Walpole Weekender

Out of Office: Alistair Hughes

In our Out of Office interview series, we speak to Walpole member executives at the top of their game about how they live their lives away from their desks – the habits that help them decompress, the activities that re-centre their minds, and the little luxuries that they can't live without. This week, it's the turn of Savoir CEO Alistair Hughes...
8th Apr 2022
Walpole Weekender Out of Office: Alistair Hughes

In a world where we’re always available, how do you separate your personal time from your work time?

To be honest, I’m not sure I’m so good at this, but I am better than I was 10 years ago when every holiday photo my daughter took seemed to have me on the phone. She was making a good point.

What’s one thing you do after the work day to help you unwind?

Getting involved with the cooking is always good. Food is worth caring about.

What activity do you do in your time away from the office that helps you relax and recentre after a stressful week?

I spend most weekends at Cefn Garthenor, my re-wilding project in wild west Wales, which is a world away. There’s a huge amount to do, but the change is as good as a rest.

What’s something you’ve read, listened to or seen in your spare time that’s helped you at work?

I really enjoyed the recent Walpole supper club with Julia Hobsbawm, author of The Nowhere Office, on the future of where (and when) we work. It’s all as clear as mud to me, but change is happening. As in any business with international showrooms, there has always been an element of remote communication, and the way technology has been adopted over the pandemic has improved this massively, and will go on to play an important role in future. The majority of our staff simply have to be at work. Our craftsmen and women (who make up over 50 per cent of the team) plus their managers can only work from our two bedworks. The same applies for our retail teams, who – even as they zoom our clients – often use physical assets in the showrooms to demonstrate our products. So the number who can work remotely is limited to start with, but if they do we need to consider how we ensure that they remain close to the product and culture, how we bring on new team members and the quality of their home working environments. Also, importantly, how to avoid a divide between the “lucky” who can work from home and the “unlucky” who still need to come in. It was useful to hear from other participants who face similar issues, especially as our experiences are often not reflected in the media. Often you get the impression that journalists think that we live in a world full of people like them or perhaps professionals services.

After home and the office, where’s your favourite third space?

Out in the wet woodland at Cefn Garthenor.

On Sunday night, how do you prepare yourself for the week ahead?

That’s one thing I try and avoid doing. On Friday I think about what is going on next week and make sure I am prepared before the weekend properly starts, which usually involves updating my to do list and checking the diary.

Best reason you've had to turn your out of office on recently?

Well, the next time will be my daughter’s 21st birthday for lunch at the River Café in April.

The OUT OF OFFICE hotlist

 

Your go-to out of office outfit: Wales is wet. Over-trousers, wellies and a coat with high Goretex content!

Your happy place anywhere in the world: Sitting outside with a bit of nature and the sun on your face … garden, park, wilderness … but feels so good.

Your favourite bar or restaurant: I’m doing my best to cut out meat and dairy. As a business Savoir has been working with the amazing chef Chantelle Nicholson, author of Planted, on our incredible vegan bed. Chantelle is opening her new restaurant, Apricity, on 12 April. I love her cooking, and I'm sure the new restaurant will be a big hit.

Something you booked recently that you'd recommend: Francis Bacon: Man and Beast at the RA.

Something you've listened to or read recently that you'd recommend: Heartland by Sarah Smarsh. A fabulously-written account of growing up poor, despite hard work, in rural America.

Hobby you'd like to cultivate: For someone who loves nature, my ID skills are relatively poor. I'd love to rely less on Google Lens and just know more about the natural world around us

Luxury that’s actually a necessity: Sleep. Deep, restorative, beautiful sleep. Nothing hits the spot better. After food and water, it makes the biggest difference to your life and health, but is still too often seen as a necessary evil.

Best luxury under £25: I used to say my monthly subscription to the Financial Times, but inflation junks that as my direct debit now seems to be £29. If you think about the cost-per-use of a £25K Savoir bed, it works out at under £1.40 a night over its life! Does that count?

savoirbeds.com

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