Testimonials & Career Journeys

I’ve always been curious about people. Growing up across multiple countries and cultures, I’ve been drawn to understanding what motivates individuals and how they navigate their careers.

I also love problem-solving. Search is a dynamic challenge - an iterative process of testing hypotheses and course-correcting until we find the right solution. The satisfaction of achieving a win-win-win outcome is both intellectually and emotionally rewarding.

I believed in Clare Johnston’s vision when we first spoke in 2010, and my conviction remains as strong today. Back then, ‘digital’ was still called ‘internet’, Series A funding rarely exceeded £1m, and ‘unicorn’ was a child’s word. Clare and the team saw the potential, and so did I.

Having worked in both executive search and in-house roles at Amazon, AOL, and Excite, I knew the challenges of scaling a business first-hand. I wanted to help founders and investors navigate those growth pains. As the digital economy has exploded, so has The Up Group, evolving alongside our clients. We speak their language because we’ve lived their journey.

Taking a leap of faith in Clare and The Up Group. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together - a team of fantastic people, a business with real impact, and the privilege of advising the world’s most innovative companies.

First, my role as the family alarm clock at 6:30am (6am on ambitious days), followed by a spin class and a strong espresso!

Professionally, it’s the opportunity to make a difference. We help founders disrupt industries, support scale-ups on their journey to unicorn status, and guide leaders through hypergrowth. Our work shapes careers, companies, and industries, and the market intelligence we gain in the process keeps every day intellectually stimulating.

I almost became a war correspondent.

At 22, I was enroute to Grozny as a junior CNN reporter but ended up in Moscow working for a think tank. A job search there led me to Korn Ferry - and executive search found me. It’s been the best accident of my life, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Weekends are active and family-filled. You’ll find me in trainers, not heels, running around with my children, negotiating between museums and escape rooms. I also attempt (and often fail) at cooking, go on marathon walks with my partner, and unwind with Netflix, Spanish jamón, and a good Ribera del Duero.

When I can, I escape into fiction—Stefan Zweig, Graham Greene, John Steinbeck, Dostoevsky—with classical music and a pile of old Economists nearby. A recent personality test scored me 100 on ‘Traditional.’ I see why.

My grandfather always said: Hard work and determination go a long way; in fact, they are really the only way. I believe in that whole-heartedly.