I am eternally grateful for having been in the right place at the right time. The most important thing has been strong networking. Back in my student organisation days, the tightknit and solid circle of acquaintances has helped me get a hold on life and find the cross-disciplinary solutions that have been so necessary in building my future. If as a budding scholar I had buried myself in the students’ professional associations, my circles would have been much narrower. For that reason I always counsel people to get involved with the broad-based activities of student nations. It’s an eye-opener and educator. Luckily I have always been able to work with the kind of people and with the tools which really gel. This set-up creates value and engenders trust, besides which it’s never too late to learn!

My father, Professor of Greek, has sometimes suggested that I might be “more civilised than educated” but so be it: at least in Antiquity a civilized person is always happy! Today however I am a passionate humanist, I enjoy literature, art and music and constantly thirst for deeper knowledge. Equally the old bonds haven’t gone anywhere and still generate great pleasure. Life is a little like the city of Troy: one stratum surmounting the next. And besides, there’s no-one filling up my diary for me!