People to Watch and Know

Private Eye People to Watch

62 Geoff Vuleta

“Geoff’s philosophy empowers employees and leaders alike. People want to be led. By that, people want to know what to do and that what they are doing is important. ”

Born in Timaru, New Zealand, design and consultancy firm Fahrenheit 212 owner Geoff Vuleta (1961) grew up believing anything was possible. As a child, he wanted to become a chef, and his first job was on the auction floor of a produce market. With a career as an ad exec under his belt, Geoff next went to work at Saatchi & Saatchi. He says he owes a great deal to CEO Kevin Roberts: "He said, 'I want to be an idea company, you're an ideas guy; why don't we see if you're any good?’” Yet he longed to focus more on ideas. Geoff left to create Fahrenheit 212, “an innovation firm and new type on consultancy that helps large companies innovate... Fahrenheit 212 actually creates the idea for companies and helps them take it to market.” Geoff’s greatest strength is optimism: “Believing that anything is possible is liberating and intoxicating.”

Private Eye People to Watch

Lisette Miranda

“I had a one-way ticket to Madrid. But I had no job, no apartment, no Spanish and I knew no one. What I did know was that I was going to make this work, because I had faith in myself. ”

For native New Yorker Lisette Miranda (1984) a 2008 holiday turned into a wake-up call. Out with friends in Madrid one night, “the French and Italians were speaking in Spanish to communicate, and there was me with my English and my not-so-high, high school level of Spanish. Only a couple of the people spoke English, and in that moment I felt so naive and sheltered. But I was hypnotized by everyone's joy,” Lisette remembers. “I said ‘I can see myself living in Madrid.’” Within three months, she left the US and an event planning career with a few suitcases. After completing a TEFL course with TtMadrid, an intensive certification course, she began teaching English. Today, Lisette is a marketing manager with TtMadrid. Language and culture have been intertwined with her career, and her passions, from day 1. Growing up in New York provided a hearty introduction to “Italian feasts, elaborate Russian weddings, Jewish Shabbat dinners, Latino dancing, Chinese New Year,” she says. “Working and living in Madrid has magnified this.” These days, her workday is split between helping students with CV revision, interviewing, residency issues, and launching marketing projects. “Each day brings new projects, different challenges and a roller coaster ride of emotions,” Lisette reflects on the adventure of the past four years. “But the kind that I will gladly buy a ticket for.”

Private Eye People to Watch

Brannon Lacey

"I want to be happy in life and happiness requires balance. Finding a balance between work and passions is a hallmark of my life: “I love what I do, but I also love being out of the office. I set expectations from the beginning with my office that I will always work as long as I need to get the job done.”

Brazil, Argentina, Ukraine, England, India, Korea, China, and all over the United States: These are just some of the places Brannon Lacey (1977), a senior investment manager at Samsung Venture Investment Co., Ltd., has lived and worked as a consultant. “Consulting brought me to all of those places... there's no better way to see the world than on the dime of a consultancy!” he says. “My favorite place is, naturally, Brazil. You won't find a cooler, more laid back city than Rio de Janeiro, anywhere in the world.” Today, Brannon lives far from Rio, but in a city no less compelling: Seoul, South Korea. As a senior investment manager, his focus is on investing in startup companies in the mobile, software, and television sectors. He explains: “I source companies, negotiate deal terms, and then invest in them.” His interests outside of work are as varied as his many moves: “I'm passionate about physical fitness. I've run three marathons, trained in martial arts, and I play baseball every weekend with a foreigner league here in Seoul.” Engaged to a ballet dancer, Brannon “loves to go to the Arts Center here in Seoul and watch ballet, jazz, and other enriching activities.”