Kristina Lilleõis

I grew up in Estonia, studied in the UK, and have built companies in Spain, Estonia, the US, and the UK. I have been both a founder and an operator and understand first hand what it means to build out teams and people processes in Europe. You ideate, you get your basics straight, you build out the whole flow and then deliver it to the team before doing it all again as the company grows and scales. Going from 0-1 is one thing, but keeping teams on track as a company scales is something else entirely— this is the work I love.

I've always been fascinated by people and fascinated by leadership. I’ve spent the last five years in hyper growth mode at Veriff as Chief People Officer where I saw how powerful getting People right can be for a business scaling it from Series A to post Series C. That means I come to every conversation with the firsthand knowledge that early people and process choices can have a true multiplying effect. The hires you make at this stage shape the values of the company and define the culture. And it's those same values and culture that will motivate the team to rise to the occasion, push past obstacles and ultimately succeed or fail.

It’s tempting to take short-cuts early on— in some ways those short cuts can even be a good thing. It helps companies move quickly, test hypotheses, and refine. But when it comes to hiring and the people function at large I believe laying a strong foundation is an essential growth unlock. When your people feel that they're taken care of, their output is so much better. I’ve seen first-hand the power of getting this right at Series A.

In the process of company building there were so many times that I benefited from the support and knowledge of someone who had done what I was trying to do, who had encountered the same challenge I was facing and had figured it out. I also made some unique mistakes of my own and had to figure it out! I’m here to use all of that experience to help every founder and every team maximize their potential— it’s what excites me and what keeps me going.

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