WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?

Wanting to be part of, even if in a minor way, the many adventures that the talented entrepreneurs we work with and our investment team dream up.

It is this spirit of adventure and desire to be part of a collective team effort, often involving many people across a broad range of skill sets all pushing in the same direction to achieve the same exciting goal, that drives me on.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB?

I love the broad range of challenges that we are confronted with day-to-day and having to quickly find solutions that work; often having to take an immediate view on complex legal points with a lazer focus on what really matters commercially.  I do all I can to keep the adventure going whilst trying to take a sensible commercial view on risk.

I also love working on deals across the UK, Europe and Israel on a regular basis. You get some quite unique insights into market terms, practices and cultural approaches and meet some fascinating people which makes the job incredibly fulfilling.

Finally, the whole start-up/scale-up mentality of attempting to take on the big goliaths of industry or create pioneering new solutions to problems at pace with limited resources but an intense drive, unwavering commitment and an innovative, positive approach is something that I find inspiring and appeals to my psyche.  

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

Transitioning from being a “big law” lawyer working on billion-dollar M&A deals to becoming a tech-focused venture capital lawyer.

The transition involved quite a bit of soul searching and a bit of a leap of faith, especially as I went through the re-skilling process, but it was definitely worth it and I have never looked back.

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

“A chance is like a leaf on a river, if you don’t grasp it firmly it may be gone for ever.”

About 8 years ago I entered a multi-day ultra-marathon trail race in Nepal, and one of the Nepalese participants was a female ultra-runner, Mira Rai, who subsequently became an elite world-class ultra-runner. This is her favourite quote; inspired by her experience of leaving a life of limited opportunity, as a women living in the mountains of Nepal with entrenched traditional views on what could be achieved, to becoming a world class ultra-marathon runner. She turned up out the blue at a trail race in Nepal with no trainers or experience but never looked back. She has since started to inspire a generation of women in Nepal to believe life has a lot more to offer them than their entrenched historic views had them believe.

I use this phrase in all aspects of my life, especially in my day-to-day job. Whenever an exciting opportunity presents itself for our portfolio companies or investment team, I think of this phrase and realise that I have to do all I can to help bring the chance to life.

It brings the spirit of adventure to every day and helps you live a life of limited regrets; if you have done all you can to try to crystalise an opportunity, you can have no regrets.

It was this philosophy that also led to me to Eight Roads.