Jessica Shortall - MD, Catalyst Strategy Advisors, LLP
At the age of ten, I announced to my parents that upon graduating university, I would join the U.S. Peace Corps and move to Africa. My career has diverged somewhat since that announcement (I did the Peace Corps thing, but went to Uzbekistan instead of Africa), but my passion for social value-creation remains. It is what motivated me to start Catalyst Strategy Advisors, which is a vehicle that allows us to provide key inputs into social businesses that truly have the potential to change the world.
Like most social entrepreneurs my career to date has been varied, volatile, and fun. It spans the US, the UK, Uzbekistan, and Romania, where I have had the opportunity to found, grow, and scale a few social ventures.
In 2000-2001, the Peace Corps sent me to live in Uzbekistan, to conduct community development projects and teach English. I became very involved in my small host town, eventually starting an English library, organising an empowerment-themed summer camp for teenage girls, and developing a primary English curriculum for the country's Minister of Education. My Uzbek host family have become life-long family members—in addition to laughing at my stumbles through Uzbek culture, they treated me like one of their own, and taught me Uzbek, a bit of Russian, and some Soviet-era drinking songs of questionable taste.
From 2001-2005, I was co-founder and co-director of The Campus Kitchens Project (www.campuskitchens.org), a U.S.-based social venture with a network of integrated leadership development, nutrition education, job training, food rescue, and hunger relief programs run by university students. During my tenure, The Campus Kitchens Project underwent major organisational change and developed a franchise structure to facilitate rapid growth. The organisation is now active in more than ten U.S. cities.
In 2006, I had the opportunity to earn an MBA at Said Business School, Oxford, where I was one of five Skoll Scholars in Social Entrepreneurship and graduated with distinction. (I also hold a B.A. in art history from Wake Forest University.)
Following the MBA I worked as a freelance consultant for social enterprises and social businesses, advising start-up and more mature organizations on growth strategy, income-generation, and marketing and positioning. This takes me to today, where I am excited to be part of the bigger picture at Catalyst, while focusing my energy on the consultancy business, providing direct relationships with and inputs to our social business clients.
Lastly, I'm an amateur chef, with a bit of experience as a sous-chef and in running my own catering business, and a strong desire to find time (someday) to publish a cookbook. My husband is a fellow American (an architect), while my parents are English and Venezuelan. That makes me a native of New Jersey - home to Bruce Springsteen, Thomas Edison, and a good deal of people who could be extras on The Sopranos.
Contact on: +44 (0)207 619 3985 or email: jessica@catstrat.co.uk