The Magic Pot The art and science of feeling confident in your own skin. Interview with Lili Giglia , founder of ESSENTIALLY LILI | by Dr Marina Nani
After much persuasion from her husband that life in Switzerland was great and much safer for young families, Lili left her job in the UK, took their daughter out of British school and join her husband in Zurich in 2012. A very successful financial analyst who worked for major corporations for almost two decades, little did she know that a new life in Switzerland’s fresh air, mountains and natural beauty was the beginning of her new found freedom.
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riginally from Australia, charismatic and compassionate, Lili had to find a solution to develop her creativity and entrepreneurial spirit while being the ‘Hausfrau’. This is her story, the story of the Magic Pot!
How did you end up emigrating to Switzerland? In 1990, I graduated from university with a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) Degree. I spent my 20s and 30s working for an Oil company in various departments from Card Services, Aviation, Gas, Exploration to Finance and Shipping. My roles were mainly focused on the finance and performance analysis, as well as maintaining thorough Customer Service for my clients, team leaders and business partners. Whilst based in the UK, I met my husband, and together we began the relocation expedition for his employment. After marrying in 2004, we moved to Dubai where I joined a Logistics company. It was great being in Dubai when the ideas and plans for the Palms were merely drawings and model mockups. We eventually moved for a short time to Basel Switzerland before I was offered an analysis role for a Shipping business based in Sunbury-onThames (UK), where we stayed for almost 2 years. Afterwards, we returned to Melbourne with the intention of being based there after having our first child, as I wanted to have family and friends around to support us. However, my husband wanted to return to the UK, so we departed in 2007 with our 9-month old daughter some 3 days after my sister got married. Whilst based in the UK, I returned to full time work in Exploration and Shipping. We also began renovating our home and recreating our garden.