Name: Tanya White
Title: Managing director, Australian First Mortgage

What was the last book you read?

Daughter of the Ganges by Asha Miro. It's a memoir about an Indian girl who was adopted out at the age of six to a family in Barcelona. After she grows up she starts her journey back to India to locate her family. It was a good book. I'm a big reader, so every so often I'll read a biography or a true story, but I'll also go into pure fiction which is just a mind-numbing read. The next book I've got lined up is on the life of Grace Kelly.

If you did not live in Australia, where would you like to live?

At this point I'd probably say Singapore. It's cultural but it's also a city. I like it because it's got good business support. I like Asian countries for their food, for their culture. I also like Singapore because it's close to Australia and other Asian countries. I like the discipline of the country; it has very strict laws and it's a very safe place. I go once every nine months. I also love the shopping.

If you could sit down to lunch with anyone you like, who would it be?

I've got to do two lunches. One I'd really like to have is with Mother Theresa. I think we can learn a lot from her commitment and her passion. The work she did, and her motivation and ambition. But the naughty side of me would really like a lunch with Rob Lowe and George Clooney. I think it would be a very interesting lunch. I think it could be a very candid, open and enjoyable lunch with those two. I'd have an entr‚e and main with Mother Theresa and dessert and drinks with the other two.

What was the first job you ever had?

The very, very first job I had was in my parents' restaurant. They ran a Sri Lankan restaurant. I worked there after school in the evenings doing waitressing and doing the book-keeping on a Sunday night. My first full-time, real job was in a merchant bank in the futures department. I think working in the restaurant got me out and about talking to people. It taught me to bite my tongue and appreciate and respect people. The merchant bank gave me a lot of confidence. It was very male-dominated and being a young female in that environment taught me to be assertive. It also taught me to work hard.

What do you do to unwind?

I love sitting on the couch in the sun reading, and then of course, when I can - shopping.

What's the most extravagant gift you ever bought yourself?

When I joined the finance industry as a mobile lender, my first commission was quite substantial so I went out and bought myself a diamond ring! I love diamonds and stones and anything that glitters pretty much.

What CD is currently playing in your car stereo?

Right now I've got Michael Bubl‚. I think I have all three of his CDs in the stacker so when one finishes the next one starts. I saw him at the Sydney Opera House a couple of years ago and I've got tickets for his concert at the end of May.

If you could give anyone starting out in business one piece of advice, what would it be?

I'd probably say to them remember why you're starting your own business. You'll probably come across really good times, and not so good times, but if you stay focused on why you've done this, that should hopefully give you the determination to succeed.

If I was not working in the mortgage industry, I would like to be...

I started off doing a law degree, which I didn't finish, and I worked in the legal industry for about a year and a half before I moved into finance. So I'd say I'd go back to law, but I definitely wouldn't do family or criminal law. I probably would do something more commercial or corporate.

Where was the last place you went on holiday?

The last place was Fiji. AFM had a conference there but David, my husband, and I went a week early with another couple. We spent the time on an island off Fiji. I was forced to sit at a resort and relax. All I could do was read, eat and swim. There were no shops, no big city. I did relax, but any more than a week and I would have swum back to shore! I need to be on the go.