Paul Salmon is at the forefront of a new revolution: a “post-desk” world where people no longer need to sit for hours at a time to get work done. With a unique technology at hand, Paul and his company Askisi are bringing the benefits of standing desks to schools. How did he do this? The same way he brought renowned brands like Lamborghini, Canon, and PricewaterhouseCoopers together in a single forum: through an integration of passion and necessity.
Paul never expected this would be the case when he started out 35 years ago. A native of Melbourne, Australia, he played professionally in the Australian Football League for almost 20 years, being inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame upon retirement. It would’ve only made sense that he continue working in football forever, right? However, Paul was always thinking beyond the field of battle.
The AFL legend loved finding ways to apply physical activity to everyday life and encouraging behavioral change in teams, which led him to create a company called Work at Play in 1993. W@P simulated elite sporting environments so that big companies could benefit from delivering key messages to employees in a more powerful manner, teaching them how to use elite sports as a means for personal growth and team building. Keep in mind that while he was running Work at Play, he was also still a star player for AFL teams Hawthorn and Essendon.
His next venture would prove to be even more fruitful. As founder of Premium Brands Group, his company worked with some of the biggest brands in the world to find areas in which they could improve their marketing strategies, partner with other companies, and network. Its philosophy was based on the "spirit of mutual cooperation". The payoff was big but better things still awaited.
His next venture would give Paul a completely new title: inventor. His wife Jo happens to be a world-leading researcher in the field of physical activity and is co-director of the Institute of Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University in Melbourne. So when he learned that trendy standing desks could have actually huge benefits for students who usually sit all day at school, and that there were none specifically designed for the classroom, a light went on in his head. That, and the fact that today we have the most sedentary generation in the history of mankind, inspired him to start Askisi and begin focusing squarely on ways to bring more movement into the lives of everyday people, in this case, children, and design the perfect adjustable-height standing desk for schools. With a future built around artificial intelligence integrated into the desk, his goal to change the world by re-engineering learning environments could be a reality one day.
Considering the responsibilities on his shoulders right now, it’s no secret that the key to his success comes from expert time management. Even when he travels, every second counts and Paul doesn’t have an hour to waste comparing flights online or dealing with apathetic travel agents. For that reason, he’s become a loyal customer of boutique travel company Executive Flights. “Working with Executive Flights has allowed me to know I’m getting the best price on the flights I need,” Paul said. “They pay attention to even the smallest details and have made the whole process easier and better for me. At 205 cm. tall, I also need partners who understand my needs.”
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