| These are serious, ponderous times. So we're travelling to the firm's newly created management concept, an annual offsite in Munich, called an Ideas-fest, where jj Ingersoll, our head of global focus, is capable of anything, including a good idea. "The bitch is out to get me," he confides from the comfort of our soundproof limo, with no-one around to hear but Yin-Li Tattle, Davis More Winmore-Somemore, and Sven "the Mouth" Horliksen. "Surely you meant to say, 'my favourite colour is blue'," I suggest, aware that our colleagues can do more damage to a reputation than a dodgy balustrade in California. But jj is referring to Stella de Santos, the firm's newly recruited head of us and Asian regional focus - incorporating a special mandate for emerging focuses, or blurs. Since the firm hired her from Donaldson Daisy & Laundrette, jj has been edgy - prone to even greater client-driven falsehoods than in normal times. Meanwhile, inside the Ideas-fest we step over a couple of the younger members of staff, creased up, vomiting over something they've heard. We look out for Stella, and sure enough there she is, knocking out ideas. |