All fellow profiles of 2018 at a glance
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because
"After many years of working in finance, I am interested to go into the field to share my skills and network. I want to learn from and contribute towards a sustainable business model that strives towards social and environmental impact. The Fellowship Program gives me the opportunity to explore the entrepreneur in me while contributing positively to society."
My background
Heidi has more than 20 years' experience of successfully working in consulting, marketing, sales, training as well as business development for financial services and insurance products in Europe. Heidi has lived and worked all over Europe, most recently she has been living in Amsterdam working as the Head of European Business Development and Investor Relations for the leading Dutch impact investor Triodos IM. Over the last 3 years Heidi has delved into the impact sector and has developed a passion to try and influence the wellbeing of people and the environment by ensuring that there are sustainable and responsible investment that have a genuine positive impact and reach the right people, she believes firmly that the way we invest our money today will shape the world tomorrow..
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because
"After countless scouting trips, site visits, and MBA case studies, I was eager to find an immersive opportunity at a sustainable tourism project that would allow me to learn more about the field while providing lasting impact. That the Fellowship Program offered this in the African savannah made it impossible to turn down."
My background
Upon graduating from Washington and Lee University in 2010, Sarah worked in communications and audience development for international arts organizations including art fairs, galleries, and museums. After 5 years, the passion she had for working closely with philanthropists abroad led her to a luxury travel agency, where she focused on promoting eco-tourism and cross-cultural partnerships. Most recently, at New York University’s Stern School of Business, Sarah participated in NYU’s Impact Investing Fund, developed a social enterprise, and volunteered with a non-profit that provides garden and cooking education to underserved elementary students.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because
"The agribusiness industry exposed me to the huge potential that exists in alleviating poverty, as the vast majority of bottom of the pyramid consumers are engaged in agriculture as an economic activity. A desire to apply my skills and knowledge to help achieve this social impact therefore drove me to see how best I could do this in the private sector, and that’s how I eventually came across Impact Investing. The LGT Impact Fellowship Program was therefore exactly what I was looking for."
My background
Mwansa is a fully qualified chartered accountant (ACMA) that has been providing senior leadership teams with business insights to drive their decision making for the past 7 years. Majority of his experience was gained in the agribusiness industry, namely the Cotton and Tobacco sub-sectors. I have a wealth of experience in Sub-Saharan markets, having lived, studied and worked in Botswana, Zambia and Kenya, whilst having travelled to many others. This experience combined with my tertiary education allow me to bring unique perspectives to business operations regardless of sector or industry.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because
"My role at Lendlease, developing the supply chain program, involved the measurement of social return on investment, which provided an initial understanding of social impact. I wanted to work for an SME whose primary purpose was driving social impact using a sustainable business model." Rob is a fellow at Kennemer Foods International (KFI) who works with small-scale farmers to grow and buy cocoa and other agricultural crops, which they export to other countries in Asia. KFI is currently looking to scale the business and acquire new forms of capital, commercial partnerships and new technology to work with farmers. Rob will be working with the CEO to explore how to approach these opportunities.
My background
The last 8 years has been working in the infrastructure sector, predominantly within renewable energy. He started his career in energy corporate finance at Ernst & Young, advising investors, project developers and governments on raising capital for renewable energy and energy from waste projects across Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. Since then he has been living in Australia, working for 2 infrastructure companies; one in internet infrastructure and the other in broader infrastructure and real estate. Rob worked in strategic roles in these companies, latterly developing a supply chain transformation program to promote inclusion of Australian Indigenous businesses who had historically been excluded from the Australian economy.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because
"I was excited about the possibilities available to me through the fellowship - the opportunity to gain more international experience and the privilege to share my expertise and unique skill set with those who could truly benefit from it. It was the first and only fellowship I applied for and I am so glad I did!"
Shayna works as a Regional Manager for STIR Education Uganda where she leads a team of six to implement the Teacher Changemaker program through delivery of high-quality teacher training and professional development for government officials in 15 districts in Eastern Uganda.
My background
Shayna holds a BA and MSc in Urban Management and Development and has worked in public administration and policy, education, land and housing. She has additional experience leading large-scale programs and projects, strategic planning and evaluation efforts, and organizational development in robust, high-impact environments at both government and community levels. She is process-oriented and is committed to innovation, improving systems, and working smarter.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because
I want to be able to learn about and invest in companies using innovative technology to address society’s pain points and alleviate poverty in a region with unprecedented growth. I am very excited to work in an organization that pioneered impact investing and is leveraging the best talent towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. I’m hoping to use my investing and E&S expertise to generate quantifiable impact in the region and help advance LGT VP’s development mandate.
Giovanni works as an Investment Associate Fellow for South East Asia structuring, negotiating, and implementing transaction terms with clients, conducting due diligence on prospective investee companies, leading market mapping and business development efforts, and monitoring portfolio companies, in line with LGT VP’s credit requirements and development mandate.
My background
Prior to joining LGT VP, Giovanni worked for the International Finance Corporation in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, providing growth capital solutions to companies with scalable impact potential. He has also worked with Ashoka in Washington, D.C. improving access to financing and sustainable capital for social enterprises, and with Shekere in Nairobi, Kenya generating last-mile distribution solutions. Giovanni holds a Master in Public Administration - Development Practice from Columbia University and a BA with a specialization in Investment Analysis from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. Gio is proudly originally from Chiapas.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because
"I want to contribute my technical and advocacy expertise to furthering the use of the very innovative and transformative tools that IPE has developed to reduce China’s pollution load. The transparency that IPE’s work provides on day to day industrial operations around the country can and should serve as an excellent model for other countries around the globe to adopt."
Linda works as a senior fellow with the Chinese environmental organization called the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE). Her goals are twofold: to raise global awareness, enthusiasm, and appreciation for the power of information to drive improvement in environmental conditions - and to foster increased use of IPE’s pollution database and mapping system by multinational corporations to track and reduce the impacts of their manufacturing abroad.
My background
I have a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology and a Masters degree in Environmental Science and Engineering and more than 30 years of advocacy experience in policy and regulation of industrial discharges, emissions, and wastes. Most of my career was focused on U.S. domestic pollution problems, but I turned my attention abroad over the past ten years, following the migration of major sources of pollution caused by globalization. Though trained as a scientist, I have been motivated to use my science background as a lever for social change throughout my career.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because
I want to see a tangible impact of my work for the betterment of the community around me through sustainable solutions. I have been passionate about the impact sector and involved in fund raising and volunteering activities which I now want to turn into a full-time role. The Fellowship enables me to work at the intersection of profit and impact by working with one of the leading players in the market providing sustainable financing solutions in the education sector.
Smiti is a fellow with Varthana, the market leader in the school financing market in India is. The organization provides secured and unsecured loans to private schools serving the low-income population to improve the quality and infrastructure of shcools. Varthana is poised for significant growth over the next few years by expanding into new segments. As a Fellow, Smiti is facilitating and reviewing regular operational reporting, ensuring that it is relevant, timely and insightful. Additionally, she helps drive strategic decisions by analyzing new business opportunities and opportunities for M&A. Smiti will also be involved in sharing the analysis and findings with senior management, investors and the board of directors.
My background
Smiti has worked in the corporate sector for more than 5 years, in multiple roles, across Finance and Consulting. She graduated from IIT Guwahati and has a MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur in India.
Smiti has worked at Goldman Sachs for the last 4 years where for the past year she was a part of the Corporate Treasury and Risk functions, managing the Firm’s liquidity and capital for business and regulatory requirements. Prior to that, she was an analyst in the Global Investment Research division, where she analyzed company fundamentals, projected financials, built fundamental and relative valuation models as well as undertook extensive industry research to identify the relative investment opportunities in the space. Before her MBA, Smiti worked in consulting at Deloitte where she was involved in client facing projects and provided implementation and advisory services through vendor evaluation, due diligence and execution of technology solutions. In parallel, she has been actively involved in the impact sector. Smiti facilitated an investment of $20,000 into the SELCO Foundation, a sustainable energy solutions provider as a part of the Goldman Sachs India Impact Fund, for investment in their solar-powered digital learning solutions. She has gained extensive international exposure during her work and study, through interaction with GS clients in London and an internship at the University of Basel in Switzerland, as well as exchange semester during her MBA at EM Lyon, France.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because
"Having gained solid technical experience in multiple international environments, I believe very strongly that now is the right time for me to use my skills to help contribute in a more impactful manner. Growing up and working mostly in emerging markets I have witnessed the enormous challenges they face, but at the same time, I remain hopeful and excited by their huge potential. LGT epitomizes my values, by responsibly directing capital to where it is most needed and supporting our investees as they scale, we can ensure a meaningful contribution and lasting impact for society and the environment."
As impact investors we aim to achieve both attractive financial returns and measurable, positive societal impact. As an investment associate fellow, Richard will be supporting LGT Impact’s regional office in Nairobi by sourcing investment opportunities across the African market focusing on five sectors: financial inclusion, education, energy, health and environmental technology. This includes; screening, financial modeling, due diligence, deal structuring, post-investment monitoring and supporting our portfolio companies with their growth strategies.
My background
Dynamic finance & investment professional with several years of experience in managerial & supervisory positions, mainly within corporate finance & control, working in emerging markets (Cape Town & Abu Dhabi) as well as in developed markets (Dublin & New York City) across a range of sectors. Qualified Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)). Most recently, graduating from the full-time MBA programme at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland (2017/2018), focusing on private equity & impact investing and complementing finance knowledge with business strategy and innovation. Passion for driving sustainable long-term value creation, both social and financial, for organisations and their stakeholders and positively impacting the lives of the underserved.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because
"I became familiarized with the social impact sector more than a year ago and subsequently developed a keen interest. By educating myself about the sector I gradually became cognizant of the opportunities and challenges present in this sector as well as the immense untapped potential that a market like India offers - being largely underserved and having significant headroom for scale. LGT offers a unique platform that deploys patient capital for financial returns and social impact. I believe this Fellowship will help me apply my skills to and learn more about investing in social enterprises in India thereby bridging the gap between my intent and my actions."
Gayatri is a Venture Philanthropy Associate based out of the Mumbai office, she is working on refining the investment thesis for VP in India. She works with the portfolio companies on select capacity building activities and is working on building a strong pipeline by identifying suitable investment opportunities in line with VP’s investment principles.
My background
Gayatri has been working in the Investment Banking industry for close to 5 years across India and London. Her last role was with Ernst & Young LLP where she was part of the Chemicals / Agri team for the past three years. Prior to this, Gayatri was a part of the Investment Banking team at Goldman Sachs aligned to their Natural Resources division in London. Her work has been largely focused on domestic and cross-border M&A deals, conducting activities spanning the entire transaction lifecycle. Gayatri’s years in Investment Banking have helped her gain hands-on experience in deal origination, preparation of deal collaterals, financial modelling & valuation analysis, coordination of the due diligence process; and evaluation / coordination of the legal documentation process to ensure smooth and timely closure. Gayatri holds a MSc. in Finance and Economics from London School of Economics (LSE), London and a BA (H) in Economics from Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), Delhi University, India.
I joined the LGT Impact Fellowship because
"I have always been interested in roles that directly seek to improve the quality of life of people. Having worked in the university system I am cognizant of how long it takes to realize the impact of one’s work. The LGT Impact Fellowship Program provided me an opportunity to not only deliver social impact in a short time but also to scale up in terms of people reached and lives changed."
My background
Martha has a PhD with 12 years of experience in teaching chemistry at the undergraduate level at universities in the United States of America and in Kenya. In addition to teaching, Martha has carried out scientific research in innovating new nanomaterials for fuel cell catalysis and drug delivery, and even worked in a public health function to make the county she was living in (Broome), lead (the heavy metal) safe. In her spare time, she mentor girls, young women and young men in collaboration with other organizations, as well as on a personal level in career pursuit and educational goals. Prior to her move to the fellowship, she spent her free time organizing and running free medical camps in several counties along the Kenyan Coast.
Scaling impact