Neri Karra Sillaman: Turning Disruption Into Career Growth — Insights from Immigrant Entrepreneurs

In this episode, we speak with Neri Karra Sillaman about her journey from childhood refugee to entrepreneur and academic, and how education became her North Star. She shares how experiences of inequality shaped her values, her approach to risk and failure as redirection, and why being an outsider can be a strategic advantage. The conversation explores building businesses with limited resources, “frying in your own oil,” and redefining legacy as long-term impact on people, organizations, and society.

Neri Karra Sillaman is an immigrant entrepreneur, academic, and author. Born into a persecuted Turkish minority in communist Bulgaria, she moved to Istanbul as a child refugee, where her family later co-founded a company that has grown internationally. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and is an entrepreneurship expert at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Her work focuses on building sustainable businesses that combine purpose and long-term performance.

Links from the episode: 

Neri’s book Pioneers

Neri’s personal website

Neri’s LinkedIn profile

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