Charlotte Aubin Goalkeeper
Charlotte Aubin: Entrepreneur, Environmentalist, Mentor
Founder and President, GreenWish
France
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Charlotte: I grew up in Amiens, France, surrounded by nature, which I love. I had a simple childhood with a lot of freedom. Amiens was a middle-sized industrial city without a lot of intellectual and artistic stimulation. I was gifted but bored and very turbulent at school, always looking for purpose and questioning everything and challenging my surroundings. I really discovered life when I moved to Paris at the age of 17.
Blessing: What was different and exciting about Paris for you, and how did it shape your path to becoming an investment banker?
Charlotte: I moved to Paris to attend the elitist public Lycée Louis-le-Grand, followed by ESSEC Business School. For a while, I thought my career would be in the art business. I worked for Sotheby’s for a year but later realized that my passion for art was more about the creativity behind it. That’s when I discovered finance and straddled between the two. I discovered a lot of creativity in finance and ended up working in investment banking from the age of 22 until I was 35 and enjoyed a great career. My last role, as managing director of Morgan Stanley, was rare at the time for my age and even more so for a woman.
Blessing: You started a climate firm called GreenWish in 2009. What led you to structure your work as a private management firm rather than an NGO, and what has that experience been like?
Charlotte: My real awakening came in 2008 with the global financial crisis, which was also an economic and climate crisis. At the time, investment banks were the main financiers of the world and had a major responsibility in the financial and economic crisis. This inspired me to create my own business to focus on financing real economy, with the ambition to create environmental and social impact. The clean tech and infrastructure sectors were emerging and offered the opportunity to bundle impact with my professional expertise in finance. GreenWish bridges the commercial and nonprofit worlds by demonstrating that you can be environmentally driven and create double-digit returns.
Blessing: You mention finding your purpose, and it’s so important. How did you obtain the clarity to know what you need to be doing at this moment in time?
Charlotte: Finding my purpose has been a personal journey of understanding myself, my drive, and my boredom. No amount of money would ever fulfill me. It’s only with a sense of purpose and being at service to society, the planet, and my community, that I can be fulfilled without minimizing my professional ambition. Since 2010, the purpose of GreenWish has been to bring climate-smart solutions to people. That’s the definition of everything I support, from financing European energy transition to developing and operating clean affordable energy infrastructure in Africa.
Blessing: What advice would you give to other women in leadership positions?
Charlotte: First, define your values and purpose because if you don’t have consistency between your professional career and your purpose, it’s going to backlash. The second thing is trust yourself and your intuition and find your circle. As an entrepreneur, you can feel very alone. So, as a young professional, you need mentors, and as you mature you need like-minded peers. Another lesson that life taught me is “what you don’t share, you lose.” Supporting women around me has always been central to my philanthropic commitments.
Blessing: How do you turn your brain off? And what does Friday night look like for you?
Charlotte: I always start my day with spiritual development and sports. Living in Geneva, I often enjoy the mountains and lake. And Friday night is dedicated to family. Sharing with my beloved is part of my balance, especially after an intense week.
Charlotte Aubin visits Leman Lake in Geneva, Switzerland.
Photo courtesy of Gates Archives/ Ana D. Lombard