Peter Koutsoukos
Group Legal Counsel and Company Secretary, Australia & New Zealand
Bridgestone Australia Ltd.
Adelaide, Australia
6:00 am: Woken up by alarm after very deep sleep.
6:20 am: Footy training at the local football ground with about 15 blokes around my age – once a week. We carry out training drills every Friday morning all year round – rain, hail or shine. We don’t play – just train. Proud to say we are undefeated for about 8 years.
7:20 am: Back home and rushing to get ready to get out of the house and take kids to school.
8:00 am: Leave home and drop daughter off at her school and then son off at his school. Both schools are on the way to work. Our Bridgestone Head Office is on the fringe of the CBD overlooking the Adelaide parklands.
8:20 am: Arrive at work. Have a brief discussion with my legal team. Check overnight emails and respond to any urgent matters. I also check news headlines. I keep a to-do list and prioritize matters based on whether they are business-critical, risk management, or regulatory compliance with a deadline.
"I keep a to-do list and prioritize matters based on whether they are business-critical, risk management, or regulatory compliance with a deadline."
9:30 am: Get a double shot coffee from our amazing new machine en-route to this morning’s executive meeting. At the meeting, every department head updates the executive team regarding any new developments and issues that affect the business.
10:30 am: Back at my office desk. I check emails, approve resolution requests, sign contracts (DocuSign & hard copy), and return phone calls.
11:30 am: Meeting with the digital marketing team to discuss our eCommerce platform including optics around competition laws, treatment of GST, and consumer laws. As Australia’s most trusted tire brand, it’s something we take seriously to maintain the trust of our customers!
12:30 pm: Lunch time hits and I realize that I haven’t had anything for breakfast. Oops! Hunger pains are kicking in so I walk to a nearby café for a sandwich. I never bring lunch to work. I always get out of the building at lunchtime to clear my head.
1:15 pm: Back at my desk checking emails and dealing with any urgent matters. More approvals, signoffs, and returning of phone calls. Attend to matters on my to-do list whenever possible.
2:00 pm: Video conference with the auditor in the Regional Head Office in Singapore. Today we’re discussing J-SOX compliance: a requirement for our business due to the legal structure of Bridgestone Corporation and its listing on the Japanese Stock Exchange.
2:30 pm: It’s time for another coffee (a double shot again) ahead of yet another video conference with Singapore. I spend a lot of time on them now – I miss going to Singapore for the face-to-face conferences.
"It’s time for another coffee (a double shot again) ahead of yet another video conference with Singapore. I spend a lot of time on them now – I miss going to Singapore for the face-to-face conferences."
3:00 pm: Weekly catch-up video conference with the acting general counsel in Singapore Regional Head Office. We discuss any important legal matters my team are working on, and I update him on the status of our compliance programs being rolled out in Australia and New Zealand. He also offers assistance where possible.
4:00 pm: The director of sales calls a meeting to brief me on new Bridgestone Select stores in our network, and the franchise license agreements that need preparing. I have a great team at Bridgestone and they will prioritize this for a quick turnaround.
4:30 pm: On return to my desk the marketing manager follows me up on terms and conditions for a promotion. I have the sudden realization that my plan of getting out of the office on time isn’t going to be a reality today.
5:00 pm: Meeting with technical manager to discuss the results of product testing and to verify the facts and figures in the launch collateral. Thanks to the great collaboration between our team, the communications team, and learning and development, everyone in our business has a good understanding of the need for compliance.
5:30 pm: After saying goodnight to a few fellow employees in my area, I attend to some of my to-do list items.
6:00 pm: Review the website terms and conditions for the marketing team. No wonder they were chasing me, it slipped down my priority list.
7:00 pm: Go to the printer and print off documents that I have been working on throughout the day. Switch off my laptop and take it home with me.
7:15 pm: Arrive home. Our pet dog (a Moodle) is the only one that is super excited to see me. He follows me everywhere. I have a chat with my wife about our day and our three kids. I cut the wifi and my three children appear out of nowhere (son, 15, and two daughters, 11 and 18).
7:45 pm: Get out of my suit. Eat dinner (by myself ). Then chill out in front of the TV and watch mind-numbing shows. During commercials, I get the two youngest children to bed over the next two hours.
10:00 pm: With youngest children in bed and wife getting ready for bed – I take dog for a walk up the street – with glass of wine in hand. Sometimes I walk the dog along a main road and get a few stares.
11.00 pm: While watching more mindless TV, I fire up the laptop, surf the internet, and reply to emails that have come in from Singapore since leaving the office. It’s a constant battle to keep the inbox empty.
12:00 am: Finally get to bed. I fall asleep within two minutes of my head hitting the pillow. I have deep, deep sleeps. I can never remember what I dream about.
7:00 am: Wake up, and it starts all over again. Groundhog Day.
