Virtual not Distant®
The company was set up in 2016 to support managers and leaders of remote teams. We now focus on creating audio and text content designed to champion a healthy, sustainable and positive approach to remote work, alongside fostering thoughtful leadership practices.
PILAR ORTI - Director and Founder
When you connect with us through this website, you'll be greeted by Pilar, the creative spirit behind Virtual not Distant. Pilar's vision and expertise are at the heart of the company, yet much of our content is born from co-creation, involving the talents of the individuals also featured below.
MORE ON PILAR:
After training face to face and facilitating team-away days, in 2010 Pilar started to look for non-location specific opportunities to help people develop. Wanting to visit her parents in Madrid more often and having met her future husband in Amsterdam meant that limiting her work to her UK base was no longer an option.
In 2013, she landed a freelance job with a training company, delivering accredited Management and Leadership qualifications online. There she started igniting discussion on the forum and growing the webinar programme. Far from finding the shift to the online space daunting, Pilar quickly adapted her ability to create a sense of purpose and unity to the online space.
Having run a small organisation herself, Pilar understands the importance of people feeling valued and engaged at work. Changing the tools and the location of our work shouldn’t impact our ability to work closely together. However, we do need to shift our mindset and let go of old ways.
Pilar is fascinated by the opportunities that technology brings to make the world of work a better place. And seeing as we spend more than 70% of our waking time at work, what better way of helping make the world a better place?
Having taught and trained others for most of her life, she’s now focusing on writing, podcasting and drawing.
(She also works regularly as a voiceover in London (her husband moved over) and her proudest achievement in that field is being the voice of Xuli in the BBC’s CBeebies’ GoJetters animation series.)
MAYA MIDDLEMISS
Maya co-hosts the “What’s Going On” episodes, contributing her extensive experience in working remotely and her deep interest in the future of work to the discussion. You can also find many of her articles in our blog.
Maya transitioned to home-based working at the turn of the millennium to found a market research fieldwork company. Finding few resources available at the time, she taught herself to develop and manage what turned out to be a fully remote team, when that was still a very innovative proposition – sending each other files via ISDN, and faxing important documents, and managing the first team discussions on IRC!
Academically, she has a BSc in Psychology and a Diploma in Management Studies – but her current reading list ranges from cryptocurrencies to paleo-health to agile project management. She’s the founder of Remote Work Europe.
ROSS WINTER
Ross is our sound guy. He puts anything audio through his super efficient podcast machine. And with a bit of jiggery pokery (years of experience and a first class degree), out pops a squeaky clean episode of our“21st Century Work Life” podcast! You can find out more about his services here."
TIM BURGESS
Tim is the co-host of Management Café, where he shares his many insights and experiences as the co-founder and leader of a distributed organisation. He provides a balanced view of the world to Pilar’s - as he never drinks coffee and advocates for a good cup of tea!
SIMON WILSON
Simon is the co-creator of our Navigating Asynchronous Communication, our audio-first course for new managers of remote teams.
Since 2000, Simon has specialised in facilitation and collaboration virtually and face to face. He works across the public, private and voluntary sectors helping organisations to build strategies, improve governance, and engage stakeholders.
Simon has been involved in the recent adaptation of the IAF’s (International Association of Facilitators) certification programme to the online space and is the co-author of Virtual Meetings: A Practical Guide and co-founder of the consultancy Wilson Sheriff.