Capper Associates Present Herta von Stiegel

The Longest Journey - The Mountain Within

Herta von Stiegel climbs mountains literally and metaphorically. From childhood in communist Romania to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the journey encompasses a ground breaking career in law, the financial world and the creation of Ariya Capital, her own successful equity fund in London and Africa.

She did not have an easy start to her life. As a young 17 year old woman growing up in the repressive atmosphere of communist Romania she was made to demonstrate her leadership skills and courage by confronting the totalitarian system. She achieved the almost impossible by persuading the authorities to allow the family to emigrate to the United States, and to a new vision of possibilities.

Herta has become an extraordinary businesswoman whose career is an inspiration for women everywhere who have the ambition to succeed in business and to rise to the top. Her impeccable credentials include admittance to the State Bars of New York and Michigan, senior positions at Citibank, J.P. Morgan and AIG, followed by the launch of Ariya Capital in 2008.

Ariya Capital's investment profile reflects one of her own passions, sustainable investment and poverty alleviation in Southern Africa. She also serves on several boards in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors including Camco International, a market leader in climate change solutions with operations in China and Russia.

As a philanthropist, she is a founder and chair of the Prince's Trust Women's Leadership Group, working closely with His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. She is also a member of the Women's Leadership Board at Harvard University's Kennedy's School of Government.

Her most dramatic philanthropic initiative was to lead a multi-national and physically challenged team to climb Africa's highest mountain - Mount Kilimanjaro. She had first seen the mountain while on safari with her husband Hans and was mesmerized by its majesty and the snowy peaks at the top that glistened and twinkled in the sunshine. She said, "I have never been particularly athletic and until that life-changing moment when I gazed at that glittering mountain in the distance, all my goals in life could be categorized as intellectual. For the first time I felt that I needed a real physical challenge and with that romantic view of Kilimanjaro etched in my mind I was positive I had found what I was looking for." I said to Hans, “I want to climb that and one day I will." One year later at the age of 40 she made an unsuccessful attempt.

At the age of 50, she decided to climb the mountain again, but this time to raise funds for a major disability charity, Enham. Part of Enham's operating philosophy is to encourage physically and mentally challenged individuals to take responsibility and be more independent in mainstream society. These qualities were immediately attractive to Herta, who considered that the apparently impossible task of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with special needs individuals would underline the achievements of the participants and illustrate the creative power of leadership, preparation, commitment and determination.

Documented in the award winning film, "The Mountain Within," Herta's expedition itself would prove to be a life-changing experience for everyone involved. Mount Kilimanjaro claims an average of eight lives every year and roughly two out of three climbers turn back without achieving the summit. In addition to the physical challenges her special needs participants had, the group faced the struggles of weather, terrain and altitude. Of the 28 in the party, who set out for the climb, 16 made it to the top, a far higher percentage than the 35% average rate based on previous and subsequent attempts.

The dangers and hardships involved were very real. "Halfway up the highest mountain in Africa in the dark climbing a wall of rock thousands of feet high is not the time to lose your nerve, particularly if you may have to make the choice of going on alone. What kind of leader reaches the top without her team?" Herta recalled.

For those that succeeded it was a personal triumph. Under Herta's leadership, they had conquered the mountain itself and the mountain within, those obstacles that can so easily prevent us from achieving our own ambitions and dreams.

The lessons from the climb on leadership, teamwork, preparation, and perseverance are evident in the film currently making the rounds of various festivals in the United States and abroad. Herta has encapsulated these lessons in a forthcoming book "The Mountain Within, Climbing To The Top Without Losing Your Soul."

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For information about Herta von Stiegel’s planned press tour and available dates in the United States send and Email to hvsmountain@capperassociates.com