Mark de Souza, Manager in the luxury watch industry, Australia

Meet Mark. I have met Mark the first time when I was interviewed to work at Watches of Switzerland in Perth. Over an approximate 1 year time period I had worked together with Mark as my manager. The nice thing was that I felt more like a friend to Mark than just a staff and soon we would be out grabbing drinks together and experiencing some nice adventures together. I had come to respect Mark as a manager, mens style advocate and a good friend who you can have a serious conversation with yet still is always up for some fun. Having been myself in the position of not being satisfied with what I had studied (marketing and management) I often spoke to Mark about himself and how he managed after he realised that what he had studied is not right for him. Now succeeding and moving up the ladders Mark has found what fulfils him and therefore enjoys his work life. Finding what you love, is the key to success, as you are never as good as someone who loves what he/she is doing.

What is your name? Mark de Souza

Where do you come from?  I was born in Singapore, but have resided in Perth since a very young age.

As a little child, do you remember what was your dream job? I’ve had a passion for music and the creative arts for as long as I can remember. Growing up learning, involving and succeeding in a number of musical outlets, I always dreamed of becoming famous for it!

What is your profession now? I’m currently in the Swiss Watch Industry as a Manager for Watches Of Switzerland Australia (Perth to be precise)

Are you happy with your work life? I’m very happy with my work life! Having applied myself to an initial career path I found ultimately unfulfilling (Commerce/Accountancy), I decided to give something I’m honestly passionate about a go. Allowing my university education to direct my decision making, in conjunction with being naturally driven to apply myself to something I enjoy, it helped me work my way into the fulfilling position I’m in now.

If you could relive your life what advise would you give yourself?  I would tell myself to chase my dreams and to exercise a bit more urgency in doing so. As cheesy as it sounds, you only do get one chance at life. So the earlier you figure out who you want to be, where you want to be, and how to get there, the easier it’s going to be to make that happen.

What does happiness mean for you? Happiness to me is being wealthy. Not necessarily in monetary terms, but being surrounded by those who care for me, being able to sleep easy knowing I live every day to the best of my ability, being able to enjoy the spoils of success knowing it’s been earned with integrity.

Was there a moment of doubt or darkness in your life? If so how did you manage to overcome this negativity? Definitely. The moment I came to the realisation that I’d invested so much time, money and hard work into a career that left me feeling more so unfulfilled than anything else. It lead to my eventual, extremely premature retirement from the industry, which left me feeling very lost and confused.

From here I forced myself to find something that interested me, something that would make me happy as opposed to anyone else. Through this I discovered something. I found that involving myself in something I had true passion for resulted in a new found motivation to apply myself at a level never experienced before. I had a natural drive to work that much harder and achieve results I truly wanted to see achieved. From this I managed to work myself into a position I’m happy in and came to a realisation that if you find something you truly want to do and do it, it’s hard not to do it well.

If you could grant yourself one wish, what would it be?  I’m presuming the fact you’ve stated “one wish” would disallow me from wishing for more wishes. So with that in mind it’d probably be for superior health, or something along those lines. With that said, having super powers of some kind would be pretty bad ass…

What is the most important thing in life?  It’d be a toss up between health and happiness I’d say. Being honestly happy for the reasons mentioned in my previous answers would leave me living a life I’d be more than content with.

What advise for life can you give me? My advice would be to simply do what you love and do it well! Surround yourself by those who will nourish you, and don’t be afraid to take chances.

His taste of fashion is impeccable, as he likes to show even when at work.

Working together has always its perks, a laugh, a serious talk or simply some beers.

Playing as a guitarist for a local band Mark had already toured some parts of the planet. 

Also the photographers of Perths Fashion Festivals noticed Marks style.