'The sudden demise of Valin Pollen brought my career in the communications industry to an abrupt end, but I felt it was a good moment to reflect on what I had gained from the experience. We all tend to make a fair number of mistakes in life, the trick, of course, is to learn from them. What's important is how we deal with obstacles and the strength we gain in overcoming them. I think I've learnt that in adversity one should never, ever quit. Meanwhile I still find myself looking for the next challenge - perhaps because the past didn't work out quite as I had originally planned.'