Lorna entered The Ortus Club in 2021 as the Group Director of mClub. With a persona that balances rigorous discipline and sincere compassion, she leads members of both her team and peer groups within mClub and inspires them to maximise their potential as professionals. Her ultimate career goal is to see the company, its clients, and its talent thrive in their respective industries.

What makes you the best at what you do? What values drive you to perform even better?

Organisation and prioritisation are my two key strengths. When it comes to my work life, I pride myself on living by my code of compartmentalisation.

I meticulously block out time where I need to focus on specific tasks, which I colour-code, to streamline my work process, especially whenever I’d need to set up meeting appointments on my Google Calendar. Since my team and I, for the most part, work remotely, I adopt quarterly and annual company and team goals in managing my team’s responsibilities, governing me in moving my tasks around and setting reminders for my team. Our weekly recap meetings, in which we revisit our tasks for the week and establish our priorities for the following week, are essential in our pursuit to maintain our effectiveness and efficiency in reaching our goals.

These shared goals guide me to provide my team with the encouragement they need to embolden themselves, which we all need in our professional lives. Congratulating them on wins—however big or small they may be—is one way I revitalise my team. However, since we, as humans, all make mistakes and experience days in which we’re not as proactive and productive, I also make it a point to remind my team that we’re doing what we love for a reason.

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“We all have a role in the grander scheme of things, regardless of the titles we hold, so never be afraid to speak your mind.”

What challenges have you proudly overcome in such a fast-paced working environment?

My challenge is something that the majority of professionals in my position are also facing today: working with teams scattered worldwide. On the face of it, it’s a huge blessing. Not only do you get to work with a variety of cultures, but you also get to pull the best talent from across the globe.

It comes with its own challenges, however. Human connection is important and complex. Communicating in the right way can be difficult when you rarely interact with others in face-to-face settings, but it’s a challenge worth taking on. It requires a lot of flexibility, understanding, and constantly regular communication.

What knowledge can you share with the charisma and confidence of a lifelong expert?

In a professional environment, we sometimes forget that we work with human beings. Naturally, a significant part of being human is satisfying one’s curiosity. No one should feel too worried about overcommunicating an idea because engaging in lengthy discussions that profoundly explore what you may think are ‘dumb’ questions is far better than making less-informed assumptions that lead to mistakes.

We all have a role in the grander scheme of things, regardless of the titles we hold, so never be afraid to speak your mind and share your thoughts and insights about the things that matter. In a growing company like mClub, we feed off the ideas brought forward by every member of the team. We’re all in it together and are heavily invested in the company’s success.

Another rule I live by is a valuable takeaway I gained from one of my previous jobs. That’s the ‘5-minute rule’. Whenever you face an unexpected challenge in undertaking a certain task, spend five minutes trying to figure it out on your own. In today’s digital-first world, you’ll have the answer at your fingertips most of the time. You just need the initiative to look for it. If you don’t still find it in five minutes, ask for help.

You’ll be surprised how much new knowledge can be shared when we take the time to seek the right workarounds. Not only will you resolve whatever challenge you’re facing at that particular time, but, often, you’ll come across new insights on top of the answers you’ve found. This new information can then be passed on to whoever needs it and help position you as a proactive learner and source of knowledge.

Why do you stay with the company? What would you tell someone interested in joining?

At The Ortus Club, our company’s culture is as significant as the roles we fill, and such a friendly and enthusiastic culture is something I’ve yet to find anywhere else. It’s the perfect balance of energetic camaraderie, professional respect, and abundant growth.

I have been involved in growing quite a few startups, teams, marketing departments, and brands, and I thrive on the excitement of doing it and the creative freedom that comes with growth. In a company like mClub, you get to meet some of the most interesting people, connect with seasoned professionals, and provide a service for them that is useful and fulfilling.

A smaller team within The Ortus Club, mClub provides opportunities that are just as limitless. There’s a direction for anyone who takes an interest in joining us, whether you’re eager, entrepreneurial, organised, or logical.

On a personal level, if you’re a charismatic communicator, there are myriad ways to come on board with us. The fact that we’re growing means that we are constantly ready to create new, more specialised roles—roles that you didn’t know even existed or could ever exist.

While it can be exceedingly thrilling, being with mClub can be quite fast and terrifying at the same time. My work nightmare is sitting behind a desk and undertaking the same tasks every day, failing to find opportunities to innovate or evolve.

What do you think the future holds for The Ortus Club and mClub? What role will you play in this journey?

I’ve been a part of The Ortus Club since 2021, and I’ve seen it evolve incredibly and grow exponentially. I particularly see mClub becoming a commodity in everyone’s professional lives, especially now that there’s just so much noise online, so many competing resources, and so much information. It’s all just so conflicting and time-consuming.

I feel like mClub tackles all that by breaking down the barriers between professionals and getting real information right from the source without bringing any competing agendas to the table. On top of that, you can only go so far in evolving as a professional by reading articles and LinkedIn posts or taking 5-10 minutes to sit down with your peers to ask them questions directly relating to your challenges and strategies.

MClub goes beyond that, with all our members coming together with a shared commitment to driving continuous professional growth and fostering international knowledge sharing across industries and markets.

What is mClub? What is your role in the company?

It’s a private membership-based network comprised of small bespoke groups of senior and C-level professionals who work in various functions. With a trained chairperson moderating bimonthly online meetups, members are urged to exchange thoughts, ideas, and values with like-minded peers in similar roles.

The fact that mClub was created by The Ortus Club, which also focuses on knowledge sharing, means we have the tools and abilities to make these 60-90 minute meet-ups matter. MClub facilitates targeted discussions with one goal in mind: reaching new heights in your career.

My role in mClub is two-fold. I hold the Group Director role, which is focused primarily on inviting new members into groups based on their professional goals, and managing and operating the success of all of these groups. I’m also responsible for building the services and processes within the company.

How was your experience of building a team from scratch?

Honestly, it’s been quite a challenge, but challenges make any new ventures exciting and worthwhile. It’s all about learning what works and what doesn’t—and learning that quickly. You need the proper skills to identify when things aren’t going the way you initially planned and discern when to stop and focus on what could make it work.

It’s been an exciting ride. I’m really proud of where we are, what the team has accomplished, and how much effort everyone has been putting into mClub.

What has been the biggest challenge so far with mClub projects?

It’s probably more of a personal struggle than a challenge with the company. I’m a marketing professional, and I love building brands, driving interest, and making sure everyone is talking about the company you work with. With mClub, we’re invitation-only, and even though we run groups for marketing professionals, we don’t market ourselves. Not yet, anyway. It’s an itch I need to scratch.