![Articles](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/613b85712c9672dcafb125ed/62a98b4c98446a58c3344f18_SaaStr%20Europa%202022%20-%20Social%20Media%20Speaker%20Card_Itxaso%20del%20Palacio_Linkedin%202x1.jpg)
![Far Fetched Futures: Four ways Generative AI is shaping what’s around the corner for productivity, learning and leadership at startups](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/613b85712c9672dcafb125ed/666824aecacabf167be46f17_Far%20Fetched%20Futures%20Four%20ways%20Generative%20AI.png)
Far Fetched Futures: Four ways Generative AI is shaping what’s around the corner for productivity, learning and leadership at startups
![Articles](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/613b85712c9672dcafb125ed/62a98b4c98446a58c3344f18_SaaStr%20Europa%202022%20-%20Social%20Media%20Speaker%20Card_Itxaso%20del%20Palacio_Linkedin%202x1.jpg)
![Insights into the evolution of the 'Start' phase of building and growing a team with Michelle Cheng](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/613b85712c9672dcafb125ed/65e9f4cdd34c98ebada2a4f1_Insights%20into%20the%20evolution%20of%20the%20%27Start%27%20phase%20of%20building%20and%20growing%20a%20team.png)
Insights into the evolution of the 'Start' phase of building and growing a team with Michelle Cheng
![Articles](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/613b85712c9672dcafb125ed/62a98b4c98446a58c3344f18_SaaStr%20Europa%202022%20-%20Social%20Media%20Speaker%20Card_Itxaso%20del%20Palacio_Linkedin%202x1.jpg)
![Building a team from 1 to 100 people with Michelle Cheng: Growing Paddle’s team over a decade with Harrison Rose](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/613b85712c9672dcafb125ed/642e83dd39c92c43fb305cb6_building%20a%20team%20from%201-100%20people%20V2.png)
I grew up in a family of immigrant small business owners near the Canadian Rocky Mountains. My first taste of entrepreneurship involved afternoons helping at my uncle's Chinese apothecary and my grandmother's market stall - their everyday grit and determination shaped a deep respect for founders I still have today. Pursuing an interest in inclusive employment, I started a literacy programme in university for refugees facing barriers in their job seeking. After graduating, I worked in strategy consulting for Accenture where I spent seven years advising Fortune 500 companies on growth, talent strategy and scaling major change initiatives.
I traveled across North America for projects, eventually settling in New York City. Specialising in organisational effectiveness, I led projects analysing workforce strategy with clients including the United Nations and a research partnership with Harvard Business School on job credentials. I moved to London in 2017, where I led innovation projects with technology founders across Europe to re-skill people in jobs impacted by automation. Consulting fed my fascination for solving big problems, but I was hungry to make more of an impact. I did my MBA at London Business School where I started working with London-based venture builders including Zinc. That brought me to Notion, where I get to be part of an entrepreneurial and energetic team led by former founders. It's truly a privilege to help disruptive companies to grow their people and organisations.