This CEO thought he was healthy. Then he went for a check

AIA Australia chief Damien Mu ate well and exercised regularly, but tests showed he wasn’t as healthy as he assumed.

Damien Mu says he operates better in the morning with no breakfast. His first meal is usually lunch. Eamon Gallagher

Sally Patten and Lap Phan

Apr 15, 2025 – 5.00am

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Damien Mu assumed he was healthy. The chief executive of life insurer AIA in Australia ate well and exercised regularly. He doesn’t eat breakfast because he finds he functions better in the mornings without it.

But then Mu went for a health check. He had a near-perfect score on fitness, but his stress recovery was around 22 out of 100, and his restorative sleep was about 15.

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Sally PattenBOSS editorSally Patten edits BOSS, and writes about workplace issues. She was the financial services editor and personal finance editor of the AFR, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. She edited business news for The Times of London.