Q&A with Chris Dobson, Group Executive Officer of Mmd, the public affairs and corporate communications consultancy.

Mmd is a corporate, public affairs and public relations agency with offices across Eurasia, Central and Eastern Europe, and South East Europe.  Mmd received a Stevie Award for Communications Campaign of the Year in Europe in The 2009 International Business Awards.

What book are you currently reading?
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. It’s been on my reading list for about twenty years. Finally got around to it!

What was the last movie you saw, and would you recommend it?
Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino , and yes, I would, very much so.

What is your favorite sport or hobby?
I love cricket and football (soccer), plus listening to music, reading—nothing too original, I’m afraid…

Who is your favorite historical figure?
A tough one, and depends on my mood and whether we’re talking politics, commerce, or culture. I’ll be non-controversial and plump for Elvis—a trip to Graceland a few years back was a real highlight.

Who is your favorite living person?
Easy: My three-month-old son, William.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?
Until the last year or two, I’d always wished I’d been a trader in the finance sector. Now I’m not so sure!

What do you think is the worst bad habit to have at work?
At work or anywhere: smoking. And indiscretion.

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates?
Indefatigability. (I also like the word…)

Is there anything you'd like to improve about your own work practices?
Plenty, as I’m sure my team would testify. I think maximizing efficiency in time management is an ongoing battle for us all nowadays.

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Xinhua Sports & Entertainment Limited (XSEL) in Shanghai, China received two Stevie Awards at The 2009 International Business Awards, presented in New York this month, for Single-Market Company of the Year in Asia and Executive of the Year in Asia. Here we look at what the company is doing, and at the woman behind it all, Fredy Bush.

Xinhua Sports & Entertainment Limited (XSEL) is one of the foremost sports and entertainment media companies in China.  XSEL's strengths revolve around its ability to offer international sports programming and high-profile entertainment content to the Chinese market.  Fredy Bush has been the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since the company’s founding in November 2005.

A Non-traditional Success Story
An American-born single mother, Fredy has a non-traditional success story for the CEO of a publicly held company. Raised in the U.S. state of Utah, Fredy was one of eight children.   A mother at sixteen, Fredy by-passed college to support her family, and worked at clerical and secretarial work to get herself off welfare.  At the age of 26, she jumped at an exceptional opportunity to work overseas with the Taiwan Feed & Grain Association.  From there, Fredy capitalized on the emerging Asian markets and started up a consulting business that she eventually brought over to China.  These early years helped her build a foundation in Asian markets that would lead to her success today.

Content Is King, Access Is Key
Fredy built XSEL’s success on the idea that “content is king and access is key.”  Recognizing that the entertainment industry had insufficient high-quality content in the Chinese market, Fredy’s goal was to provide exclusive premium sports content across the three screen platforms of television, mobile phone, and the Internet.  These platforms not only attracted a young audience, they also generated revenue via advertising, sponsorships, product placement, advertising, and pay-per-view fees. 

XSEL has been successful in obtaining international content for distribution in China. The company now provides Chinese audiences with premium content from top international sports leagues and federations around the world.  XSEL has become the exclusive distributor of NHL, NFL, and NCAA football and basketball in China; and in 2009-2010 XSEL will deliver live matches from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to television, Internet, and mobile platforms across China.

Blogs, or web logs, are all the rage these days. Each month in this space we'll point you to several blogs and web sites that we think might be of interest to you.

Clusterstock: An online business news site for the digital age dedicated to aggregating, reporting and analyzing the top news stories across the web and delivering them at rapid-fire pace.
Fast Lane : Want to know what's going on at GM these days? Read their blog …
Health Beat : A site airing views on the health care industry and the health reform debate in the U.S.A..
Thru-You.com: Site for video mixes by the composer known as Kutiman. Also to be found on You Tube under "Kutiman mixes You Tube."