Nicole Junkermann learnt about business at a young age. As a girl, she’d be taken into meetings by her father Heinz Junkermann and offered an insight into the companies he worked with. While it gave her a taste of the inspirational side of business — the flare, the passion and creativity — it also gave her insight into the practical — the careful recipe of pragmatic ingredients it takes to set up, run and sustain a profitable business.
“I was fortunate to witness these traits first-hand growing up in a house where, from a very young age, my parents involved me in their businesses. And I am fortunate to have had an international upbringing; I was born in Germany, grew up in Spain, and studied in the US.” If anyone is in doubt of Nicole’s international pedigree – this background is evidence enough.
“My very first job was as a translator for my father; as he did not speak Spanish, he took me everywhere as his personal interpreter and I have extremely fond memories of accompanying him at meetings full of old men in jacket and ties, with me just a 12-year-old girl.”
It’s clear that Nicole’s father has always been a real inspiration to her in pursuing her entrepreneurial ambitions. Along with her passion for entrepreneurship is her passion for the process. Nicole’s investment model is based on her disciplined and rigorous approach to decision making, which always includes using her instincts. When I asked how she honed those skills, she quickly gave credit to the people she works and has worked with, including her father, Heinz. Nicole also mentions her gratitude to the pioneering businesswomen who fought and helped pave the way for female entrepreneurs around the world to follow their dreams.
When probed about her direct relationship with her father, Nicole remarks that she has been very fortunate to have many supportive individuals throughout my career, but if there were one it would be my father, Heinz Junkermann. She added, “his drive and career has continued to shape my own development in the business world.” His approach has been the catalyst of her personal ambitions in investment and entrepreneurialism and it has certainly paid off to date.
