302: Using Vision to Transform Your Life with Neri Karra Sillaman

The Blair Badenhop Show

Neri Karra Sillaman is an advisor, speaker, and author, recently named to the Thinkers50 Radar List for 2024, recognizing her as one of the world’s top 30 emerging management thinkers. She serves as an Entrepreneurship Expert at the University of Oxford and as an Adjunct Professor at ESCP Paris. Neri is also the founder of Neri Karra, a global luxury leather goods brand with over 25 years of partnerships with leading Italian labels.

A former child refugee, Neri’s journey fuels her passion for resilience, cultural innovation, and ethical business practices. Her thought leadership has appeared in Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Forbes, and Fast Company, and she has been quoted in publications such as the Financial Times, CNBC, Newsweek, Vogue Business, Bloomberg, Business of Fashion, and WWD.

She has spoken at organizations including Apple, Credit Suisse, Bernstein, the University of Cambridge, Forbes France, Baker McKenzie, the International Bar Association, and the Global Leaders Summit. A three-time TEDx speaker, she inspires leaders to build businesses that balance purpose with profit for lasting impact.

Ok, get ready to be in complete awe - because not only does Neri have an incredible life story, but she is such a humble human. It is incredible what she has accomplished. I know you will be so inspired by her.

We chat about:

• What it was like to be a child in communist Bulgaria who often went to bed hungry and the biggest thing that helped her imagine a beautiful life full of opportunity and education
• Her journey to graduating at the top of her class, getting a accepted the University of Miami in the U.S., and later getting her PHD at Cambridge
• How she became writer for top universities across the globe and a sought-after expert in the realm of sustainable fashion and entrepreneurship
• What inspired her to write a book, how she pivoted after it got rejected over 100 times, and how it all came together centered around immigrant entrepreneurship
• The #1 characteristic that she has found makes a successful, immigrant entrepreneur
• And so much more!

To learn more about Neri Karra Sillaman and the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

Follow Me On: Facebook Instagram