Name: Kate McEwen
Company: YTKO
Job title: Programme Director
What did you want to be when you were young? A writer.
What was your first full time job? Admin Assistant at MAFF.
What is your best quality? I’m a fast learner.
What is your worst quality? Impatience.
What is your favourite book? Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows.
What is your favourite film? Back to the Future 2.
What is your favourite restaurant? Indaba in Truro.
How do you like to relax? By spending time with people I love.
If you could build a house anywhere in the world where would it be? Overlooking the sea.
If you could be a superhero, what superpowers would you like to possess? The ability to apparate (I read too much Harry Potter don’t I?!)
Who was your teenage pin up? David Boreanaz.
What’s the best thing about Cornwall? That you are never very far from the coast.
Most annoying TV personality? Davina McCall.
What has been the best moment in your career? There hasn’t been one specific moment, but when I went on the Empower Smart Women programme I realised how much I have achieved in my career over the last four years.
What has been the worst moment in your career? Walking away from a job without anything else to go to.
Can money buy happiness? No, but it does help.
What could you not live without? Sleep.
If you only had £1 left in the entire world, what would you spend it on? A lottery ticket.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned in life? Not to judge people.
What makes you happy? Being around people that I like who make me laugh.
What makes you angry? People who won’t admit they are wrong even when they know they are.
If you could invite any two people for dinner, who would they be and why would you invite them? Winston Churchill – I studied him at Uni and found him utterly fascinating. Maya Angelou – She altered my perception on racism and really inspired me.
What’s the greatest invention ever? The internet.
What’s your favourite holiday destination? Orlando.
When is honesty not always the best policy? I don’t think there is an occasion when honesty isn’t the best policy, but diplomacy is important too.
What’s your #1 ambition? To be generally content day to day.
What was your biggest mistake in life? Not following my gut instinct about someone.
What was your luckiest break? Getting the first job at Cornwall College, it opened up many career progression opportunities for me.
What would you like to be doing in five years time? Working as SE Project Management Consultant.
Describe yourself in three adjectives: Logical, efficient, thoughtful.
This article first appeared in the March issue of Business Cornwall magazine
