Corporate Culture CEO Of The Year
Simone Hildebrand
GeekSeat
Simone Hildebrand is a serial entrepreneur, having founded her first tech startup more than 35 years ago. She has owned and operated business through multiple verticals, concentrating primarily on financial services and technology, but also has significant experience in manufacturing and hospitality.
Most recently, as CEO of the Geekseat Group and Quant Group, her focus has been on expanding these businesses globally.
Her mission is to improve people’s lives by presenting them with better opportunities. These days, this is called inclusion and diversity, but Simone has been actively involved in giving opportunities to the disabled, disadvantaged and minority groups for around 30 years, so she considers this a standard business practice, and one of her core values.
Watch Simone's CEO Award Interview
From Simone
"In AFN, I have heard other CEOs' issues similar to what we are encountering, and it enabled me to see things from a different perspective and try things I would not have otherwise. So, for example, we are implementing a new HR strategy, and there is nothing like it in the world that we can see, and AFN allowed me to pull in factors I learned into the creation of that program, which was valuable because they are perspectives from other CEOs in other organizations all over the world."
From AFN CEO Matt Sitter
"Simone and her team embody the principles of inclusion and diversity. Geekseat has created an environment where different experiences and perspective are a strategic advantage. In particular, their focused recruitment, employment, and development of members of the deaf community have added to a capable workforce and set a powerful example for harnessing diversity to build better companies."