journey with suppliers and travellers while she worked as a
Lukan says there are many similarities in the English reservations consultant, and gave her the confidence
speaking culture, but when you live in Asia “you know to carve out a career in business travel marketing.
you’re far from home”. Most of the top five travel management companies
He explains: “The experience helped me develop offer a global exchange programme. You should
personally and professionally. I’d sit in meetings with approach your line manager for information on how
local people. It would generally be conducted in to get involved.
English but every so often the table would excuse itself Most smaller TMCs do not have the network or
from me and hold its own discussion in Mandarin or resources to offer exchange programmes, but you
Cantonese. It was kind of strange at first, but soon you should seek the advice of trusted senior colleagues,
realise that’s their culture and their way of doing friends or relatives on how to set up a business
business. You must respect that.” experience in a foreign country. L52159
ttgbusiness.com ❖ february/march 2009
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