All fellow profiles of 2017 at a glance
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because…
"China has developed to a stage where resources need to be very effectively used to guide or initiate positive transformation. Joining LGT IV, I am excited to learn from an international organization that has rich experience in investment and impact making, and I can use my experience to make meaningful and quantifiable social impact that is most needed in China at this stage."
Amber works as Investment Associate Fellow with the LGT IV China team on investment analysis to facilitate investment decisions, portfolio companies management to guarantee an effective implementation of our investment principle, pipeline development to promote LGT IV and to find investment opportunities.
My background
CFA / PMP / MBA with experience in corporate finance, M&A, international project finance, corporate digital transformation, and business development in over 10 countries. Has an established track record of leading cross-functional teams to make effective deliverables under multi-cultural environment. Goal-oriented with strong organizational skills and rich negotiation experience.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because…
"I blieve in 'Be(ing) the change you wish to see'. Since moving to India, I had been looking into social avenues where I could interject and help bring about impact in a meaningful way. The LGT Impact Fellowship is perfectly placed for such an introduction."
My background
Kausha started her professional career as an architect, with a Masters in Environmental Design of Buildings. After having worked on various residential and commerical projects across UK, she decided to make a foray into the world of branding through internships; followed by a freelance contract with LPK, London. During a holiday in India, she was charmed by the optimism and enthusiasm vibrant in the air and decided to move to Mumbai in 2013. Kausha has since worked freelance with various branding and design agencies and also independently with clients across various sectors ranging from tech to hospitality to kite strings.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because…
"After completing a few years in the corporate world, I found myself introspecting about my next career move and realized that I have been extremely passionate and at my most confident self when associated with developmental organizations. I applied to the program with an intent to bridge the gap in my purpose and my professional acumen in the development space. The program came across as a perfect opportunity to gauge how I can make a meaningful impact career."
My background
After obtaining an MBA specializing in Human Resources from XLRI School of Business, Prinka has been working for the past 3+ years with Standard Chartered Bank working in various capacities covering the gamut of HR roles including Talent Acquisition, Employee engagement, Talent Management, Organizational culture & design, Rewards & recognition platforms, PeopleSoft implementation, strategic workforce planning etc. Beyond work, she was associated with the Akanksha Foundation for a mentoring program and launched project Ankur wherein a local govt. school was adoptedand provided with curriculum and infrastructure support. During her MBA, Prianka was also the secretary for CII - Young Indians which primarily focused on mobilizing youth to meet developmental goals and was the recipient of the UN Peace, Mercy & Tolerance Award for her work with Rotary International in the last year of her schooling.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because…
"My extensive experience in the charitable sector within finance related roles as well as running my own company was my motivation to join the Fellowship Program especially with my experience and association with NGOs in India."
My background
When Andrew applied for the Fellowship, he was employed by a UK bank providing quality assurance, training and procedural documentation writing. Prior to this he was based in New Delhi from 2013 to 2015. The decision to move to India was to further his business development, training and fundraising experience in the charity sector. During his time there, Andrew was involved with two projects that involved training and education. In the UK he has worked for several years as a business manager to an environmental charitable Trust that is now a large, successful organisation. Andrew has also worked for retail organisations, publishing companies and ran his own start-up business for many years.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because…
"I believe that every person deserves the opportunity to live their lives to the fullest potential. Through the LGT Impact Fellowship, I seek the opportunity to transfer my skillset to a career that actualizes this belief by creating positive social impact through the use of best practices in corporate strategy in the venture philanthropy/non-profit space."
My background
As an undergraduate at Tulane University, Andrew studied Communications and Philosophy, which he applied to the non-profit social justice and public service sectors after graduating. In 2009, he obtained an MBA from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business where he concentrated his studies on international corporate strategy. Since 2009, Andrew has worked as a management consultant across a host of public and private sector projects, focusing on diverse sectors including education, healthcare, and transportation. After several years as a client facing strategy consultant with Grant Thornton, he transferred internally to Grant Thornton's corporate strategy office where he has focused on transformation management, process improvement, and mergers & acquisitions.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because…
"I wanted to have the opportunity to use the experience I had built up in the UK in a new setting. And I wanted to live in a country and a culture that I was not used to and learn everything that it could teach me. When I found out that there was an exciting opportunity to join a locally driven conservation organisation in the Maasai Mara and help them with the challenges they faced I was very excited and motivated."
Steven worked as Business Development Fellow with the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association (MMWCA) and Naboisho Conservancy. He primarily worked on developing social enterprise business models to generate profit to pay for large-scale conservation initiatives. He also raised $3m of start-up funding for these social enterprises, as well as to start-up a new conservancy and for vocational training courses.
My background
10-years' experience in the social enterprise and charity sectors including senior management roles in leading UK wide organisations. Experience is broad and spans social investment, consultancy, business development, managing change, managing complex teams, project management, service design, implementation & re-engineering and policy-directed research & evaluation.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because…
"Having worked the asset management industry for over ten years, I had developed a keen interest in impact investment. I wanted to apply my extensive skills in business development and investment for positive social impact in a new and exciting environment. The LGT Impact Fellowship scheme allowed me to do this."
Samantha worked as a Business Development Consultant for the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservation Association (MMWCA) in Kenya. This role required her to develop ideas for sustainable revenue streams in order to secure land for wildlife corridors and local communities in the precious Maasai Mara ecosystem where wildlife is steadily declining and local communities marginalised. This was a challenging role which required Samantha to work extensively in the field and adapt to cultures which differe greatly to the usual corporate office environment which she had experienced in the past. Working with communities and local businesses Samantha managed to develop ideas which we then went on to successfully raise money from institutional and private donors for.
My background
Samantha has worked for small & mid-sized investment firms in Edinburgh and London since graduating in Business over ten years ago. She specialised in business development, marketing and latterly was involved in SRI (Socially Responsible Investing) projects and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance).
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because…
"I had a huge passion for and keen interest in enterprises that are solving social and environmental challenges hence the reason for studying MBA in Global Social and Sustainable Enterprises and Finance to solve the biggest challenges in Africa. The fellowship experience was immensely rewarding and has underscored his desire to continue working in the impact investment and social enterprise sectors. Working directly with impact investors and a high-growth energy and Fintech start-up enabled him to learn a great deal about how to manage and operate a social enterprise. He feels incredibly grateful for the support and trust given by LGT and M-Kopa Solar teams."
Dennis, worked with M-Kopa Solar Ltd to leverage the finance teams role in partnering with the business in budget and forecast process, financial modelling, revenue, cost of product, cost of service and cost of sales management, cost rationalization to achieve profitability, loan covenant tracking & investor reporting, financial reporting (IFRS) and end to end financial controls to seal revenue leakage and fraud.
My background
MBA in Finance and Global Social & Sustainable Enterprises, FCCA, 10 years of financial services experience in financial analysis (financial modelling), financial reporting, risk management, credit documentation and operations in a multinational company. He has Team leadership experience, strong business partnering skills, Process risk analysis experience, strong communication and presentation skills and exposure to working with diverse cultural orientation and high-level executives.To further improve himself, he has completed Acumen+ online courses in Financial Modelling for startups, Business models for start-ups, human centered design, start-up methodologies and storytelling and Udemy’s Financial Modelling & company Valuation online courses.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because…
"It makes sure that your decision to leave home for far away places is a big success. From ensuring that positions are meaningful, to providing training and communication with your cohort whilst away, the Fellowship helps with many of life’s necessities allowing you to focus on what you do best."
Michael was a market entry manager at M-Kopa in Kenya. His role has contributed towards project management, product development and operations. He was responsible for a significant grant budget and he has been working on an impact measurement strategy, further he managed product pilots for the Solar fridge.
My background
Michael is an engineer by background, he has a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southampton and Meng in Geological Engineering from the University of British Columbia. On top of Michael being an engineer, he is also a certified Business Accountant. He has had experience in bringing new products to the market and has also assessed business models in developing world.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because…
"I am passionate about supporting successful business models and entrepreneurs that create a relevant social impact in different sectors. By joining LGT Impact, an organization with a relevant track record in investing in impactful businesses I can learn from its previous investments and its global network, as well as leverage my traditional private equity background to facilitate the funding and subsequently social impact promoted by fast growing companies in Sub-Saharan Africa."
Camila works as Investment Associate Fellow with the LGT Impact Africa team and is based in Nairobi. She spends most of her time assessing potential investments and executing transactions, but also engages in portfolio companies' management and pipeline development that is aligned with LGT Impact’s investment strategy.
My background
Camila started her professional career as a private equity investor in Brazil and later Singapore with Temasek. She then decided to pursue an MBA with the University of Chicago where she got interested in social entrepreneurship and impact investing and had short term experiences with Vested World, an early stage fund focused in Sub-Saharan Africa and Jacaranda Health, a social healthcare startup based in Kenya. Over her career, Camila has acquired relevant experience in investment opportunities assessment and diligence as well as transaction execution across different sectors and geographies.
Scaling impact