Fresh Air

Tell us something interesting about yourself:
In addition to my day job in an advertising agency, I brew and taste coffee, from sourcing for beans to organising cupping sessions. I enjoy tasting things, and coffee’s something that’s always interested me.

What’s something you’ve learned about coffee?
Drinking black coffee refines your palate, and the more you do it, the more you become used to having it without sugar, because you can taste the natural sweetness of the coffee. Right now I prefer coffee made with beans from Africa, because they have bright fruity notes.

What’s a campaign that inspired you?
Nike’s ‘Believe In Something’ campaign that featured (American football player) Colin Kaepernick. I found it interesting because the brand chose to take a bold stand that would alienate their older and more conservative customers, and it paid off because they received a lot of free publicity for it, and also endeared themselves to their younger millennial consumers.

If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be?
I’d choose to have learned more hard skills, like coding—that’d have allowed me to explore different kinds of work and industries.

What’s a book you’ve read that you’d recommend to others?
I’ve been using my Kindle in an attempt to read more, and one of my favourite books that I read last year was When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. I found it ironic that as a doctor, he would be experiencing and writing from the perspective of a patient, and it really impressed on me how quickly life can change in a matter of minutes or even seconds.