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Miss Kaya is a lifestyle and financial platform for the modern woman. Miss Kaya got the chance to speak with Evita Lune - Partner at Pedersen & Partners, and one of Forbes’ most influential women in Latvia. She specialises in Fintech, is an advocate for the application of smart modern technology, and actively works to support women in their professional development. Given her success and active support in empowering women, Miss Kaya wanted to understand what it is that keeps her going in her everyday life and career, as well as any tips she has in keeping her finances in shape.

1. Tell us more about what you do.

I am a Global Head of FinTech Practice Group and Global Equity Partner at Pedersen & Partners, a leading international executive search firm, active in 53 countries.

2. What drives you to do your best in life and at work everyday?

I have always been a very ambitious person. I have tried to achieve the most that I can, either at work or outside. Achievement always lies outside one’s comfort zone, so I have been exposing myself to learning and development in different areas of life. And I have hopefully become a better professional, wife, sportswoman, mother and friend over the years.

3. Outside of work, what do you do and enjoy in your free time?

Waterski slalom is my main hobby, I practice it 4 – 5 times a week during summer months. During winter I do downhill skiing and yoga. I am also spending quality time with my family, exploring the nature and meeting friends in Latvia and abroad.

4. What advice do you have for other women who are trying to establish their careers and seeking fulfilment in their lives?

A happy and balanced person should look for four main areas of fulfillment: personal, professional, spiritual and physical. There is none that is more important than the others, and only the person that has a balance of all four can contribute the best in all areas.

5. You have been very successful thus far in your career. What were some main challenges you faced along the way, and how did you overcome them?

I come from a small country. Latvia has only 2 million inhabitants. Moreover, there are lots of stereotypes connected with post-Soviet countries. Breaking into international business arena has not been exactly “a walk in a park for me”. There are many “glass ceilings” that I have broken and many that I am still to break. I am blessed with having fantastic partners at Pedersen & Partners which have given me a great global platform to develop my professional skills.

6. As a lifestyle and financial platform, Miss Kaya believes that having a control over our finances is key to leading the type of life we want. Can you share with us some habits or tips you have in keeping track or growing your finances?

Growing my own competence and professional development have been key reasons for being able to continuously increase my welfare. I am not focusing on running after money at all. Instead, I try to become better and better every day and to deliver the value to my clients, above their expectations.

On the cost side, as a person, I do not need any luxury lifestyle, and I do not care much about demonstrating anything to others. So I am not under any pressure to satisfy some luxury standard of living.

7. Any pearls of wisdom that you go by?

If you want to change the world for the better, start with changing yourself!

Evita Lune is a Partner who drives the firm’s Global Digital Economy. She has completed over 50 senior level assignments in 29 countries within this practice, out of her total portfolio of over 600 assignments. Ms. Lune works extensively with FinTech clients from the Baltic sea region (Scandinavia, Baltics, Poland) and supports their global expansion plans in all continents by providing effective executive search solutions. As a team leader and regional director, she manages Pedersen & Partners teams in Poland, Baltics and Belarus. Her previous experience includes three years with the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga as the Executive MBA Program Director and six years with Shell in international and regional marketing management functions in Riga, Budapest, and Brussels.

Ms. Lune was a speaker at the CEE FutureTech congress in Warsaw - one of the most important business summits in Central and Eastern Europe and participated in Blockchain Pre-Accelerator Program at University of Latvia. She is also a blogger for RigaTechGirls, a Jury Member of CEE Capital Markets and FinTech Awards and a Contributing Advisor at the Digital Freedom Festival. Ms. Lune was recognized by Forbes as one of the top 25 most influential women in Latvia for two years in a row.

If you would like to conduct an interview with a representative of Pedersen & Partners, or have other media-related requests, please contact: Anastasia Alpaticova, Marketing and Communications Manager at: anastasia.alpaticova@pedersenandpartners.com