Meet Avalon Lee-Bacon, Head of Talent at Dawn

Avalon has just joined as Head of Talent to build out Dawn’s talent platform and support our portfolio companies with senior hires, sharing best practices and developing top talent.

Tell us about your career to date

I started my career with a cultural communications agency, where I had the opportunity to work with some brilliant museums and galleries. I moved into executive search in 2014, initially working at a boutique firm advising a range of clients including tech start-ups and scale-ups. I joined Russell Reynolds Associates in 2016, and over the last four years, I have focussed on senior level executives searches for enterprise software and fintech businesses.

What attracted you to Dawn and B2B software?

This is such a dynamic moment for B2B software, and the role Dawn is playing was really exciting to me. I can’t wait to partner with and support the talent of some of the most innovative and fast-growth technology businesses in Europe.

How do you think about the role of exceptional talent in driving the success of a business?

I was really impressed by the emphasis Dawn puts on the importance of exceptional talent in building successful companies. Of course, the right team is absolutely critical to making any business a success, but I think this is especially true for early-stage companies where every single hire has an enormous impact on the product, culture and trajectory of the overall business.

And the quick-fire round!

New year’s resolutions or no resolutions

I’ve kept it simple this year- to keep working hard, and having fun!

Best and worst thing to hear in an interview

I am always impressed when a leader shares stories of how they empowered their teams. I also look out for a willingness to be transparent about mistakes, and evidence of having learnt from when things didn’t necessarily go to plan.

Book you most recently read and your take away

I am in the middle of the first volume of Barack Obama’s presidential memoirs, A Promised Land, which is a fascinating read. I also re-read The Great Gatsby over the holidays, which reminded me how much I’d love to go to a party again!

Recipe for the perfect evening / weekend?

I love all the culture London has to offer, so I spend my weekends at art galleries and my evenings at the theatre — when I am not getting muddy walking our new puppy on Hampstead Heath!

Best piece of advice you have given or received?

It was advice I was given when I was choosing what to study, but I have continued to keep in mind for career choices too, which is do something that you really truly care deeply about. What might on paper look like the most sensible decision won’t be the right one unless you can get really passionate about it.

Follow Avalon on LinkedIn