Kate
Cacciatore
For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about finding ways to “humanise business” and re-imagine what the economy and society can look and feel like when we put fundamental human values and stewardship of the planet at the heart of everything we do. My starting point was a practice of self-knowledge and personal inner transformation, which was the subject of my PhD on moral Renaissance literature and theology at University College London. This path led, through a number of synchronicities, to the discovery of Sustainability, which instantly resonated with me as a practical way of enabling individuals and organisations to express their true selves, their purpose and values.
Through my experiences over the last 20 years co-creating and implementing Sustainability strategies in the Electronics and Finance sectors, and then exploring drivers of change in the Tech and Personal Development sectors, I have learned a great deal and had an amazing opportunity in collaboration with many talented and dedicated people to practice and refine my ideas and aspirations.
Today, as a Partner at Umbutu, I am eagerly exploring the next frontiers of Impact Investing and Sustainability with Guillaume and the team, both in terms of the heart-and mind-set that we can adopt to transform our consciousness and the inspired action we then want to take to live our lives in ways that are meaningful to us and co-create a regenerative, inclusive economy and society.
Guillaume
Taylor
Having been raised by a mother who, without her knowing it, was the quintessence of what ecology means, social and environmental values were ingrained in my upbring.
After having completed my primary & secondary schooling and university in the United States, I began my career in Finance in 1989 with Intel Corporation, first in the UK and then in France. A chance meeting in 1995 brought me back to Switzerland, my birthplace, where I pursued my career in Private Banking, with Darier Hentsch & Cie and as a Partner of de Pury Pictet Turrettini. In 2010 I founded Quadia, an investment firm that would allow me to showcase my understanding of what finance should and must achieve. The learnings of social and environmental finance were mostly brought to me by the fortunate collaboration with world class foundations and NGOs. Today I am the CEO of Hanaku, a company focused on sustainable small-scale infrastructure.
Shaan
Madhavji
I'm a 27 years old Swiss-Belgian originally from India, passionate about social
entrepreneurship and achieving the 17 SDGs.
Over the past 8 years, I've worked extensively in the impact space, ranging from working for a leading accelerator program for teens to completing the first-ever SDG World Tour of Social Entrepreneurs. After graduating from EHL Hospitality Business School Lausanne in 2021, I founded SDG Impact Stories, a platform whose goal is to boost social & environmental change through storytelling. From Feb to July 2022, my team and I have been traveling to 20 countries to cover the stories of +50 social entrepreneurs, completing the first-ever world tour of social entrepreneurs in the world.
In February 2023, I started to work for Impaakt, a platform building robust impact data to measure the true level of social and environmental impact of companies worldwide. In June 2024, after a year and half getting more knowledgeable about the world of impact measurement, I embarked on a new exciting journey with the amazing Guillaume Taylor and Kate Cacciatore, helping them build umbutu and support foundations in their ecosystem investing projects.
Alaa
Lefghih
Having grown up in Mauritania, a country abundant in natural
resources such as fishing, gold, iron, gas, uranium etc. I have
witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of investments that
disregard their environmental and social consequences. Despite the
enormous profits generated by some companies, poverty remains
pervasive, and ecosystems, particularly the ocean, are severely
disrupted.
These experiences have profoundly shaped my perspective, leading
me to be more interested on investments that balance profitability
with responsibility. Currently pursuing a master’s degree at HEC Lausanne, I am
driven by the desire to contribute to a future where investments
generate positive social and environmental impacts.
This pursuit of meaning and balance led me to Umbutu, a
pioneering company in impact investing, where I have the privilege
of collaborating with passionate and committed individuals.