What led you to work in sustainable finance?
I studied climate and soil science and then environmental policy and law at university, quite some time ago now! It was very clear to me all those years ago that much of the social, environmental and economic inequality and inequity that we face locally and globally stems from how our finance systems works. I left uni with a clear mandate – change the system. And I’ve been trying to ever since, whether it’s been as a sustainability management consultant with the Big 4, or an in-house sustainability practitioner with Microsoft and Bank of America. Call me a lifer.
Why Tribe?
That’s a great question! Why Tribe indeed. I was at Bank of America during the 2008-2009 crisis. It became crystal clear to me during that time that not only did finance have a problem with defining risk, it also didn’t understand systems thinking and had a moral crisis. Have you read Joris Luyendijk’s book Swimming with Sharks!? At that time, I was already serving on charity boards and became equally fascinated with why many of them weren’t being helped to invest their money according to their values. I started to ask wealth holders if they were having the same issues, and Bob’s Your Uncle, they were. It wasn’t long after that the idea for Tribe arose.
What’s your most memorable work moment?
Crikey, that’s a hard one. I would obviously say working with the amazing team at Tribe and getting this incredible business to where it is today. That’s on all of them – they’ve been incredible, all colleagues past and present.
However, when I was at Microsoft about 20 years ago, I had the great pleasure of meeting a terribly charming man on the forecourt of a hotel in Orlando with a fellow Microsoft colleague (who happened to be ex-Nike). She knew who he was because she’d worked with him. I, alas, had no clue other than his name was Michael, having been introduced by my friend (with the expectation I knew who he was). Anyone who knows me knows I love a good natter about all and everything. We had a lovely conversation before he trotted off with his clubs to play golf. I was then informed, much to everyone’s amusement, that Michael was Michael Jordan.
What did you want to be growing up?
When I was five, I wanted to be a fairy and insisted on being called Tinkerbell for two months. My amazing (very dearly missed) mother was a superstar and duly obliged.
What’s your earliest memory?
Being buried in the sand on the back beach in Polruan by my two older sisters much to my mother’s annoyance. I think I was about two.
If you had to pick, which of the 17 SDGs means the most to you and why?
I’m an environmentalist by training and by blood. It’s deeply ingrained in me. But I am also a woman and have had my own journey to where I am today that has had its fair share of challenges. Given the deep relationship between the progress we need to make on environment and gender, and how investing in women can drive so much of the change required, I would choose Goal 5: Gender Equality.
If you could have dinner with two people, who would they be? What would you discuss/ask them?
Michael Jordan, obviously.
Maya Angelou. Oh my, what I wouldn’t want to ask her! An extraordinary woman who left the world so many gifts. I’d just marvel at being in her presence I think and listen to the wisdom that always emanated from her greatness.
If you weren’t the chief impact officer at Tribe, what would you be?
Setting up another B Corps tackling a wicked problem.
What have you read, listened to, or watched recently that you’ve enjoyed?
Ian McGilchrist’s The Master and His Emissary. What an extraordinary book. It is still fizzing around my brain.
That, and the film Wicked Little Letters – I still cannot believe that it’s based on a true story. Olivia Coleman is a total delight and an incredible talent. Her 2019 Oscars acceptance speech will surely go down in history as one of the best. Someone should put her in charge of the world…
What’s something you’ve always wanted to do but never have?
Go to Shetland. I love remote landscapes where you feel ‘tiny’. It’s a great way to remind us of the fragility of the human condition and the awe and wonder of our wild landscapes. They play a critical role in helping us find sanctuary, something I am passionate about.
Give us an exclusive, what’s something no one knows about you?
I once returned a full-strength serve from Slobodan Živojinović (Bobo) when I was 13.
Picture this: a moment from Amy’s camera roll
