The Team

Mirella Hogan

Mirella was almost born in transit from Italy to England and very soon started speaking Italian as her first language. This brief childhood love affair with language ended abruptly when she realised no one knew what she was talking about.

The teenage years rekindled her love for language, especially French - she spent a lot of time in little cinemas watching any film with Gérard Dépardieu in it. After studying French and Italian at University with Paola, where they spent hours in the refectory wondering if they were the only virgins at the college, she launched herself into a career in advertising at Saatchi & Saatchi where she wondered no more.

Unfortunately, advertising didn't hold all the answers for Mirella. She needed more. Hence in 1990, a very busy year when she also found time to get married, she helped found Mother Tongue.

Mother tongue: English. Other languages: French, Italian.