Currently...

CEO of Green Mondays. Our mission is to close the gap between business and society. I have a team of 6 people, and we share best pratice between large companies on building . We have developed a number of new formats, such as our "Going Naked" event with Sainsbury's, and Idea Idol, which are pushing new boundaries in the events industry.

Before I escaped...

It has been a journey from being the SE Asian regional telecom analyst at Nomura to Green Mondays. I loved the knowledge I got from being an equity analyst at a bank, but I didn't find it fulfilling. I set up ScooterSolutions in 2000, and closed it down in 2004, returning 27p for each £1 raised. Ouch. I was then CEO of the YO! group from 2005-2006, and whilst I enjoyed workking with one of the most exciting early stage brands in the UK, I was missing a social element. I left YO! with a desire to use what I had learned in the commercial arena to tackle climate change, which I felt was a major challenge facing society. Since then I have advised, and invested in, businesses that have engaged in social issues.

My moment of truth...

I long had an itch to engage in social issues, but I was spurred to change profession by reading "The Revenge of Gaia" by James Lovelock. I saw it on my fathers kitchen table, and read it in 3 days as I waited for my first child, Rosie, to be born. The predication from one of the greatest living scientists that the earths population would increase from 6bn to 9bn in 2050, and fall to 2bn by 2100 moved me profoundly.

Planning for it...

I didn't. I just followed by belief, and through committed networking I managed to meet companies who were engaging in green issues and who needed help with their strategy. I kissed a lot of frogs, and found a few princes.

The worst and best bits...

I cherish that I feel alive, and I really enjoy what I do. I don't feel like I have a job - I am paid to do what I would like to do for free. I'm probable earning around half of what I used to earn, but it is possible that I will be able to claw back earnings differential through selling the business. Not critical to me that I achieve that, but would be a nice validation that doing good and doing well are aligned.

Best advice...

Work out what you enjoy, and then get someone to pay you to do it.

Useful resources and information...

Tuesdays with Morrie
Pour your heart into it, by Howard Shultz, CEO of Starbucks
Harvard Business Review
Wired Magazine