Professional Title

CEO, Board Director, Entrepreneur & Investor

What’s one thing you’re learning right now — professionally or personally?

I am continuously learning how leaders and boards can govern artificial intelligence without slowing innovation. While technology evolves at an unprecedented pace, the real challenge is not the technology itself, it is creating governance models that preserve accountability, ethics, and human judgment while enabling organizations to move faster.

In your view, what makes a truly effective board member?

A truly effective board member combines curiosity, courage, and humility. Curiosity to ask better questions, courage to challenge assumptions and engage in constructive dissent, and humility to recognize that no single director has all the answers. The best board members balance oversight with strategic thinking and focus not only on protecting value but also on helping create it.

Beach, mountains, city, or countryside — what’s your ideal getaway?

After spending much of my career traveling and living across five continents, I enjoy destinations where I can experience culture, history, and local perspectives with time for reflection. The best ideas often emerge when we step away from the boardroom.

What’s a small daily habit that makes a big difference for you?

One habit I value deeply is starting the day with an espresso while reading something completely unrelated to business as it helps me broaden my perspective and avoid becoming trapped in a single way of thinking.

What’s a book every board member should read?

I would recommend Boarding the Future: Governing Transformation from Boardroom to Startup, the book I recently launched. Admittedly, that may be a bit biased! However, I wrote it specifically to help board members, executives, and entrepreneurs navigate the intersection of governance, innovation, artificial intelligence, and organizational transformation in a rapidly changing world. 

Beyond that, I highly recommend The Effective Board by Robert Monks and Nell Minow. It provides timeless insights into board effectiveness and governance. I also encourage directors to embrace a mindset often shared in the startup world: “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.” In an era of disruption, the best boards avoid becoming attached to a single answer and instead remain focused on understanding the underlying challenges, asking better questions, and continuously adapting as circumstances evolve.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

"Stay curious."

Throughout my career, from engineering and operations to executive leadership, entrepreneurship, and board service, the willingness to keep learning has opened more doors than expertise alone.

In your experience, what differentiates great board chairs?

Great board chairs create an environment where diverse perspectives can be heard without losing focus on decision-making. They understand that governance is not about having all the answers; it is about orchestrating the right conversation.

The best chairs balance strategic vision with disciplined execution, encourage constructive challenge, and ensure that disagreement strengthens decisions rather than divides the board.

If you had an extra free hour every day, how would you spend it?

It would be dedicated to mentoring entrepreneurs, students, or emerging leaders. Throughout my career, I have benefited greatly from people who invested their time in me, and I believe one of the most meaningful ways to create impact is to help others accelerate their own journeys.

What’s the most unforgettable trip or experience you’ve ever had?

Rather than a single trip, what has been most unforgettable is the opportunity to immerse myself in different cultures as they taught me that there are many different ways to view the world, solve problems, and lead people. They reinforced one lesson that has stayed with me throughout my career: diversity of perspectives is not just valuable, it is essential for making better decisions and navigating an increasingly interconnected world.