Our newest Principal Consultant, Ben Miqueu, joined the Sustineo herd in March, so we thought it’s about time you got to know him better!
Ben is an entrepreneurial international development leader with over 15 years of experience across the Pacific and Southeast Asia. His particular interest and technical skills are in digital economics, development innovation and private sector development.
We asked Ben a few questions to understand what goes on behind the scenes – read on to find out!
What drew you to Sustineo?
There’s something captivating about small businesses that consistently delivers high-quality outcomes while being a partner of choice. You can also learn an incredible amount when surrounded by technical professionals that double as great people! Sustineo is one of those companies, so joining was an easy decision for me.
What skills and expertise are you bringing to Sustineo?
Like many, I began my career as a development 'jack-of-all-trades'. Over time, my focus shifted toward supporting business growth, whether through project management, business development, or corporate governance. These experiences have shaped my expertise as a private sector development specialist and, more recently, as a digital economist. I firmly believe that digital skills, complemented by a sustainable digital private sector, provides a powerful pathway to economic prosperity—especially for small island states. These are the technical challenges I aim to tackle during my time here.
What do you hope to achieve during your time at Sustineo?
There are a lot of obvious answers, but ultimately, I want to work with great people to do incredible things—you can't ask for more in role. If you get that right, exceptional quality, strong program management, and meaningful technical outputs and outcomes will follow. I hope over time that we become an industry leader in a range of areas we are great at, while at the same time, building an excellent culture and reputation for being the best place in the industry to work.
What has been your biggest learning experience from your career so far?
Absolutely from our people. There are a lot of folks here much smarter than me, so every day is a learning experience—which has been great for me professionally.
Tell us something we don’t know about you.
I think the cat is out of the bag on this, but I am obsessed with traditional Finnish Sauna. So much so, I built one at home. There is nothing better and more refreshing on a cold morning.
Outside of work, what are you passionate about?
I love being a dad. It is a different kind of purpose to work or accumulating more stuff. Moreso, I love sharing my passions with my daughter and doing things we enjoy together. Gardening, foraging, beekeeping, hiking, camping, fishing, travelling—all these things are core and cherished memories.
What was the last book you read?
‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ by Matt Dinniman. Trust me, it is great.