Carole Hambleton-Moser

Never make an important decision from a place of weakness.

 

Carole Hambleton-Moser strategically built and managed Credit Suisse in Cape Town for almost ten years. Having left the corporate world now, she has merged her enthusiasm for business with her love of philanthropy and now spends time giving back to the community around her. In her free time, she enjoys hikes with her dogs and friends, and yoga and QiGong to help focus inward and take time for meditative reflection.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I get up early every day, even on weekends, as I start each day with a long walk on the beach with my dogs. On Sundays, the dog walk is in the mountains with friends and their dogs. I attempt to answer important or urgent emails while I am having breakfast…a bit of multi-tasking. Several mornings of each week I practice yoga, QiGong, and Pilates. I try to fix any meetings, appointments or errands I need to do in the morning. Then I try to be home for lunch with my husband or to have lunch out somewhere with a friend. In the early afternoon, I generally work for a few hours from my home office, and then around 4 pm, I take my dogs on another good walk, this time usually in a forest area. Dinner, which I prepare as the chief cook in our household, is generally at home with my husband when we listen to jazz and classical music we like. However, we also enjoy going out to dinner, on our own or with friends, a couple of times a week. Cape Town has become one of the gastronomic capitals of the world, so we have a vast number of fabulous restaurants to choose from! We also enjoy going out for cultural activities – an orchestra concert, a theatre production, or a dance performance. I generally try to go to bed by 10 pm latest, so I can get up early in the morning and be ready for the next busy day.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Talk about them with others, convey enthusiasm for the ideas, try to interest others in joining hands with me if that is required to make an idea a reality, and be persistent in making an idea happen.

What’s one economic trend that really excites you?

Social enterprise. I think it is the best way to do business for a profit but, at the same time, address a social, economic or environmental need in a community or group.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive?

Regular exercise and some meditative practices.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Never make an important decision from a place of weakness.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Cannot think of a clever answer for this one. Apologies.

What is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do to further their career?

Network!

What is one strategy that helped grow your career as the former head Credit Suisse in Cape Town?

Networking was extremely important in my career when I had to establish and grow a brand new office for my company. It is also important in my philanthropic work. We all need connections and resources, so we must continually widen the circle to keep our databases alive and growing. If one person we approach for help on a proposal or an idea cannot help, ask that person for names of others whom they believe may be able to help or who may be ready for a business proposal. Most importantly, find out if that person would allow you to use his or her name as a reference, or even better, be willing to actually set up the initial contact with the person or people you would like to meet.

What is one failure you had in your career, and how did you overcome it?

When Credit Suisse decided in 2009, in the midst of the global financial crisis, to close the Representative Office in Cape Town I had helped establish and manage for the group since 2000, I saw it initially as a partial failure on my part. However, this event gave me the opportunity to pursue new opportunities in the area of social enterprise and public benefit organizations which had become of growing interest to me, and to use the experience I had gained in the corporate world to become a productive Member of the Board of Directors of a number of these kinds of organizations.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Although I have been exercising regularly for quite some time, I only recently bought a Fitbit. I believe this little device will now help me optimize my fitness goals and measure progress on increasing my stamina and lowering my heart rate.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“Winners Take All” by Anand Giriharadas because it exposes key players in our society who try to whitewash their images and the damage they actually cause to society, the environment, and the world through so-called philanthropic initiatives which are ultimately self-serving and without integrity.

What is your favorite quote?

New dawn, new day.

Key Learnings:

• Never make an important decision from a place of weakness.
• We all need connections and resources, so we must continually widen the circle to keep our databases alive and growing.
• If one person we approach for help on a proposal or an idea cannot help, ask that person for names of others whom they believe may be able to help or who may be ready for a business proposal.

Connect: