Renu Ballantine

Captain
DISC Type : DS

Chief Financial Officer at Vessa

United Kingdom

Overview

Renu Ballantine is the Chief Financial Officer at Vessa, an AI-powered dining assistant, blending her corporate finance and engineering background with her culinary passion. After a 25-year career at companies like ExxonMobil, she trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine to launch her successful private chef and food consulting businesses.

Outside of her corporate and entrepreneurial roles, Renu is deeply committed to community causes, particularly those related to food poverty, and has served as a non-executive finance director for a community café. She draws inspiration from her father, a food scientist, and authored the cookbook "From Boardroom to Bouillabaisse. "

Interesting fact: At age 50, Renu pivoted from a senior corporate career to retrain as a professional chef, successfully building her culinary business from the ground up.

Personality Overview

Consummate Professional

Dynamic But Sincere

Planner & Achiever

Reading between the lines and seeing beyond your words comes naturally to them.  They might take some time to make their mind up but once they do, they don't change it easily. They are very professional in their approach and can weigh multiple perspectives together.

Topics They Care About

Food Business Growth
She leverages her corporate and culinary expertise to consult and invest in food businesses, helping them launch, grow, or navigate financial challenges.
Hospitality Tech
As CFO of Vessa, an AI dining assistant, she is at the intersection of technology and hospitality, combining her engineering background with her love of food.
Career Transitions
She frequently shares her story of pivoting from a 25-year corporate career to the culinary world at age 50, inspiring others to pursue their passions.

Media Appearances

Renu has no verified media appearances

Work History

2-2025
Chief Financial Officer at Vessa
4-2021
Founder, Director and Private Chef at Chef Renu B
8-2021
Private Chef for Chef Renu B at Chef Renu B
4-2021 - 8-2021
Trainee Chef at Chef Renu B
8-2022
Food Consultant and Investor at Renu B Consulting Services Ltd

Education

1990 - 1994
BEng & BCom from University of Birmingham
4-2021 - 9-2021
Nutrition in Culinary Practice and Chefs Skills from Leiths School of Food and Wine

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 14 Location : United Kingdom Job Level : Leadership Designation : Chief Financial Officer at Vessa
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Insights For Selling To Renu

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Use phrases like 'your team deserves', 'best in class' etc.
  • Come across as a trustworthy professional and be respectful, they usually know their game
  • You can spend time on BANT (or other qualification methodology) but keep it to the point

DONT's

  • Don't take their patience for granted, avoid long-winding sermons
  • Don't get into pricing discussions early on, steer conversation towards proven results
  • Don't go over them unless you are left with no other option

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Renu is

  • Strong proof of impact and their conviction will matter the most, but they wouldn't want to act unilaterally either
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Renu

  • They will say no if they are not convinced but you will have to prompt them.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Renu move?

  • They will want to understand things well but can move fast once they have a clear picture.
  • Can Renu take some risk or not?

  • They have good risk tolerance but are likely to think it through once or twice.

You And Renu

Personality Compatibility


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