But it all felt a little stifling, so when my husband got a chance for a 2-year contract in Switzerland, we were off. New places to explore, new horizons and new opportunities. I had no doubt I would find a job with my education and experience.

Oh, I was so wrong. Changes in work permit rules meant I had no right to work. I’m not one of those people who enjoys doing nothing, and I’d invested long and hard in my education and career. I looked for work, learnt German, made friends, and started my MBA to “keep busy”. It took lots of applying, bureaucracy and red tape and finally, over a year later, I had a work permit.

I grabbed the first job – not a good decision as it turned out to be a very strange company. But it gave me time to find the right job.

I enjoyed working in international HR positions. But after the financial crisis, the company was not doing well.

A new CEO was bought in to make massive cost savings. Restructuring, hiring freezes, no training, no bonuses – as Head of HR, it felt like it was all falling on my shoulders. The things I believed in and preached to the organisation, such as the importance of people to creating value in organisations, were being wiped out overnight. My work no longer matched my values and people were no longer valued.

I stayed, hoping it would get better. But it didn’t. I was going through the motions, daily, turning up and doing what was needed without my usual passion, energy or drive. I was stuck, unhappy and stressed out.

Finally, over nearly 18 months later, I resigned. I didn’t want another job restructuring corporations, so I decided to set up my own company to do more positive work with people.