What was your first job? In the media department of J Walter Thompson advertising agency in New Zealand.
What were your two key career moves? First, leaving the advertising business to travel and study. Second, joining the NGO sector and meeting the most astonishing and impressive people who really make a difference.
Why do you think you got your present job? I had long admired the One World Action approach to development, where all efforts are geared to strengthening local-level democracy. If you feel passionately about the work of an organisation, then you can really raise resources and its profile. This passion must have come through at the interview.
Who or what has been your biggest influence? Patricia Lewis, now director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, was my first boss in the development sector and made me want to stay. She has the best management skills I have ever come across.
What was the best moment of your career? Joining One World Action is the first time I've taken up a job not just because I was looking for one, but because I really wanted to work for this organisation.
... and your worst moment? When I was working at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, I received an email from one of our reporters in Kosovo asking me to pray for her as the Serb military police came to her door in 1998. It was two days before we found out she was still alive.
What is your tip for success? Keep it all in perspective, especially the role of fundraising, and keep bouncing!
How do you relax? I work four days a week and on my day off I take my baby son out for a big London adventure and see where we end up.
