Clare Martynski

Background

I work on a variety of projects in the finance sector, promoting long-term thinking and developing new financial mechanisms.

Never one to take a conventional path, I followed my mathematics and literature degree with a brief career in the circus, drawn by the glamour of the big top. But despite the magic of trapeze and acrobatics, I was increasingly troubled by the problems I was witnessing in the world around me. I wanted to join the fight for solutions. A leap from circus to sustainability might seem like a big one, but systems-thinking often requires the skills similar to those of an expert juggler and the focus of a high-wire walker.

So I headed down the road to Forum for the Future and completed their masters programme in Leadership for Sustainable Development. Work placements in business and government gave me an insight into the inner workings of industry and politics, but it was at UKSIF, the sustainable investment and finance association that I had the light bulb moment – finance really is the key to a sustainable future. Changes in financial markets, which are at the heart of so many systems, can have huge impacts on the way the world functions.

And so here I am, working on the finance system, making the most of my creative past and love of logic. Seeing things differently is what I do best; I want to make sure that money really does make the world go round.

What would your dream Forum project be?
I’d like to gather together all of the young talented future leaders of the finance industry and develop a vision of what the system will look like in 20 years; how it will serve the needs of our generation and the generation we bring in to the world. We can then create a road map that defines how we get there!

What floats your boat outside work?
I’m a committed urban explorer, forever on journeys to keep on top of London’s secrets, mainly by bike, occasionally stopping off for strong coffee, good food and live music. The spaces in between are filled with scrabble and day dreams of life on a house boat.