Dr Julia Zdrahal-Urbanek founded and co-manages AltoPartners Austria, where she specialises in filling board and top-management positions for global conglomerates as well as family-owned and start-up/ scale-up businesses across Europe. Julia started her executive search career in London, then worked at the Medical Faculty of Wuerzburg in Germany before joining the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. She holds a nonexecutive director role in a family business. Julia has a science master’s degree and a PhD in Psychology.

Where were you born, and where do you live now?

I was born in Vienna, Austria. I spent a couple of years in London and various parts of Germany, never expecting to end up living on the same street in Vienna where I grew up.

First job?

A student summer job at the canteen of a manufacturing company – actually taught me that 6 AM can also be working time.

Real first job: hardcore recruiting in London’s financial district.

First car?

The car that was there – my dad’s – no matter what brand or color…

Current car?

Audi A5 sportsback. I hardly use it though as I mostly walk, take the bicycle or use public transportation.

What’s the biggest surprise about your job?

I’m often surprised that, besides the perfect placement, courtesy, appreciation, and professionalism receive extra praise and are considered a unique selling point in the industry.

What is the biggest risk you ever took?

This is a risk I didn’t take deliberately: Sleeping in an open hut in the Thai jungle and realizing in the middle of the night that I had a fast-moving, potentially poisonous guest with many legs.

What makes you feel better on a bad day?

Spending an evening at one of Vienna’s amazing concert halls in company of my family usually turns any day around.

My most redeeming quality is…

Packing 48 hours’ worth of activities into 24 hours – practical and efficient or slightly annoying, depending on the “audience”.

I have learned to come to terms with…

(1) fast-moving, potentially poisonous, multi-leg creatures in the middle of the Thai jungle,

(2) the fact that problem-solving sometimes means changing the setup rather than being confined by assumed boundaries.

What’s the thing that people are most surprised to learn about you?

For example, that I sang in a choir and performed with a few world-famous orchestras and conductors. Two of my favorites were Symphony of a Thousand (Mahler’s 8th) and War Requiem by Benjamin Britten.

In the last month, what was the most interesting conversation you had?

A private dinner conversation with a mix of Austrian politicians, Americans, and guests from diverse political backgrounds about global politics and especially the relationship between the U.S. and Europe.

Last (or most loved) holiday?

Travelling in Japan with friends and family at the end of Covid when tourism was still low.

Best book you’ve read in the past year?

“Der Professor und der Wolf” (translated The Professor and the Wolf) – a witty take on how Austria’s political system really works, written as a humorous interview between an anchorman and a politics professor.

What have you binge-watched recently?

Quoting my son Oskar: I can’t binge-watch anything because I don’t have enough time – but I did watch Only Murders in the Building in a very short period of time.

Best gadget?

Our Dyson hoover robot. I can control it via an app, and my colleagues joke that I treat it like a family member.

How do you relax and unwind?

Reading The Aesthete in FT’s How To Spend It weekend supplement and fantasizing about how I would answer questions like “In my fridge, you will always find…”

Charity closest to your heart?

Rotary International’s PolioPlus program. The fact that all global Rotary Clubs together have eradicated polio – except for two remaining countries – proves that with enough determination, incredible change is possible.

I have a collection of…

Art work by female Austrian artists

In my fridge, you will always find…

Meat, eggs, yogurt, milk and berries – I guess by now everyone can tell that I have teenage boys at home.

The motto / saying that resonates with me the most is…

“Just do it” – and that’s not about sneakers – its about getting things done.