Managing Partner John Camilleri on finding ‘harmony’ between one’s professional and personal lives

NEO Search Partners Managing Partner and Founder John Camilleri on Wednesday highlighted the need to strike a balance between life at work and at home, together with the importance of establishing a boundary between the two.

Nowadays, remote working arrangements have completely changed people’s perspectives on finding a work-life balance. Through technology, more people are becoming accustomed to working from home, which has had a significant impact on how they view their lives away from the hectic day-to-day activities at work.

This has been the case for Mr Camilleri, who recently entered fatherhood, a change that has had a profound impact on his work “priorities” and “perspective”.

He initially thought that the flexibility of remote work provided through his electronic devices would give him the “convenience and flexibility to work anywhere and anytime”, yet Mr Camilleri explained that “reality has a way of teaching valuable lessons”.

“A memorable moment occurred when I was juggling the responsibilities of feeding my four-month-old baby while simultaneously responding to an email that seemed urgent at the time. It dawned on me that my focus was misdirected,” he said.

“My baby, in his own charming way, reminded me that not everything can be tackled through the art of multitasking,” he remarked, before adding that certain priorities require one’s “complete and undivided attention”.

Mr Camilleri said: “This lesson hit home when I looked up from my screen to find that I had the bottle lodged neatly in baby Enzo’s ear. It was a humorous yet poignant reminder that sometimes, life’s most important moments require our full presence.”

He added that in life, whatever one’s priorities are, they need to be shaped in a way to help find “harmony” between the roles played at work and at home.

“Embracing this is already enriching my life and work in countless ways,” he concluded.

Mr Camilleri has worked at Japan-based NEO Search Partners for a year and a half. The company provides executive and senior-level recruitment solutions in the Asia-Pacific region and Japan, developing a project-based hiring method that makes “high quality retained search possible through all layers of leadership, not just the boardroom”.

His previous experience includes managerial and consultancy positions at a number of international firms, including at Zensho Agency Inc, Saachi Partners Co. Ltd, and NSTS Malta, among others. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in International Relations with Near Eastern Studies from University of Malta, as well as other qualifications specialising in Japanese language and business.