General

Hi, I'm Sash. British by education, Antiguan by heart, and a citizen of the world by choice.

• I have dual nationality, Antiguan and British
• Grew up in Antigua and Barbuda but left for school in the UK at 14
• Bounced back and forth between the UK and Antigua throughout the years

• Growing up my parents prioritised us being outside and traveling
• Visited 30 countries
• Lived in 5 countries
• Works remotely in running technology companies

Travel

My approach to travel is not just as movement through spaces, but as an immersive dive into the cultures and communities that make each destination unique.

• Growing up my parents would always prioritise travel/adventure over material possessions, allowing us (my sister and I) to have some amazing experiences
• I prefer authentic experiences over tourist traps as I find it better reflects the true spirit of a place.
• Before traveling I’ll usually do a fair amount of research and tap into my network to find out where the best spots, hidden gems and must do things are

• Depending on the holiday I’ll 'usually' opt to stay in private accomodation over hotels, hostels and all-inclusive resorts as I prefer slightly more privacy and value a bit more adventure
• Growing up in Antigua and Barbuda where we are spoilt by an abundance of beautiful beaches, I now go in search of other features like rivers, waterfalls and stunning landscapes
• Whilst I do enjoy the luxurious parts of travel, they are not generally the aspects that make a trip great for me. It’s more about the people and authentic experiences that leave that lasting memory and sense of happiness.

Food

Growing up in a family with high culinary IQ has definitely positively effected how I explore the world of food.

• From a young age, I've been surrounded by passionate cooking, influencing my palate and culinary skills
• I somehow managed to gain hands-on experience, running a chalet kitchen in the French Alps with a friend
• I like a healthy mix of street food and fine dining. Opting for something that gives you an experience or appreciation for the place you’re visiting

• I believe that the best dishes truly come from chefs who love what they do and aim to bring the eater into their world. Passion shines through in their dishes
• A good meal could be as simple as a plain burger cooked to perfection or a multifaceted dish giving you layers of flavour complexity
• I would definitely say I have an adventurous pallet, pushing me to quite often order the thing on the menu which I’ve never heard of or sounds fairly odd

Drinks

A good drink doesn't need to be fancy, just well-crafted.

• Like many, I was a cocktail bartender whilst at university
• For fun, I sometimes step in as a bartender for friends running private events
• In all honesty, there aren’t a lot of drinks I can’t at least appreciate

• Drink preference:
  

• Rum - Growing up in the Caribbean it’s hardly a surprise that my first love of alcohol came in the form of rum, specifically award-winning English Harbour Rum
  
• Beer - Whilst I didn’t really start drinking beer until I was mid way through university, my appreciation for it has grown massively with my go to beers being a pale ale or Guinness
• Wine - Since I was young, my grandfather always had a strong collection of wine and would break out his good bottles when we visited. I definitely lean more heavily towards red wine but enjoy all types
• Mezcal & Tequila - Whist tequila had been a favourite for many years, after living in Mexico I really got a chance to deep dive into the wonders of Mezcal which has now surpassed its cousin tequila in my charts. My go to for either would be a mexcalita or a margarita picante
• Negroni - All be it a more recent ‘muse’ negroni’s have skyrocketed up the runnings in the last few years
• Espresso martinis - It should go without saying but espresso martinis should be a staple for any cocktail drinker. With it being an easy post dinner drink, something to start the night or to keep the night going, the simple espresso martini will always have a place on my menu

Sports / Activites

From traditional sports to the rugged outdoors, I try to  embrace an active lifestyle that matches the adventurous ethos of Exploring Antigua.

• I grew up playing traditional sports like football, tennis, karate and golf
• These days I mostly pursue adrenaline-fuelled activities with my favourite being snowboarding
• More recently I moved to the west coast of Mexico to learn how to surf as it had been on my list for years

• I picked up wakeboarding in the South of England and even put myself through the torture of wakeboarding through the bitter British winters 🥶
• As an Antiguan, it was also only right that I learned how to kitesurf, with Antigua being one of the best places to learn during the windy season due to great trade winds and lack of crowds
• Whilst I would definitely consider myself a novice rock climber, I love the sport and was lucky enough to get to go on a climbing trip in the Dolomites in Spain
• While living in the North of Italy I thought it was only right to pick up cycling more seriously and used my downtime to explore the stunning area. Although the spandex hasn't quite gotten me yet 😅
• As a junior golfer I was fortunate enough to represent the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and also get sponsored to go to a Nike's International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Experiences I will never forget!

Career / Work

I’ve done a whole host of jobs from being a janitor at the school I went to, to running a London based Financial Tech Startup

• I realised a long time ago that one of my main skillsets is understanding people and figuring out what their needs are
• Problem-solving is definitely my best skill set and likely why I’ve been able to bounce around multiple positions and advise on others. Regardless of whether it’s in my field or not, I’ll always skill up to get to the root of a problem.....and solve it
• Here's a list of some of the roles I’ve had over the years:

• Washing cars as a kid
  
• School Janitor
• Cocktail Bartender
• Chalet Chef & Host
• Retail Assistant
• Lead Industrial Product Designer
• Project Manager
• User Experience (UX) Designer
• Senior Product Manager
• Cheif Product Officer (CPO)
• Chief Operations Officer (COO)
• Managing Director
• Founder & Co-Founder