We will be touring and co-hosting an evening reception with Astrid at OBOĒ as part of our Eco Resort Network 2024 event.
Founder & Director of OBOĒ Ltd
Growing up in Mauritius in a caring and supportive multi-cultural environment, always keen for the future, and learning from the multiple leadership opportunities that she was given the chance to experience early-on, Astrid understood that the story was not meant to be followed, but that it was meant to be created.
In the past ten years, four of them were spent in Vancouver, Canada; studying for a degree in Psychology (and minor in International Relations) at the University of British Columbia, and a couple years later working in Project Management and L&D consultancy for the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) of British Columbia.
Two years later (at ages 24-25), Astrid faced the decision of engaging in a full-on PhD degree, with Monash University in Australia (where she spent 7 months in a pre-PhD program), the Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health in Malta (whilst working as Research Officer), and the collaboration of six universities across Europe. This was towards the development of tech-innovative programs in Educational Psychology. A period which resulted in a peer-reviewed publication in 2018, and incredibly enriching learnings of empirical methods.
Yet all the potential career paths were dropped in 2019 (at age 27), when the personal project that had been keeping Astrid inspired found its way into opportunities that aligned at the right-timing; A project that was born in the world of travel and exploration, living and remote-working for months in a different countries throughout those 10 years.
OBOĒ was born in spirit in Japan East in 2016. Since incorporation in Mauritius in Feb 2020, the picture has evolved and refined, but the ecosystem and different moving parts were all imagined back then. Flashes of a dream, and the whole model drawn out in Izakayas on eager sketchpads.
Today Astrid plans, project manages and builds OBOĒ, accompanied by a collaborative canvas of professional architects, designers, engineers, business people, hoteliers, ‘lighthouse advisors’, cultural planners, artists and artisans. “The network and a rainbow of good relationships is my most valuable intangible asset”
In her spare time, writing, producing and editing music is her favourite. “I’m like a mix of a nerd, a social butterfly and deep-creative”.
Astrid did choose the road less taken, and is insatiably dedicated to contributing something incredible to the global community; “I’m grateful for having had a choice, and for all the people who have opened their doors throughout to me and my ideas”.
Ganbatte Kudasai!
*Ganbatte Kudasai: In Japanese an expression asking/telling someone to do their best, keep going or to not give up.
