FUTAB ☕
(feet up, take a break)
Well, it’s been quite the journey. People have called me Tez, Tezlet, T, Tersi, TT. You take your pick. Just don’t call me Tes. My full name, if you’d like to get formal, is Teresa Truda. Yes I have a middle name. Yes it’s an ethnic one.
So, I kinda did a thing. After a successful career as a Senior Director & Leader in Ad agencies, working with big brands in Digital Strategy & Production, I decided to pack three suitcases (to the brim) and head to China to start my own thing.
Yep. China.
Didn’t speak a word of Mandarin. Never had been to Asia, in fact. You see, I was just a good little Ital 🇮🇹 gal who followed the conventional life. Uni, work, vacuuming at 9am in Saturday mornings (no word of a lie). That kind of thing. But I knew there was more.
I took the leap, with my Co-Founder at the time (~2015-ish), went over to China and created my AI Blockchain driven start up called chozun 途赞.
It was ecosystem for travellers to discover, book and access the best personalised local experiences, kind of like Tinder, but to find things to do when travelling based on what you like - all built with AI & Blockchain. Building a business in China to become one of the top 5 travel apps of its time came with no ease.
There were so many lessons, mistakes, successes, more mistakes, blocks, ups and downs, rides around the merry go round. But I live to tell it all, thankfully.
When I came back to Oz just pre-Covid after exiting chozun, I was a little lost. Who was I without being the founder of chozun?’
It took a little while to rebuild things, my identity, see my own value again - but I got there. And now, I’m a Strategic Growth Consultant - specialising in AI & Digital Transformation, Change Management, Facilitation & Training.
I truly love everything about what I do now. Nowadays, my business is about growing others. And together, working with Leaders & Execs, we tend to do it well.
I also sit on a couple of Boards as you may have seen. Plus, I’m a sessional Lecturer and Mentor at Melbourne’s Leading Universities (RMIT & Melbourne) in Digital Media, Masters of Advertising & Media and Masters of Entrepreneurship courses.
I’m an established keynote speaker, panel guest and MC. I often get asked to speak as a female Leader in Tech, either at conferences globally or direct within organisations - to both intimate and large audiences. My style is vibrant, energetic, raw, tangible.
Always keen to chat about what you’ve got going on, or how I can be a part of your next event. Get in touch for a chat.
TT has been awarded the GBC first prize for Female Entrepreneurship across China. Cryptocurrency Magazine named TT as one of the World’s Top 10 Crypto Experts in, soon after chozun became one of the top five Blockchain travel apps in China. More in the Pool Room.