There are many paths to becoming the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of an organisation. There’s the education path, the two year climb up the slopes of an MBA; the unexpected opportunity; and the mentor who helps guide you from fresh-faced recruit to leader of an organisation. For Lidia Folli, the CEO of Bidtravel, it was the latter that took her from chartered accountant (CA) to head of a leading travel organisation as senior leaders recognised the value she brought to the business and gave her the opportunities she needed to grow into a leadership role.

“I like to solve problems, to find alternative solutions to complex situations,” she says. “When people hit a wall, when the business reaches a stumbling block, I like to find ways of overcoming these situations so that the company and its people can flourish. This has very much been the story of the past few months as we’ve navigated the unexpected and challenging complexities of the global pandemic.”