DAY IN THE LIFE

Herta von Stiegel, 50, is executive chairman of StarGate Capital Investment Group, a corporate finance and fund management investment firm. She also serves on several boards in the corporate and not-for-profit sector and chairs the Women’s Leadership Group for the Prince’s Trust. Born in Romania, Herta lives in London with her husband.

MY DAY TYPICALLY STARTS WITH A MOMENT OF MEDITATION. IT GIVES me a chance to focus on what lies ahead and what I need to achieve that day. And I’m a firm believer in starting off with a healthy breakfast: like cereal, fruit and a herbal tea. I tend not to drink caffeine – I have quite enough energy as it is!

I’m normally in the office by 8am, depending on whether I have flown in from somewhere that morning or been out at a business breakfast. I am also in the gym two mornings a week training for the Enham Kilimanjaro Challenge. I’m vice president of Enham, a brilliant charity working to improve the quality of life for disabled people. We will be the first multi-ability team, comprising nine disabled and nine non-disabled people, to climb the mountain. It’s another thing to fit into my packed schedule, but it’s something I have always wanted to do and it’s all for a great cause.

First up this morning (as with every Monday morning) is a meeting with my executive team. We are in the middle of raising our second Trapezia fund and as the market is a little choppy at the moment, it’s important to remain focused. Female-run businesses receive less than 2.5% of venture capital funding across Europe, so Trapezia was set up to bridge the gap for women entrepreneurs who face difficulties raising money through traditional channels. The team meetings provide us with the opportunity to discuss who is meeting who during the week and explore further how we can go about raising the fund. I can’t name names, but I am meeting quite a few potential investors at the moment.

I tend to go from one appointment straight to the next. After the team meeting today I’m off to see an investment bank in the City to discuss Trapezia II and see whether the bank, as well as its clients, is interested in supporting it. Getting the clients involved is important as one of the things we are finding is that there are quite a few high net worth individuals, women in particular, who recognise the need for targeted initiatives.

Lunch is often out and about, but today it will be back at my desk as I have a conference call at 1.30pm to discuss the Enham Kilimanjaro Challenge. Because I am involved in so many projects I have to be very efficient with my time and often end up using the journeys travelling to and from meetings to check emails, make phone calls and catch up on my other responsibilities.

One of my daytime commitments outside of StarGate is that I serve on the board of Camco – a market leader in climate change solutions. It’s a fascinating company, so I was keen to work with them. I always wanted to sit on the board of a publicly traded company and am a firm believer in having women on boards. It’s interesting how the dynamics change when you have women as well as men in the boardroom. There’s a lot less chest beating and the meetings are more efficient when there’s a gender balance.

I rely on my two assistants to ensure my day runs smoothly – I wouldn’t be able to sustain such a heavy workload without them. One is based in our London office but the other, Belinda, works remotely from home. I think you have to be creative and flexible with how you employ people. Belinda has a young daughter and found it difficult to come into the City every day. She gets everything done from home and it works brilliantly for both of us.

My day in the office typically finishes at 7pm, but I am usually out three nights a week for dinner – it’s when I do the bulk of my philanthropic work. Tonight I am getting together with the steering committee of the Prince’s Trust Women’s Leadership Group, which I chair. It’s all about empowering women and providing them with opportunities. The group was launched in 2006 and I have been overwhelmed with what we have achieved so far. By the end of last year we had raised close to £2m (€2.7m) and with that money we were able to develop five new projects.

I used to only get two to three hours sleep a night when I was practising law back in the 1980s and in the middle of a deal. Adrenaline would keep me going, but it’s not like that anymore. My family always comes first so I try not to let my life be ruled by the urgent. I try to live each day in a way that’s meaningful.

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WORDS BY CHLOË WILSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLAIRE DAVIES