Annastasia Seebohm

“When you go through things, loss is one, you gain an ability to prioritise what’s important.”

““In this position of seniority, I think there’s an obligation to actually show a different and more feminine side to leadership. And I’ve found I’d be much more effective in staying close to my team and understanding what’s going on with the front line by showing emotion. I spent the last 12 months actively trying to soften a little bit, and it’s made such a huge difference with how I’m engaging with people.””

““So I actually chased Quintessentially for a job and applied over multiple years and in different places until they gave me a job. From there I worked very closely with the founders, and they threw me an opportunity to come out and run the US business. We tripled in size very quickly, and then I took the reins. I just sort of rose up, learning from them, actually.””

““My first adult job was as an executive assistant, which means I got to see everything from the top and how a company runs. I got all the boss’s emails. I could also see all the numbers, which meant I could see how a business ran. It was amazing. It gave me the best insight into operating a business.””

““Sweden is so conscious in its impact and sustainability agenda, and businesses see that they have a responsibility to impact society positively in the long term. And that's something that I think is very unique to this market and I think the rest of the world needs to be educated on.””

““It's very transparent. It's a very non-hierarchical, relaxed working culture and creative and collaborative.””

““I absolutely adore Malala. I find her very inspiring. Equally, I find Emma Watson incredibly inspiring and as Angela Merkel is now finished in office I would love the opportunity to hear from her... and then I'm really inspired by the decisions that Alexandre Arnault makes, so I would love to be able to get him on stage too.””

““You just have the most amazing group of interesting people driving change and impact, and I feel so fortunate to get to learn from them every day,””

““They started looking for a new CEO and I was headhunted. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I knew I was excited by it as soon as I got to know the board. It just cemented that this is absolutely what I wanted to do,””

““I was lucky enough to be invited as a guest to Brilliant Minds in 2018 and 2019. And I had the most amazing experience. I thought it was a really unique gathering of the most interesting people convening on the most important issues of our time.””

“I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I always knew the woman I wanted to be.”

“Look, I talk to strangers all the time…I met my husband on an airplane. You know, I've met so many interesting people on airplanes.””

““in the beginning. There were many times I was mistaken for an executive assistant instead of the CEO when people arrived to meet the CEO””

““I had the feedback that I was quite alpha and I saw that behavior in myself as well. I felt to be a really effective and well-respected CEO, you had to have that energy. But then I saw somebody I was managing, a young woman, have that energy as well and I didn't like seeing that I'd influenced somebody to behave like that because that's what they thought they needed to do to succeed.””

““I've always been a little bit like this. I'm huge on New Year's resolutions. I'm huge on setting goals, but I think we're always an evolution…You grow, and you learn things about yourself, and you read more. And I think that it's an evolution."”

““…whilst I was always very clear about where I wanted to go, I have always been willing to kind of like throw it all up in the air and try something new.””