If I have a day packed with discussions and meetings with staff, I will order lunch to be delivered to the office so that we can continue uninterrupted, and sometimes someone will order something wonderful like fried chicken, which we all sit around devouring while trying to keep our minds on whatever it is we are discussing.

I am also very fortunate to have an office that has spectacular views across Victoria Harbour, and must confess that I occasionally find myself staring across the water as I ponder the many facets of organising our wonderful festival.

I was raised in Hong Kong but have not worked here for 20 years, so I was delighted to return when appointed to this position. I love the place. I loved my years in Singapore and, contrary to the opinions of many, it is a pretty pacey city. However, Hong Kong is very different animal. An American once described Hong Kong to me as 'New York on caffeine' and I think that says it all.

There's a wonderful Cantonese saying: 'The woman follows the man - her father when young, her husband in her middle years and her son in her older years.' And that is what I did: went with my husband and family to Singapore. The rest is history.

The biggest professional learning curve for me back here in Hong Kong is learning who, what and where to turn to when I want to get something done, meet someone or access information. I had been in Singapore for so long that if I needed something or had an idea, I knew where to take it, how much I could push it, how far it would fly, how much flexibility there was and where I would fit in. In Hong Kong I'm not at this stage yet, so there is still a bit of feeling my way. A lot has happened here in 20 years and chatting to people, networking and finding out who does what in this town is crucial. I also like pushing the boundaries, otherwise you're just running on the spot.

I work with a great bunch of people here at HKAF [Hong Kong Arts Festival], so coming on board and immediately dealing with the logistics of a huge annual event has been made so much easier thanks to the experience and professionalism of those I am lucky to be working with.

I am already well underway with programmes for the 2008 and 2009 Hong Kong Arts Festivals. I have also been invited to visit Barcelona this year and am looking forward to that and the wonderful artists based there, as well as other cities I am sure I will be visiting in the coming 12 months. There are strong arts initiatives being promoted regionally and internationally through organisations such as AAPPAC [Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centres], which is wonderful for the Asian arts scene as a whole, and I will continue promoting Hong Kong arts through this. I'm also personally interested in getting to know the Hong Kong arts scene better, so I will be attending whatever I can at the various arts and performance venues. All this is called 'work', however, for me it is also pure indulgence as I'm a glutton for anything to do with the arts, so this position is a dream come true.

I have also made it something of a mission to try and keep up to date with all that is happening in the arts here in Hong Kong, so every day I try to read the various publications that are produced here in Hong Kong with a focus on the arts.

I remember not long after leaving the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, where I had been general manager for nine years, I attended my first recital as a member of the general public. It suddenly occurred to me during the performance that I could sit back and enjoy the music. I didn't have to worry about anything, I didn't have to take notes, I was responsible for nothing. It was a strange but wonderful realisation and provided food for thought about performances from an audience perspective.

I also enjoy writing - a bit of fiction, biographies, writing and editing books on theatre. I have been extremely lucky and have had the opportunity to be involved with some wonderful authors and their written works. This is still a passion of mine and one I hope to continue in Hong Kong.

Beyond the arts I love cooking. I don't measure or follow recipes. I just grab whatever is in the cupboard and throw in handfuls of this and that. I love informal entertaining but try to keep it simple. I serve dishes such as big plates of pasta and salad, lamb shanks or other dishes that leave me free to enjoy the company of my family and guests.

The one moment I love in a performance, which can only be compared to 'waiting to exhale', is at the end, when you know something tumultuous is about to happen as the audience has been totally engrossed and their appreciation is about to erupt and be demonstrated.

I worked for a long time with a wonderful composer and the one thing I always admired was his curiosity about music. I once asked him which particular composer and composition was his favourite. He replied: 'It is always the one I am working on now.' This makes sense, as you must give your all to whatever you are currently working on and this is how I view the arts festival. It is like my baby and is the focus of every ounce of energy and imagination I can contribute towards its continued success.

At this time of the year, of course, much of my time each day is spent being interviewed about the upcoming festival [February 27 - March 25]. Until the close of the festival, my days will be getting longer and longer as I finalise all the arrangements and logistics for the many international artists who will be here in Hong Kong.

Once the festival starts, my days will seem to merge into one long day I'm sure, as I will be attending perfor-mances on many nights as well as travelling around to the various venues to make sure everything is going smoothly for both artists and audience.

From a world perspective, Hong Kong has a rapidly growing and evolving arts scene, however, it is still a little hard to find out about everything that is happening. The arts festival is a wonderful and documented example of the development and growth of the arts in this city and so many new performance groups have been established and new venues opened, so the future for the arts looks extremely bright.'