What expertise do you bring to the founders you engage with?

I have been lucky to work with bright and talented leaders and to learn from them. This experience helped me to accumulate a very useful set of managerial skills and now it is my turn to share my knowledge and professional expertise. My main experience is in bringing the right people together to do meaningful things in a rapidly-changing environment. Empowering people gives me the deepest feeling of satisfaction. I am passionate about people and new ideas.

What business sectors are you most interested in?

For most of my career I have been working with consumer brands in services. Because of this, I instinctively lean towards products and services that make life simpler, more hassle free, more joyful. I love to work with ideas and projects that reinvent the way we live.

What’s the biggest business risk you’ve ever taken? Did it pay off?

I like to bring about change, with all the risks and rewards that entails. In business, risk and failure and risk and reward go hand in hand. To put it succinctly: if you believe in an idea you have to move forward and lead people to follow you.

Once I was part of a small team re-branding a telecoms company. There were some colleagues who were a little unsure and some who were strongly against it but we believed passionately in the idea and managed to convince the company to go ahead. The risks were huge: billions of dollars were at stake. Happily, the re-brand worked. Customer loyalty and emotional engagement with the company grew enormously and the results surpassed all expectations. Our big risk was recognized as a breakthrough in telecoms marketing.

If you could give a budding entrepreneur three bits of wisdom what would they be?

1. Be open and curious, talk to people: your clients, your partners, even your opponents. Learn from them and try to understand their insights.
2. Don’t be afraid to experiment and to take risks.
3. Stay humble.

What’s your favourite thing to do when you’re not working?

I love to spend time with my children and friends, enjoying conversation, fun and new experiences. We often go to the theatre and art exhibitions. I also enjoy yoga and road cycling, my new hobby.