Time Management

I'm the manager of marketing and communications for Vacheron Constantin, a 251-year-old Swiss manufacturer of complicated, luxury timepieces (see BusinessWeek.com, 3/28/06, "High Times for Luxury Watchmakers"). Based in New York, I'm responsible for all marketing and communications for the U.S. and Canada, which includes advertising, press relations, events, merchandising, display, sales promotions, B2B and B2C (business-to-consumer) relationships, strategic partnerships, and training.

I'm also responsible for monthly reporting to our headquarters in Geneva, writing the annual marketing plan, and organizing our participation in the famous Geneva watch fair that takes place every April (see BusinessWeek.com, 3/6/06, "Rich Times for the Luxury Sector").

Looking back on my B-school experience, I think that school you choose is more important than your courses. I would enroll in the most diverse, international program you're accepted to. Generally, courses are fairly standard between MBA programs; what varies is the composition of the school's student body.

At INSEAD, no one nationality makes up more than 10% of the student population. That has a huge impact on every class, even standard first-semester courses such as Marketing or Accounting. Bring students from 40 different countries to contribute and debate, and the course takes on a new dimension.

So far, I've worked in three countries (the U.S., France, and Japan), but because of what I learned from my peers atINSEAD, I have a more international perspective and understanding of conducting business in many markets around the world.

If I could go back to school, I would definitely take another Decision Analysis course. I took a popular course called Negotiation at INSEAD, which taught me how to identify different types of negotiating situations, different things that can go wrong in them, and why. It gave me a more concrete idea of what to look for and how to prepare. Sometimes I feel like it taught me 50% of what I need to know for this job, or any job.

Here's a typical day on the job:

6:30 a.m.—Wake up and head to the gym, or to Central Park for a run. Running is a great way to get warmed up for the day.

7:30 a.m.—Back at home, check BlackBerry and scan e-mails before showering. I requested a conference call with the worldwide director of marketing and he suggests 4:00 p.m. today his time. I confirm...

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