What is your favourite memory of Malvern College?
Being part of an international, open-minded and supportive community.
Making friends for life, including Charlotte who walked into IB Higher Maths on the first day with foggy glasses from the rain outside, sat next to me, and has been like a sister to me since then.
Learning and living with people who have become my closest friends 24/7.
What attracted you to your particular career and what do you enjoy most about it?
My career in an impact investment group started with the ambition to maximize my personal contribution to climate change mitigation and animal welfare. After learning that intensive animal agriculture and the inefficient use of resources in this sector are propelling greenhouse gas emissions, world hunger, and animal as well as human suffering, I dove deeper into the topic and recognized the budding business opportunity in FoodTech at the time. I was quickly determined to make this my full-time career. So I investigated the (then) niche world of alternative protein investment funds, in order to leverage my academic and professional background in corporate finance, venture capital & private equity and fundraising. And I found one of the leading thematic impact investment groups, Blue Horizon, which proved a perfect fit, combining a strong sustainability mission with the diligence and ambition of a “conventional” investment firm.
What motivates me about working in an impact investment group focused on alternative protein and the future of food is the strong sense of purpose and urgency, as humanity is facing the growing challenge of providing nutritious food to a growing population while avoiding a climate disaster.
I joined Blue Horizon in 2019 and feel incredibly lucky working in a team of highly motivated individuals and mission-aligned investors towards our common goal. And my personal alignment with this cause enables a strong identification with my work, the willingness to grow, learn and excel on a daily basis.
What part did Malvern College play in giving you the necessary skills for your chosen path?
A combination of the full Malvern experience, really! The faculty who fostered and demanded academic excellence, hard work and humility, but always with a sense of humour. The Math Higher Level certainly helped me in business school further on. During my time in Malvern, I was planning to study either Maths or Physics, so I didn’t take Economics, but would recommend it to anyone planning to enter the finance world.
The strong sense of community, meeting people from all over the world, with different cultures, languages and customs has remained invaluable until this day in all walks of life, professionally and privately.
What are your ambitions?
Making impact investing the most environmentally and financially responsible option for large mainstream investors.
What advice would you give to current pupils contemplating working or studying in your field?
I want to inspire as many people as possible to choose careers in alignment with their values – I think many people don’t realise they have this option. For the impact investing world and FoodTech specifically, I recommend a solid financial base and/or science in the field of your passion such as Biotechnology / molecular science / Food science.
What advice would you give to current pupils about making the most of their time at Malvern College?
Spend your time in Malvern with people from different places, don’t stay in silos of your own language or culture. Make friends from all around the world and interact with your teachers as much as you can. Malvern is full of amazing individuals and your time there will end too fast.
Any final thoughts?
Yes, I want to thank John Knee for not only being an amazing tutor, but also for deliberately letting me win that one game in the chess club once. ;)