Kiki Paul, the 389th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, moved to Australia in 1994 for a temporary working holiday, in part to shake off a failed romance. It’s funny how life works out – she met a wonderful man two months later; he proposed 13 days after that; and they’ve been together ever since.

Kiki worked in PR and communications in her native Holland, but a new life meant a new career. Over the next two decades, Kiki and her husband built a successful financial services business, Moneytree Wealth Advisory Group, which grew to have 35 staff and a turnover of $5 million. Kiki worked in the management side of the business, where her comms skills proved very useful.

Since selling Moneytree in 2014, Kiki has worked in the not-for-profit sector. She served as CEO of Go Gentle Australia, a charity that promotes choice at the end of life, including the option of voluntary assisted dying, and also holds non-executive director roles in other organisations.

In January, Kiki became CEO of Victims and Witnesses of Crime Court Support (VWCCS), which informs and supports victims and witnesses of crime within the unfamiliar environment of the court. Testifying can be traumatic and stressful for people who have been the victim of or witnessed crime, especially if they’ve never appeared in court. VWCCS gives these people the support and guidance they need to testify effectively, which ensures better court outcomes.

Kiki describes herself as a Labrador – she loves people – which explains why she wanted to have lunch with a stranger. We had an interesting, wide-ranging discussion about everything from business and law to food and relationships.