This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stacey Kennedy, the US CEO for Philip Morris International, based in Stamford, Connecticut. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
I began my career with Philip Morris International, a tobacco company, in 1995 as a territory sales manager. I held several other positions before becoming vice president of sales for the Southeast region in Atlanta in 2006.
From there, I worked in Lausanne at the VP level and subsequently became the managing director for multiple countries in Europe, before being appointed president of the South and Southeast Asia region. I assumed the role of CEO of PMI’s US business in January 2023.
I just celebrated 30 years at PMI. I’ve spent half of my career in the US and half outside the US. I’m a former smoker myself who switched to IQOS, a heated tobacco product, more than a decade ago.
Here’s what a typical day in my life looks like.
I wake up between 6:30 a.m. and 7 a.m.
I allow myself five minutes to check my phone and ensure there’s nothing urgent, as we’re a global business and things can happen overnight.
I start my mornings with a mantra of ‘pay myself first.’ I’ve adopted the mental image of putting my own oxygen mask on first, because if you start the day refreshed, you can show up as a better leader.
In my ideal morning, I get out of the house and take a mindful walk in my neighborhood. I add a 15-minute yoga routine after the walk.
The less ideal morning is when I skip the walk, either because the weather isn’t great or I decide to trade it for 30 minutes of extra sleep, and then try to get my 15 minutes of yoga and stretching to start the day, regardless.
I’m not a big breakfast person, so I might grab a handful of berries or a couple of figs. I always have a double espresso from my Nespresso machine. Occasionally, I’ll have a matcha from a Cuzen Matcha maker.
I hit the road for my office around 8 a.m.
I usually go into the office in Stamford four days a week on average, and it’s about a 25-minute drive away. What makes me anxious before walking into the office is whether the business is moving fast enough — if we’re innovating with urgency while staying disciplined and responsible.
My mornings are filled with meetings. I’ve ensured we have a well-organized office layout with numerous open spaces, a barista bar, and coffee corners.
I spend a lot of my morning with my direct reports, working on our strategic plans, and there’s a lot of travel mixed in there, too.
We have our flagship factory in Owensboro, Kentucky, and we’re building a new factory in Aurora, Colorado. Additionally, we have an office in Washington, D.C., where I spend time on policy and regulatory matters. I work with our teams and policymakers and regulators, including the FDA, to ensure adult smokers have access to better alternatives.
My calendar is typically scheduled a year in advance
We start with the global management team and board meetings, which are fixed on the calendar. We’re usually six weeks out for non-fixed things that come up on the schedule.
We’ve developed interesting ways to ensure that there’s free and flexible time. We have something called P.O.D.D. meetings — a problem, opportunity, discussion, and decision meeting. We address issues that arise and ensure we don’t miss a critical opportunity.
One of my leadership principles is to identify your strengths and operate from a position of strength, while also acknowledging your weaknesses. I have my fair share of flaws; one of mine is the importance of running timely, efficient, and effective meetings.
I’m not a particularly timely person myself — I just don’t possess that capability. To me, time is a concept, and as a curious person, I love engaging in conversations. When I get into a deep discussion or solve a problem, I honestly can’t tell you if I’ve spent 40 minutes or four hours, because I’m fully immersed. My husband is an extremely timely person, so this drives him bananas.
I take an hour lunch and have meetings during it
I think it’s a great way to sit and hear different topics from different groups.
I usually have lunch in a conference room or an open space. Sometimes, I go down to the canteen, but I prefer to have a smaller group with me so I can actually have a conversation.
If I’m choosing my meal, it’s usually a salad with grilled chicken and a drizzle of olive oil. If it’s a lunch arranged around a bigger meeting, my assistant chooses, and I’m very happy to eat what someone else has decided. It’s one less decision to make.
My afternoons are full of, you guessed it, meetings
I take a moment at the end of the day with my chief of staff and assistant to reflect on what we accomplished that day and review the schedule for the rest of the week.
My job is very demanding, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed; it’s also easy to get frustrated. My non-negotiable indulgence that gets me through the day is a strong espresso and an IQOS break.
During the moments when things feel overwhelming, I almost always go to a gratitude practice. It’s amazing how much it shifts your entire mood and perspective away from the things that frustrate or make you grumpy and onto the things that are so important to be grateful for.
I leave the office around 6:30 p.m.
I try to have dinner with the family at 7 p.m., but sometimes it ends up being 7:30 p.m., depending on whether my teenage 16-year-old twins have sports practice after school.
Normally, I’m the chef, and when I travel, I try to set my husband up for success — he’s definitely not a chef. We had to have crockpot lessons.
I cook a Mediterranean-style diet. It’s likely a salad with grilled fish and possibly rice.
We have a ‘check your phone at the door’ policy, and it’s been a game changer for the whole family. My husband almost always brings an interesting topic to the dinner table. It’s a great way for our kids to develop their own perspective on things.
My husband’s tried to get me into some TV series, but it’s just not my jam
I’ve gotten into a couple of shows with the kids on weekends, and my son has a wicked sense of humor, so we got into Parks and Recreation. We don’t watch TV during the week, because they’re off with their homework.
I almost always have a decaf espresso with my husband after dinner and debrief on our day.
I read in the evening for anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes. I usually allow myself two fiction books and a nonfiction book. I save fiction for the weekend, because once I start a fiction book, it’s really hard to put it down.
I typically go to bed around 11 p.m.
Going to bed before 10 p.m. is really tough for me, but I try to have my lights out by 11 p.m. so I can have an ideal morning.
I usually do a quick check-in before I start reading, so if everything’s OK by 10 p.m., we’re good to go.
If I check in, I try not to get caught up in responding to everyone. Sometimes I do. I might send my chief of staff a quick note so that she can get this organized first thing in the morning, but I limit myself to no more than five to 10 minutes of work-related tasks at night.
When I go to bed, I’m a great sleeper. I’m about asleep the second my head hits the pillow.
I try not to work on the weekend, but things always come up
I rarely go into the office, but I do work to engineer any tasks that need to be done on the weekends around the family schedule.
I attend as many regattas as I can. My son is in crew and loves it, and my daughter’s in debate. I volunteer as a parent judge at debate competitions.
My non-routine routine is what helps me show up as my best. If I’m too routine and scheduled, I feel like I’m in a box. I need a bit of free space and curiosity to drive me.