How does your usual day look like?

During week-days I wake up at 5 am and take one of the 2 dogs out, normally at that time the Doberman is a bit more reactive. 3 km along the lakeside or the seafront (if I work from home), light breakfast and about 4 times a week gym with my fantastic PT.  At 7.30-8.00 I am ready to go. 

I check LinkedIn and Facebook posts of the companies and events we  follow.  Then it depends...my job changes every day and I can be with my clients at their offices, working alongside them to find the best growth strategies, or I can help them re-organising their company set up, help them with their business plans, evaluate their growth potential, help them to think through their team and performance. 

At the moment, most of our clients are based in Europe, but we are starting to gain tracking in the U.S.. Managing a portfolio of clients with varying complexities means, I have to be well organised and coordinate with project leaders on a regular basis. Every Friday, I have video calls with my team, to see where we are at, and if they need input. It is also a great format to celebrate wins during the week and share best practice ideas.  

Except for occasional evening events, at 7 p.m. I have dinner with my husband; and by  9 p.m. I am already in bed where I practice my visualisation technique and read until 10.30pm. 

What are the things you like the most about your job?

I love to see the impact we have on our clients. When their vacation rental businesses grow, we have done a good job. It is very fulfilling.  Every year a ranking of the world's top property managers comes out and to my satisfaction, we work with or have worked in the past with most of the top 10 vacation rental businesses. 

What are some of the skills you utilise the most in your day-to-day?

Financial  analysis , I am very quick and good with numbers.  I know it is nothing sexy, but very often numbers say a lot about a company and the people in it.

What was one of your happiest days in your career and why?

When I opened our new office in London in 2024. It is a city that I love, that’s so vibrant and filled with opportunities. Having a branch there means we can better develop the UK market, which has been growing rapidly since 2021 and now many property managers are having to decide what to do with their business.

What has been your greatest challenge on your career path and how did you overcome it?

The combination of tourism industry and pandemic was certainly a black swan event we never imaged. But my grandmother always told me, that the most difficult situations often also have the potential to bring great opportunities. So after the first 24 hours of panic after the announcement of the border closures, I and the board decided to give free advice online to anyone who needed it. Of course, economically speaking it was a disaster, but then what we did with the companies we followed gave us a lot of visibility.

What is something you had to learn to become better at your job?

Separating friendship from work - friendships can cloud your judgment.  I know, it sounds horrible but unfortunately sometimes the people closest to us can blind us. It happened to me, that a close friend I employed acted in bad faith and over time this became a business risk, endangering the future and prosperity of the firm and all the people that work there. I had to remove her from her responsibilities

How did you get to become a CEO?

I never felt fit for this role, but since the pandemic I have had this reputation of being able to lift up companies that were considered hopeless and without funds into the  biggest property managers in Europe. So I started getting a lot of requests for help and people that wanted to learn from me. So I just accepted this role.

What are the top three pieces of advice you would give to other women aiming to achieve long-term success in their careers?

Don't be afraid to speak in a room full of men, you are just as good as them (if not even better).

Follow your instincts: A woman’s superpower is her instinct and intuition. Listen to it more often. 

Surround yourself with the right people for you and your personality. Shared values matter. 

Professional networking for women matters because…

Together we are stronger. I find that networking helps to  open our minds and gives us insights into the lives of others. Instead of fearing rivalry with other women, we can learn to connect and share knowledge and insights, for a stronger professional bond and opportunities for everyone.