In a world the place some take pleasure in lavish style or savor beautiful five-course meals at Michelin-starred eating places, Neiman Marcus CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck has cultivated a deep affection for his personal epitome of luxurious: wine.
“The one thing I really love—and my true luxury—is wine,” van Raemdonck advised Fortune.
For the 51-year-old CEO, wine is greater than only a beverage—it embodies “a social moment.” van Raemdonck by no means indulges alone, sharing the luxurious along with his husband and pals. And earlier than uncorking a bottle, van Raemdonck goes into his wine cellar to discover the varied choices and develop his data.
“We go on learnings in our cellar,” van Raemdonck defined. There, they study sorts of wines primarily based on years and vintages. His all-time favourite wine is a crimson known as Pontet-Canet from Pauillac.
Beyond his wine assortment, the CEO embraces different hobbies reminiscent of swimming, snowboarding, boating, and horseback using. van Raemdonck views the outside as two forces—his physique and nature.
However on the times the place van Raemdonck isn’t tasting wines or using on horses, he’s main the $5 billion-a-year luxurious retailer, Neiman Marcus Group. Previous to becoming a member of Neiman Marcus Group in 2018, van Raemdonck has held a number of different high positions at style firms reminiscent of Louis Vuitton, St. John Knits, and Ralph Lauren.
He gave Fortune a rundown of his day by day routine that kicks off at 6:15 a.m. sharp.
Tea first, espresso later
6:15 a.m.: Residing on Lengthy Island, van Raemdonck begins his day by dedicating the primary hour to private well-being. He meditates, stretches, and focuses on mindfulness earlier than diving into plans for his household and his enterprise.
“Starting the day with a thank you is the best way for me to remind me that the day will be great,” he says.
7:00 a.m.: It’s household time. van Raemdonck, his husband, and their seven-year-old twin boys sit down for breakfast, and the chief government is joyful to eat the identical meal each morning—avocado toast and “a little bit of cereal.”
“I drink tea during breakfast, and it really tells me, ‘this is a moment to enjoy. Sip your tea,’” van Raemdonck stated. “It’s something that is warm, it’s a really nice way to start the day.”
After breakfast, van Raemdonck spends 20 minutes exterior along with his children to do “something special,” like strolling to the seaside or a park.
8:00 a.m.: After his children are in school, van Raemdonck seamlessly transitions to work with a really intense shot of espresso ristretto. The sturdy taste helps him get up and transition into work.
The increase of caffeine is “a religion” for van Raemdonck: “If I don’t have that, and I’ve started a meeting, I say, ‘give me one minute.’”
Neiman Marcus’ company philosophy encourages workers to work in the easiest way for themselves, “wherever and whenever you can deliver the impact,” van Raemdonck defined.
For van Raemdonck, this implies working from residence one or two days every week, with the opposite days spent within the workplace. Typically, he finds himself touring to shops throughout the globe, from California to Europe.
“When I go to the office, it’s about collaborating and meeting people,” van Raemdonck shared. “The days I spend at home…are really the days where I try to get the most done and to be extremely productive through a lot of Zoom or Teams meetings.”
9:00 a.m.: The primary half of van Raemdonck’s day consists of conferences.
“Most of my meetings are about making decisions or being on the path to make decisions,” van Raemdonck advised Fortune.
To remain productive, he splits up his day into 25-or 45- minute increments. For instance, after a 25-minute assembly, van Raemdonck takes a five-minute break to “disconnect and reconnect” earlier than his subsequent engagement to totally put together for a brand new dialog.
“I tend to use those five minutes or so to send emails and get all the next steps from a prior conversation done so that the speed of information goes quickly and I can move on to the next topic,” van Raemdonck stated.
12:45 p.m.: van Raemdonck takes a 15-minute lunch break and pairs it with a second shot of espresso, which marks the beginning of the afternoon.
The caffeine break helps van Raemdonck get “really focused” for the second half of his day, which, in contrast to his morning grind, normally doesn’t include conferences. As a substitute, he makes use of his time to organize for his subsequent large problem: as much as 10 extra conferences the following day.
“I try to balance the meetings in a healthy way,” van Raemdonck stated. “Conferences are both 25 minutes or 45 minutes on my schedule.
6:30 p.m.: As soon as the clock hits 6:30 p.m., van Raemdonck’s children chat with the CEO about their day. But when their dad can’t appear to tug himself away from work by 7 p.m., “they’re allowed to basically say ‘your day is over.’”
10:00 p.m.: But, van Raemdonck’s day isn’t fairly over; the CEO goes again to work and focuses on duties that “require some thinking.”
“At the end of the day, when the house is really quiet, I tend to do my best thinking,” van Raemdonck stated. “It’s more about allowing myself to have ideas sink in and formulate my vision.”
And every time van Raemdonck has time, the CEO makes certain to ship thank-you notes each single day. “I want to be a generous leader,” he stated. “The way I remind myself is by recognizing the generosity of others.”
