Co-founder of Unplug Chris Flack takes the Business & Finance 60 second challenge.
Q: What was your first job? As a cleaner at the local sports centre. Q: What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date? One month before my father died, getting his favourite singer Katie Melua to come play at the family house. Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Do what you love. Q: If you could step into the shoes of one business person for the day, who would it be and why? Sudha Murthy, chairperson of Infosys Foundation. She became one of India’s strongest business leaders in a male-dominated culture, and from day one of her involvement of Infosys – now one of the biggest tech firms in the world – she ensured that there was a strong focus on helping local, social causes. Q: In three words or less, how do you define success? Happiness. Q: How do you motivate yourself and your staff? Ensuring that everyone on the team is passionate about the core values and mission. Q: How do you relax? Meditation, yoga, reading, learning the guitar, dancing, trekking in the mountains, cycling, and cooking. Q: What’s your motto? Enjoy the now. Q: What are your aspirations for the future of your business? To help people worldwide through Unplug programmes to achieve better focus, sleep and resilience through #TechLifeBalance.
Sudha Murthy became one of India’s strongest business leaders in a male-dominated culture
East meets west
In his own words: “The Unplug Diet programme mashes up the best of eastern practice (yoga/meditation) with science (a panel of neuroscience/CBT experts and psychologists are involved) and makes it accessible to all by using simple language, hence the name Unplug.”
Flack spent 15 years working in corporate sales and understands the complex stresses of modern working life.
In 2012 he moved to India to work with NGOs and study meditation and yoga. Having attended meditation and yoga retreats around the world and having worked with some of the leading teachers in India, he recognised that despite its benefits eastern philosophy doesn’t translate easily to modern western society.
As someone who has experienced huge benefits from meditation, his mission is to make it more accessible to everyone through fun, sustainable Unplug programmes.
He returned to Ireland from India in 2014 and set up Unplug in 2015. He also works as a fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis Ireland, teaches yoga and meditation and runs the pre-work music festival Morning Gloryville Dublin.
For more information on Unplug, #TechLifeBalance Summit and Unplug4Kids festival, visit unplug.ie.
