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1. Hanna, you have created an incredible career as an esteemed
international brand strategist and business coach. Can you take us
back a bit and share what initially led you to embark upon this
career path?
I got a job as the new product
development and product man-
agement officer for a financial
group of companies. This job gave
me an opportunity to learn how
markets work as it involved a lot
of consumer and competitor re-
search but I was bored. I was not
able to express my creativity and
love for fashion and luxury. It was a
strong calling that despite having
a masters degree in International
Commercial Law and being urged
by everyone to pursue a career in
law, I knew that my calling was to
help entrepreneurs create a world-
HF
As a young girl whenever I traveled, I
collected magazines and print ads. I
was particularly fascinated by the lux-
ury brands and how they seem to be
able to captivate, influence and cause
you to dream with a few words and
images. But I grew up in the Carib-
bean and to have a respected career
you were indoctrinated to become a
doctor, engineer, lawyer or banker. I
was on the path to becoming a law-
yer and then discovered that I loved
marketing and brands.
Three and a half years in, I handed in my resignation and decided to start
my own boutique consulting firm where I specialized in brand develop-
ment and public relations for luxury brands. My clients included Conde
Naste award-winning hotels, jewelry designers, private jet and chauffeur
service, and a few European Union funded rebranding projects for SMEs
and even branding a small town. I also moved to Milan, Italy, where also
consulted for Italian brands.