What do you do and how long have you been in your current role?
I am the general manager of Stubhub International, leading the company's international expansion journey which started with our UK launch in March 2012. I joined Stubhub, part of the Ebay family of companies, at the end of 2011 and moved from New York to London to start this exciting adventure.
Where was your first job? What was the most important thing you learnt there?
My very first job was directing a (struggling) performing arts venue in France. There my main focus was fundraising and helping to scale our theatre business to grow attendance numbers. I learnt that through hard work, passion and creative thinking I could transform the business and inspire a team. It was a challenging but great foundation for my career and helped me understand how I could have a real impact in a team.
How did you get from there to where you are now?
It has been an incredible journey which has taken me to three different countries in the last 20 years. I have been lucky enough to have lived and worked in France, the US and the UK and enjoy diverse experiences – from start-ups to huge global organisations – and to manage teams large and small. Throughout this my North Star has always been innovative companies with a global footprint (be that real or aspirational) and inspiring people who have made me want to be part of their teams.
I have been very lucky but I have also taken lots of risks and not hesitated to change when I felt I was no longer in love with my job.
Looking back, did you expect your career path to take the course it has?
No… and that would apply more broadly to the path my life has taken too. While I do have some core beliefs and values which have helped guide some of my choices, I never had a precise roadmap in mind. All I knew was that I wanted to learn, grow, travel, meet diverse people and engage with passion in my professional adventures. I was very interested in new technology, most likely influenced by my partner who is an IT guru, and so I was lucky to work in mobile early on when GSM networks were nascent across the globe.
Would you do anything differently?
While I do not regret any of choices and adventures, I do sometimes wish I could suspend time or rewind to key moments of my life which have gone by far too quickly. And most of these revolve around my family; my two kids Thomas and Alice, as well as my husband Laurent.
Who has inspired you along the way?
There are many business leaders, men and women, I admire but truthfully I get a lot of my inspiration outside of the business world. Great artists, writers, athletes or politicians such as Da Vinci, Mozart, Shakespeare and Ghandi are just some of the names I have in mind. I also admire many of the great men and women I see sharing their real life experiences on TED (technology, entertainment and design) idea conferences. And last, but not least, my husband is a great chief counsel and cheerleader. I take inspiration from his incredible depth of knowledge and insatiable curiosity in all topics.
Have you ever had a job interview that went particularly well or spectacularly wrong?
I think I am my own worst critic and am never 100% satisfied with myself after an interview. When I’m conscious of time and the need to make a good impression quickly I can end up speaking too fast or failing to share all the key experiences that I meant to. Sometimes it’s just not quite managing to connect with the interviewer.
Luckily I don’t have any horror stories of interviews which went horribly wrong. But I do remember vividly one great interview as part of my lengthy interview process at Dow Jones where I spent the entire hour laughing and really connecting with the interviewer. I ended up there for six years and now count her as a really close friend.
Is there a piece of career advice you’ve ever been told that has stuck with you?
Adapt, don’t be afraid of change, and be persistent.
What career advice would you give to your 21-year-old self?
Take even more risks and explore the world.
How do you wind down and relax after a hectic day?
When I travel and do not have a business dinner, it is generally going to the gym or for a walk in whichever city I might be and going to bed early reading a book on my Kindle or iPad.
When I do not travel, it is about having dinner with my husband - who is a great cook - and kids, watching a movie if it is not too late and if my kids do not have too much homework, and trying to truly disconnect. This can be the most challenging aspect as Stubhub’s headquarters are in San Francisco and time zones tend to mean a long working day.
Want to share your career story with us as part of the ? Email associate editor Rachel Bull to feature in a future How I Got Here.
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