Nivi is the first person you meet at Dawn, and usually the first to crack a joke. She looks after founders, investors and guests and keeps things running smoothly behind the scenes through vendor relationships, problem-solving and a knack for anticipating what snacks the office is craving that week.

Learn how to cross a road in New Delhi and you’ve learnt more about reading chaos than most people do their whole lives. My brain has never really done "leave it."

Before Dawn, I was a product manager at Kiews, keeping a team of fifteen developers and our client, NEAR Protocol, pointing in the same direction. It was 2020, crypto was having its moment and I learned a lot about staying organised when everything around you is moving fast. We don’t talk about Luna.

The through-line in everything I do is reducing friction. I’m meticulous about systems in my own life; my calendar is sacred, everything has a place, feng shui is less a vibe and more a strategy. I’ve just brought all of that into the office. The best version of operations is invisible: things just work, people aren’t slowed down, and nobody had to ask.

I grew up between Varanasi, South Delhi and a boarding school in the Kodaikanal hills–my parents are South African, which made for an interesting passport situation. My world back home is mostly designers, photographers and people in India’s fashion scene.

Which might explain why, outside the office, you’ll find me at a gallery, thinking about colour theory, or in the Upper Slips at the Royal Opera House. If you have opinions about what’s on this season, I’d love to hear them.

Prior to Dawn, Nivi worked at Kiews Oü. She studied at Hult International Business School.