Robert's Radical Truths

Friend expanding horizon

Friday is the last day that Stephanie Gerteiser will be working for TBLI. She began in October 2011, and she has been a fantastic colleague. How she put up with me is amazing. After all those years of total commitment, she has decided to expand her horizons and try her hand at new challenges. She will be missed.

When I first met Stephanie, through the introduction of a friend, I felt she would fit in perfectly as consultant and conference curator. She was always critical and striving for excellence. Improving the quality of the content of the TBLI  Conference dramatically became her focus. She made the Conference a true learning experience, and always went the extra mile. Just when we thought everything was done, Stephanie would drive us crazy with finding mistakes. This definitely raised the bar and kept us on our toes and it was reflected in the final product.

Stephanie has a fantastic sense of humour and she understood mine. It was always a joy to joke around while we were working. Fun and being professional were equally important to her. Oh yeah, we must not forget the handbags. For some strange reason she was the Yoda of luxury handbags and their cost. Stephanie would always point out a specific brand when she spotted one at a TBLI event.

She is a wonderful soul with high integrity. There is no grey. Sustainability, honesty, values, ethics were her passion and she wouldn’t tolerate those who crossed the line. Must have been tough working in the financial sector. Being a working mom with two kids and a husband who often had to travel to Africa, Asia or Latin America created quite a challenge. Stephanie always managed to juggle everything and get the job done. Very impressive.

Stephanie really cares and  is a very authentic person, which is the most important character trait for me. There isn’t another person lurking in the shadows.. What you see is what you get?

I will miss her constantly correcting me and my statistics or exaggerations. I will miss our weekly update on the latest tv episodes that she never watched as she didn’t have a streaming tv service. I will miss her positive, can do attitude. If I was ever down and some positive development happened, no matter how minor, I loved sharing with Stephanie. She was always so happy and excited and saw the potential. We all should be so positive and as Monty Python said “always look on the bright side”. That was always a joy. I will miss our bike ride from our previous office and discussing world events or just gossip.

Whatever she decides to do, she will succeed and make friends along the way. She has clearly left a significant impression on TBLI. I wish her the best, as she deserves the best. Most of all I will miss her. I am sure we will still be collaborating. At least, I hope so.

Stephanie

Stay in touch. If you ever need anything, just ask. Don’t forget to get a streaming tv service and watch Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Big hug.

Your eternal friend.

Robert