The son of a soldier, Stephen Simmons was born in London, spent his early years in West Germany and Gibralter and later, during the chaotic years of China's cultural revolution, in Hong Kong. He too became a soldier. After resigning he worked in the equity market for Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia, for whom he is now country head in Thailand. He wrote Club Class in Asia Pacific (Editions Didier Millet), a guide to private members clubs in the Far East and Australasia. He is married with two grown-up children and divides his time between England and Bangkok from where he and his wife travel extensively through Southeast Asia.