WHAT’S BEEN THE STEEPEST LEARNING CURVE ON YOUR CAREER JOURNEY SO FAR?

Constantly being uncomfortable. Seeking opportunities to step outside my comfort zone, whether that’s been pivoting to learn a new remit/discipline (which I’ve done on many occasions, being truly passionate about learning) or generally making decisions that have enabled growth and challenged me to find a whole new perspective/solution. I’m a problem solver and that’s been the thread behind my career decisions to date. I’ve deliberately chosen moves that have enabled my growth, believing that’s how one truly learns and evolves. It’s not about a title for me. It’s about the journey, finding solutions in a truly collaborative way, opening your mind to new avenues and ways of doing things.

One of the most exciting phases of that journey was my time with Facebook, who went through rapid change and growth over the course of my tenure, from 2,500 to 5,500+ in EMEA alone. Being questioned every day about why you’re part of an organisation is fascinating, but also daunting (particularly when working in the public policy arena). I’ve never felt so close to a mission or more a part of something meaningful than during those years. Fast forward to today and I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity, every day, to support Founder CEOs on their own growth journeys, helping them to overcome various obstacles, and solve their biggest problems (whether people/talent related or otherwise) and it’s a true privilege and something I’m grateful for.

WHICH GLOBAL TECH TREND ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT AT THE MOMENT AND WHY?

AI is an exciting advancement that is changing the way we solve problems and I find that particularly fascinating as it can be applied to and transform almost any industry, whether healthcare (which is starting to see a shift more towards individual responsibility and ownership, which I believe to be right, particularly given the burden on the NHS brought to the forefront of our minds over the recent pandemic), through to automobiles/accident assessment and recovery, drug discovery, even enabling us to use data in more meaningful ways to drive transformation/problem solve across a host of industries. I think AI and ML more generally will be transformative in 2022 and beyond.

WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

I have worked in a host of environments, from large corporates earlier career through to smaller, evolving scrappy startups/scaleups more recently and the best piece of advice I was ever given, and that I consider carefully every day even now, was to bring my whole self to work and to be truly authentic.