What is more important, talent or drive?
Drive. Enthusiasm, energy, aspiration and drive are infectious. If you have the right attitude, you can surround yourself by the people you need to gain the experience and develop talent. Organisations have been hiring on experience and firing on attitude, so we shouldn't get hung up on the talent side of things, and forget the soft skills like energy, attitude and passion.

On a scale of one to ten, how significant a role does luck play when it comes to success?
10. I am rating this a 10, with a caveat. We have to make our own luck, we have to get out there and network, work hard, spot opportunities and have incredible amounts of passion and drive. That, in turn, creates luck and energy. If we sat around waiting for luck to happen, then I would rate it a zero.

Which is more critical, the idea or the execution?
Execution. Everybody can have ideas, talk about ideas and dream about ideas. It's the execution of such ideas that counts. When executing ideas, you build off other people and when collaborating, your ideas are multiplied. Developing the idea is the easy part - the meticulous planning, detailed project management, flexibility and ability to execute ideas is what really counts.

Is it better to be passionate or objective?
Passionate. Definitely passionate and compassionate. Passionate people create energy and they have a will to make things happen. If you are constantly being objective, you are holding your challenges at arms length - you need to grab hold of them, wrap them up and then go for it!

What is most and least important? Please rank your priorities.

1. Confidence
   Relationship skills
   Organisational skills
   Drive
   Talent

What one trait has helped you most in business?
Confidence. Being young meant that people automatically judged my ability and capability, especially working at the senior level. By being confident and passionate, I won the respect of a lot of people and that gave us the head start we needed. It was often daunting presenting to an Executive Board or CEO, however, the inner confidence I had, and the passion for what I was doing, carried me through. Now, four years later, I have no hesitation working at that level and have earned the respect of my peers.

What is the one trait that has hindered you most in business?
Funnily enough, I think it's being too passionate! I get so excited and passionate and live and breathe our client's challenges, and sometimes, that has worked against us. We actually lost a client because we were so passionate and cared so much and thought we could do so much to turn their organisation around, that it actually came across a bit aggressive.

What is the hardest lesson you've learnt and how did you learn it?
The hardest lesson I learnt was while I was still living in Australia. I was working for a great organisation but thought I could be doing better. I thought I deserved to be in a higher position, getting paid more and have more responsibility. I was only 18. I wrote a letter to the MD outlining what I could be doing and suggested a new role and salary. I got the biggest shock of my life and certainly got put back in my box. I still have the letter my MD responded with, and that taught me an incredible lesson to be patient, to respect the workings of an organisation, and to wait and prove you are ready for promotion.

What is the one piece of advice you would offer other women in business?
Innovate, know your stuff, collaborate, don't follow the crowd, do the little things well, smile and be happy, ask killer questions, be super confident and search your soul for opportunities!

What are the biggest mistakes you see women making in business?
Playing the female card. Rather than put focus or attention on the fact you are female, focus on the drive, experience, approach and attitude towards challenges or opportunities that you are presented with. Then, create killer solutions behind that. Too often, we see women playing the female card and forgetting what matters most, the execution.