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How CEOs Make Career Bets: Stillfront’s Alexis Bonte on Risk, Value & Big-Leap Decisions
Happy Thanksgiving from the Mission One team!
As we take a moment to reflect on gratitude and growth, we're excited to share a conversation that embodies both.
Career acceleration rarely follows a straight line. For Alexis Bonte, curiosity has shaped every step: from joining the founding team at lastminute.com and riding the first internet wave, to building eRepublik, learning the investment world at Atomico, and now leading Stillfront Group as CEO. In this episode of Mission One: The Executive Edge, Alexis reflects on career ownership, smart risk, and the discipline of choosing growth over comfort. He explains why progress comes from stepping into hard problems, staying close to where value is created, and treating your path like an entrepreneur would treat a business.
The conversation moves into leadership, hiring and performance at scale. Alexis shares why reference calls beat polished CVs, how instinct complements structure, and why one doubt should stop a hire. He speaks openly about designing his CEO role to stay close to product and teams rather than becoming lost in the public company process. For leaders shaping teams or careers, this episode offers grounded guidance on building momentum, taking meaningful bets, and leading with clarity.
What You’ll Learn
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.
FAQs
Q: What does being the “entrepreneur of your own career” mean?
A: Treat your career like a business you are responsible for building. Choose work that stretches capability, take calculated risks, volunteer for hard problems, and step into environments that demand growth. Careers compound when you make active decisions rather than waiting for permission or title progression.
Q: How does Alexis decide when to take a career leap or accept a new role?
A: He looks for opportunities with leverage: rocket ships, turnarounds, or roles close to the engines of value. If a job feels too safe, cushy, or predictable, that is usually a warning that learning may stall.
Q: What guides Alexis’s hiring philosophy?
A: He prioritises instinct, character, and proof of behaviour over polished CVs. He uses disarming questions such as “Are you a lucky person?” to reveal honesty and depth, and he always checks references himself, listening closely to tone and hesitation.
Q: Why does he say, “one doubt means no hire”?
A: A small doubt often signals deeper misalignment that may surface later in costly ways. Leaders protect culture and performance by acting early. Highly skilled hires who are wrong for the environment consume energy and trust. Walking away requires courage, but it prevents long-term setbacks.
Q: Why does Alexis encourage professionals to avoid the “golden cage”?
A: Stability can quietly limit ambition. Growth comes from environments where learning comes fast, expectations are high, and contribution matters. The safest choice often becomes the riskiest in the long run.
Q: How does Alexis stay grounded as a public company CEO?
A: By protecting time with the product and the people who create value. Leadership for him is not a reporting tower, but full contact with the work itself.
Episode Resources:
As we take a moment to reflect on gratitude and growth, we're excited to share a conversation that embodies both.
Career acceleration rarely follows a straight line. For Alexis Bonte, curiosity has shaped every step: from joining the founding team at lastminute.com and riding the first internet wave, to building eRepublik, learning the investment world at Atomico, and now leading Stillfront Group as CEO. In this episode of Mission One: The Executive Edge, Alexis reflects on career ownership, smart risk, and the discipline of choosing growth over comfort. He explains why progress comes from stepping into hard problems, staying close to where value is created, and treating your path like an entrepreneur would treat a business.
The conversation moves into leadership, hiring and performance at scale. Alexis shares why reference calls beat polished CVs, how instinct complements structure, and why one doubt should stop a hire. He speaks openly about designing his CEO role to stay close to product and teams rather than becoming lost in the public company process. For leaders shaping teams or careers, this episode offers grounded guidance on building momentum, taking meaningful bets, and leading with clarity.
What You’ll Learn
- How to own your career by taking smart risks and pursuing roles that stretch capabilities
- Why curiosity and problem-solving accelerate growth more than linear planning
- The value of choosing rocket ships or turnarounds instead of comfortable companies
- How to recognise and avoid the “golden cage” in career decision-making
- How to stay close to where the money is made and why proximity to value drives influence
- Why instinct, reference checks, and character matter most in high-stakes hiring
- How leaders can design their own role to stay connected to product, team,s and impact
- Why one doubt means no hire, and how that principle protects culture and performance
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.
FAQs
Q: What does being the “entrepreneur of your own career” mean?
A: Treat your career like a business you are responsible for building. Choose work that stretches capability, take calculated risks, volunteer for hard problems, and step into environments that demand growth. Careers compound when you make active decisions rather than waiting for permission or title progression.
Q: How does Alexis decide when to take a career leap or accept a new role?
A: He looks for opportunities with leverage: rocket ships, turnarounds, or roles close to the engines of value. If a job feels too safe, cushy, or predictable, that is usually a warning that learning may stall.
Q: What guides Alexis’s hiring philosophy?
A: He prioritises instinct, character, and proof of behaviour over polished CVs. He uses disarming questions such as “Are you a lucky person?” to reveal honesty and depth, and he always checks references himself, listening closely to tone and hesitation.
Q: Why does he say, “one doubt means no hire”?
A: A small doubt often signals deeper misalignment that may surface later in costly ways. Leaders protect culture and performance by acting early. Highly skilled hires who are wrong for the environment consume energy and trust. Walking away requires courage, but it prevents long-term setbacks.
Q: Why does Alexis encourage professionals to avoid the “golden cage”?
A: Stability can quietly limit ambition. Growth comes from environments where learning comes fast, expectations are high, and contribution matters. The safest choice often becomes the riskiest in the long run.
Q: How does Alexis stay grounded as a public company CEO?
A: By protecting time with the product and the people who create value. Leadership for him is not a reporting tower, but full contact with the work itself.
Episode Resources:
- Gerard Miles on LinkedIn
- Alexis Bonte on LinkedIn
- Stillfront Website
- Mission One: The Executive Edge on Apple Podcasts
- Mission One: The Executive Edge on Spotify
- Mission One: The Executive Edge on YouTube
View all episodes
By Mission OneHappy Thanksgiving from the Mission One team!
As we take a moment to reflect on gratitude and growth, we're excited to share a conversation that embodies both.
Career acceleration rarely follows a straight line. For Alexis Bonte, curiosity has shaped every step: from joining the founding team at lastminute.com and riding the first internet wave, to building eRepublik, learning the investment world at Atomico, and now leading Stillfront Group as CEO. In this episode of Mission One: The Executive Edge, Alexis reflects on career ownership, smart risk, and the discipline of choosing growth over comfort. He explains why progress comes from stepping into hard problems, staying close to where value is created, and treating your path like an entrepreneur would treat a business.
The conversation moves into leadership, hiring and performance at scale. Alexis shares why reference calls beat polished CVs, how instinct complements structure, and why one doubt should stop a hire. He speaks openly about designing his CEO role to stay close to product and teams rather than becoming lost in the public company process. For leaders shaping teams or careers, this episode offers grounded guidance on building momentum, taking meaningful bets, and leading with clarity.
What You’ll Learn
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.
FAQs
Q: What does being the “entrepreneur of your own career” mean?
A: Treat your career like a business you are responsible for building. Choose work that stretches capability, take calculated risks, volunteer for hard problems, and step into environments that demand growth. Careers compound when you make active decisions rather than waiting for permission or title progression.
Q: How does Alexis decide when to take a career leap or accept a new role?
A: He looks for opportunities with leverage: rocket ships, turnarounds, or roles close to the engines of value. If a job feels too safe, cushy, or predictable, that is usually a warning that learning may stall.
Q: What guides Alexis’s hiring philosophy?
A: He prioritises instinct, character, and proof of behaviour over polished CVs. He uses disarming questions such as “Are you a lucky person?” to reveal honesty and depth, and he always checks references himself, listening closely to tone and hesitation.
Q: Why does he say, “one doubt means no hire”?
A: A small doubt often signals deeper misalignment that may surface later in costly ways. Leaders protect culture and performance by acting early. Highly skilled hires who are wrong for the environment consume energy and trust. Walking away requires courage, but it prevents long-term setbacks.
Q: Why does Alexis encourage professionals to avoid the “golden cage”?
A: Stability can quietly limit ambition. Growth comes from environments where learning comes fast, expectations are high, and contribution matters. The safest choice often becomes the riskiest in the long run.
Q: How does Alexis stay grounded as a public company CEO?
A: By protecting time with the product and the people who create value. Leadership for him is not a reporting tower, but full contact with the work itself.
Episode Resources:
As we take a moment to reflect on gratitude and growth, we're excited to share a conversation that embodies both.
Career acceleration rarely follows a straight line. For Alexis Bonte, curiosity has shaped every step: from joining the founding team at lastminute.com and riding the first internet wave, to building eRepublik, learning the investment world at Atomico, and now leading Stillfront Group as CEO. In this episode of Mission One: The Executive Edge, Alexis reflects on career ownership, smart risk, and the discipline of choosing growth over comfort. He explains why progress comes from stepping into hard problems, staying close to where value is created, and treating your path like an entrepreneur would treat a business.
The conversation moves into leadership, hiring and performance at scale. Alexis shares why reference calls beat polished CVs, how instinct complements structure, and why one doubt should stop a hire. He speaks openly about designing his CEO role to stay close to product and teams rather than becoming lost in the public company process. For leaders shaping teams or careers, this episode offers grounded guidance on building momentum, taking meaningful bets, and leading with clarity.
What You’ll Learn
- How to own your career by taking smart risks and pursuing roles that stretch capabilities
- Why curiosity and problem-solving accelerate growth more than linear planning
- The value of choosing rocket ships or turnarounds instead of comfortable companies
- How to recognise and avoid the “golden cage” in career decision-making
- How to stay close to where the money is made and why proximity to value drives influence
- Why instinct, reference checks, and character matter most in high-stakes hiring
- How leaders can design their own role to stay connected to product, team,s and impact
- Why one doubt means no hire, and how that principle protects culture and performance
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.
FAQs
Q: What does being the “entrepreneur of your own career” mean?
A: Treat your career like a business you are responsible for building. Choose work that stretches capability, take calculated risks, volunteer for hard problems, and step into environments that demand growth. Careers compound when you make active decisions rather than waiting for permission or title progression.
Q: How does Alexis decide when to take a career leap or accept a new role?
A: He looks for opportunities with leverage: rocket ships, turnarounds, or roles close to the engines of value. If a job feels too safe, cushy, or predictable, that is usually a warning that learning may stall.
Q: What guides Alexis’s hiring philosophy?
A: He prioritises instinct, character, and proof of behaviour over polished CVs. He uses disarming questions such as “Are you a lucky person?” to reveal honesty and depth, and he always checks references himself, listening closely to tone and hesitation.
Q: Why does he say, “one doubt means no hire”?
A: A small doubt often signals deeper misalignment that may surface later in costly ways. Leaders protect culture and performance by acting early. Highly skilled hires who are wrong for the environment consume energy and trust. Walking away requires courage, but it prevents long-term setbacks.
Q: Why does Alexis encourage professionals to avoid the “golden cage”?
A: Stability can quietly limit ambition. Growth comes from environments where learning comes fast, expectations are high, and contribution matters. The safest choice often becomes the riskiest in the long run.
Q: How does Alexis stay grounded as a public company CEO?
A: By protecting time with the product and the people who create value. Leadership for him is not a reporting tower, but full contact with the work itself.
Episode Resources:
- Gerard Miles on LinkedIn
- Alexis Bonte on LinkedIn
- Stillfront Website
- Mission One: The Executive Edge on Apple Podcasts
- Mission One: The Executive Edge on Spotify
- Mission One: The Executive Edge on YouTube