Neri Karra Sillaman - Leadership In Building A Family Business As An Immigrant

Neri Karra Sillaman is the embodiment of what it means to blend intellectual rigor with entrepreneurial grit. A refugee-turned-entrepreneur, she’s the founder of Neri Kara, a luxury leather goods brand celebrating its 25th year—and she’s also an academic with a PhD from Cambridge. In our conversation, Neri shared her incredible journey: from building a business with her family using discarded Italian leather, to walking away from it to pursue her true calling in academia. We talked about what it takes to run a successful family business, the importance of structure and clarity in leadership, and how the values of compassion and integrity shaped her leadership—largely inspired by her father. Neri discussed her experience as an immigrant and refugee, and how that shaped both her worldview and her work ethic. She made a powerful case for the unique contributions that immigrants bring to business and society—resilience, creativity, and an unmatched drive to build something better—not just for themselves, but for others. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com nerikarrasillaman.com Additional Guest Links: nerikarra.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/neri-karra-sillaman Instagram: @prof.neri Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp  Podcast Twitter – @al4edp  Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com