Maria is a seasoned business advisor and consultant with over 20 years experience of working with pre-start and existing businesses. She has helped over 4,000 businesses and has gained hands-on knowledge of their challenges and how to resolve them. She takes a holistic approach to her work and is skilled in all areas of business to include financial, operational, marketing with a speciality in the creative industries.  

She was the London representative for Shell Live Wire and whilst in the post she mentored the winners of the London SLW for 5 years in a row. She developed and ran the first pilot project in the UK for DWP, designed specifically to support single parents who wanted to start their own business. 

She has been a board member of the IBA, Hackney Chamber of Commerce, Wandsworth Youth Enterprise Centre and has personally been responsible for raising and running projects to the value of £400,000. 

Maria believes one should always have a dream to follow, but advises: 

“You should DREAM WITH YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN” 

• Job Title – Deputy CEO & Senior Business Advisor
• Date Joined – 1998
• Likes – Learning and sharing
• Dislikes – Bad manners
• Hobbies – Cricket (have to otherwise I would never see my husband), reading business and self-development books, and watching TED Talks
• Favourite Brand – Monsoon
• Favourite Holiday – Beach holidays and wherever cricket takes us