As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?

Laura in The Little House on the Prairie and before that I wanted to work in a post office (or anything that involved using a stamp and/or one of those old-fashioned tills).

I have what Charles Handy calls a 'portfolio' career which is short-hand for saying I was never quite sure what I wanted to do and never woke up one morning at the age of 7 and thought "I want to be a doctor or a musician or a ...."  I have three degrees (History, Psychology and an MPhil in History) because I love studying and when people ask me, "And what do you do?" I tend to say "How long have you got?" 

How did you get involved in business?

I became involved in business through working with my husband John Lee when we set up an architectural practice called Arca in Manchester in 1998.  I was the Practice Director for the first ten years.  Over the years, I have been involved with other organisations and companies as a coach/consultant with a particular focus on engaging the unique strengths of each person working in the team for the benefit of the individual and the organisation's purpose.

What is the role of virtue in business?

My understanding is that virtue shapes character and our character reflects how we are made in God's image. Virtues such as love, faith, hope, courage, justice, prudence and moderation are universal characteristics which help to build the shalom God intended for his creation from the beginning.  In business these are all foundational to the relationships we establish with colleagues, clients, the broader community in which we operate, and how we make decisions and weigh up the impact that a particular decision will have on others, our society and the environment.

Can you imagine a worldwide entrepreneurial revolution?

Yes I can.  I work very much on the 'people' side of business.  Such a revolution will be brought about one person, one team, one organisation at a time.  Encouraging people to recognise what is uniquely theirs to do in gratitude and exercising the gifts God has given to them is one of the first steps and where I hope I can have influence.

What living person do you most admire and why?

People who live out these virtues in a challenging world with their vision fixed firmly on the new heavens and the new earth, though they are not always famous.

Tell us your most/least green credential.

I'm afraid I use a tumble dryer.  We live in a flat and there just isn't space to drape stuff about to get it dry!  I try to think twice before using it and the electricity cost is as painful for us as the cost to the environment.

On the other hand, we do dream of building our own house out of straw bales (I'm not sure how it's going to work but I trust my architect husband John).

How has the credit crunch shaped you?

It has taught me what it means not to rely on self or the pursuit of worldly success.  It has stripped away any residual sense of creating my own destiny as an educated proactive modern individual.  It has taught me about the passion with which God pursues a relationship with me, and the lengths he has gone to  restore this.  It has taught me that God is sovereign in all things, and that this means he comes with us when we are in dark places.

What Christian story or biblical text motivates you in your work?

Over the years I have been particularly motivated by Deuteronomy 8 in the light of Jesus' fulfilment of the Old Testament law.  It is God who is the source of all creation, including profitable businesses and the wealth they generate.  It is also God who sustains us in the desert and during the years of famine.

I have also been motivated more recently by a better personal understanding of the theology of whole-life discipleship, particularly the sweep of God's creative and redemptive purposes which will culminate in the 'new heavens and the new earth'.   What we do now, and how we behave, matters in the light of resurrection into this.

Which movie character do you most relate to?

I love Sam in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  He is a loyal enabler, and I aspire to his courage and persistence in the face of overwhelming obstacles.  He's also the one who remembers what it is that is worth fighting for.

Martin Luther King Jr had a dream for society. What is yours?

That it will be shaped by grace and be characterised by the wholeness or shalom that God planned for it in the very beginning.

What is the main hindrance to living the dream?

Fear of trusting God and the belief that we can achieve things in our own strength.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Beautiful yarn for knitting - merino wool, cashmere, mohair and silk - and buying knitting books with more patterns than I can ever hope to knit up in a lifetime of non-stop knitting.  Oh, and Prada bags, though they do last an awful long time so I don't have to be too extravagant all that often.

How can we bring wellbeing in society through enterprise?

Releasing and encouraging each person to be bold in living out their God-given purpose.  When I think of the variety of gifts and skills and talents out there...