Lee Davy sits down with the Malta Poker Festival‘s founder, Ivonne Montealegre, to talk about her legal issues with Casino Malta, the ‘why’ behind her new creation, and her desire to work with more influential female ambassadors.

Having become the first Finance Minister of a G8 country, Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity and so you should take heed when she says:

“Grit your teeth and smile. In the face of adversity, go. They don’t deserve you.”

And it was Lagarde who crossed my mind during a conversation with Malta Poker Festival’s founder, Ivonne Montealegre, another strong, independent and passionate woman who grits her teeth and says, “Bring it on,” when nostrils begin to flare.