DIARY: The speed demon turned researcher at AMI Hong Kong

Before committing himself to the rigid world of research, Philpott spent his years as a rally car driver, ranking in the world's top 15 between 1992 to 1995.

In fact, Philpott - who has been with AMI for the past five years - admits that the first 10 years of his career were simply to "pay the bills".

"I went to see rally car driving as a kid and two years later I entered my first competition (at the tender age of 17). I worked in research to pay the bills and it was flexible. I raced most of the time. I managed to keep it going until I left Europe, and took part in quite a few competitions."

Philpott certainly burnt rubber, winning the Irish championship four times, the British championship twice, and he came in the top five on four occasions at the European championship.

But what began as something to cover the rent in the '80s, when Philpott worked alongside Tim Balbirnie at a market research company in Ireland, evolved into a career in the '90s. "It was time to make a choice. In the '90s, it was really touch and go for me, and I knew I had to get serious."

Has that decision paid off? All Philpott will say is: "I think my clients can probably answer that one best."