“Even CEOs have those moments of doubt and vulnerability. I continually have to work on making sure that I'm balancing the journey with enjoying the journey.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode features Simone Maini, CEO of Elliptic, a FinTech helping businesses make the crypto economy a safe place to transact and invest by managing financial crime in crypto. Having had the pleasure of working with Elliptic and Simone on some key senior hires into their growing team, we’ve seen firsthand what a great culture they’re building. Today, we’ll find out: ➡️ The doubt and vulnerability that comes with being a CEO [03:25] ➡️ Her squiggly path to becoming CEO [05:05] ➡️ The skills needed to transition from COO to CEO [08:21] ➡️ Why Elliptic’s mission was so compelling and how she adapted to the complex nature of the industry [12:53] ➡️ How she managed to overcome her imposter syndrome after not having had any industry experience before joining Elliptic [16:28] ➡️ What makes Elliptic’s culture so special [19:28] ➡️ Simone’s candid advice for any aspiring and first time CEOs [24:18] ➡️ Why it doesn’t have to be lonely at the top [28:13] ➡️ Her highlights from Elliptic’s hypergrowth journey and what their next chapter looks like [36:50] ➡️ What needs to happen to level the playing field in the industry and the steps Elliptic are taking to attract more diverse talent [42:00] ➡️ What the future of crypto looks like [44:52] ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about Simone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-maini/➡️ More about Elliptic: https://www.elliptic.co/➡️ More advice for COOs: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9Z5v0dwtFJBgzci-62Z40woc6yp1-7A6💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance.To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/ to find out more. ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices