What is your role and how did you get here?

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I’m a founding partner at Sand River. We’re an investor in startups focused on valuing, protecting and restoring nature.

Prior to Sand River I managed my family business, Sturrock and Robson, a group of industrial companies, where I supported management teams in various geographies, industries, and business life-cycles. I also amassed entrepreneurial experience, having started my own commercial property development firm.

I had a front row seat in the energy, mineral, and industrial industries that underpin so much of the global economy - and even when good intention and best practice prevailed I could see how difficult it was going to be to create significant shifts to a sustainable path.

It was a hard realisation for me as I had been lucky enough to have grown up spending an extraordinary amount of time in one of the finest examples of wildlife conservation in South Africa, developing a deep love and understanding for all we owe to the natural world.

Sand River was a way for me to use my business experience to do something for nature!

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What led you to investing in companies that value, protect and restore nature?

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Nature always felt like home to me, the place I could be alone but never lonely, and something both appealing and beneficial to everyone - a universal global inheritance - and over time I was increasingly interested in how we protect and restore its damaged ecosystems.

I was following the shift in awareness around climate change and the accompanying investment into that space. While I was very supportive of the shift I was also certain that we needed to learn from the climate crises and be much quicker in addressing the threats to the rest of the planet’s natural systems.

We broadly grouped these under nature and now seek to back those teams with the best combination of idea, opportunity, attitude and aptitude to make an impact. We believe that using the current market system to help drive change is pragmatic, so we seek strong commercial opportunities.

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How do you work with the founders and companies that you invest in?

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I approach business from a people-first perspective. That’s where my skills lie and where I’ve had the most success in the past - talented people with a point to prove who are attempting a stretch goal can create magic!

But talented people need to be focussed on a good idea, surrounded by strong teams, and have sources of independent support and advice. So I help them to think about their teams; learn about themselves; stress test ideas or changes in direction; offer genuine affirmation; and, share the bad news that no one wants to say aloud.

I’m instinctive, direct, creative, realistic, persuasive and definitely still learning! I feel lucky to be able to learn alongside our founders and fellow investors - ask them about me and you’ll probably get a better answer than mine.

I currently sit as a board member or advisor of many of the Sand River portfolio companies.

What is your role and how did you get here? 

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I’m a founding partner at Sand River. We’re an investor in startups focused on valuing, protecting and restoring nature. At Sand River I focus on the investment pipeline from sourcing to deal execution. I also work closely with our portfolio companies on a range of strategic areas.

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In my early career I worked in fast growing tech enabled businesses. I was involved in building B2B sales teams, managing go-to-market and expanding into new markets. Whilst I always cared about humanity’s impact on the planet I didn’t know how to incorporate this interest into my career choices until I had the opportunity to join Loop. Whilst there I led commercial strategy and execution for Loop’s ambitious circular economy platform which gave me a taste of the excitement of aligning my personal and professional missions.

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In launching Sand River alongside Greg, we took this a step further and thought very carefully about how we could integrate our skills, interests and beliefs in a business capacity. Sand River gives us the platform to support the most promising entrepreneurs to develop successful businesses, while generating returns for our investors and contributing to a regenerative economy. 

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What led you to investing in companies that value, protect and restore nature? 

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I’ve been lucky to have access to amazing natural places in my young and adult life. I’m always inspired by the physical experience of immersing myself in nature, whether that's walking through ancient woods near my home or swimming in the cool waters of the North Atlantic. 

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I want my daughter and her generation to experience the beauty and belonging that I feel when spending time in nature. For me, that means addressing the combined pressures of ecosystem collapse, climate change and humanity’s cultural separation from nature. 

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How do you work with the founders and companies that you invest in? 

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Integrity, honesty and transparency are fundamental to our values at Sand River and this determines how we like to work with our portfolio. It’s a privilege to be able to work with a group of mission-aligned founders who continuously expand our world view. 

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Most of our work with our portfolio is helping management teams to perform at their highest level. This involves everything from mentorship to strategy, tactics and execution. I especially enjoy drawing on my B2B sales experience to help teams develop their go-to-market and sales strategies in the pursuit of product market fit. I also sit on board and advisory roles within our portfolio. Having said all that, I sometimes muse that investor-shareholders should be required to subscribe to the hippocratic oath… “first, do no harm”.

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What is your role and how did you get here?

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I’m a Senior Associate at Sand River, identifying and evaluating startups that protect, restore, and value nature while working closely with our portfolio companies to drive impact and growth.

I grew up in South Africa in a family that loved adventure, spending weeks camping across Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zambia. I took my first steps around a campfire in Kruger National Park, so nature has been part of my life from the start. That love for the outdoors has stayed with me—I’m an avid trail runner and cyclist, and nature is truly my happy place.

I studied finance and accounting in Edinburgh, and Sydney. In Sydney, I combined my passion for nature with my studies, discovering sustainability in accounting. This sparked my drive to connect business with environmental impact.

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What led you to investing in companies that value, protect, and restore nature?

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To explore the intersection of nature and finance, I pursued a master’s at Imperial College in climate change management and finance. This reinforced my belief that business and investment are key to protecting and restoring the natural world.

After my studies, I joined a leading sustainability consulting firm, working in the climate risk team—identifying risks and opportunities, conducting scenario analysis, and integrating climate risk into management frameworks. By the time I left, I had been developing a service offering that quantified physical climate risks for companies. This experience gave me a deep understanding of how businesses assess environmental risks and how capital flows shape corporate sustainability priorities.

When I met Ed and Greg, I knew Sand River was where I wanted to be. We’re a small, entrepreneurial team dedicated to integrating finance and nature. I love the dynamic, strategic approach we take to investing in solutions that make a real impact.

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How do you work with the founders and companies that you invest in?

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I really enjoy the culture and approach at Sand River. Ed and Greg are strategic in their thinking and quick to action. I support the team in whatever way is needed—whether identifying and screening investment opportunities or jumping in where I can add value. We have a deep connection to our investees’ missions, and I appreciate being part of a collective effort working toward the same goal.

I love using my problem-solving and analytical skills. I deploy my financial knowledge to support Sand River’s development and operations. I also assist portfolio companies when needed—for example, considering different scenarios or refining methodology-building. It’s about making small but meaningful shifts that impact how they operate and grow.

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What is your role and how did you get here?

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I'm the Executive Assistant to Sand River's founders, Ed and Greg, and work closely with our Senior Associate, Gabbi. My role is to understand the strategic direction set by the leadership and provide high-level administrative support to help them achieve that mission.

Early in my career, I worked with the founders of Skype and Atomico, gaining exposure to venture capital and what it takes to scale businesses.  I then joined technology and engineering consultancy BMT, where I began as Executive Assistant to the CFO and later moved into the Strategy Team, becoming interested in the ‘twin transition’: how rapid advances in technology can accelerate environmental sustainability.

This interest led me to the UN-founded Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), where I was EA to the CEO. Their mission to build a more sustainable global financial system strengthened my belief that finance has a critical role to play in the shift from extraction to regeneration.  These experiences ultimately brought me to Sand River, and the nature tech sector, which combines my interest in start ups, technology and nature.

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What led you to investing in companies that value, protect, and restore nature?

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Alongside my professional journey, I’m studying to be a counsellor and have been moved by how much green space we're losing in our communities. I’ve campaigned to protect a local conservation area from developers because I believe nature is not only essential for biodiversity and climate resilience, but also community identity wellbeing and belonging.  

I share the Gaia perspective, that we are part of a complex, self-regulating system which makes life possible, and that disrupting it too aggressively makes life precarious.  My belief system and natural curiosity, combined with my professional experience, drew me to Sand River’s mission to invest in companies that value, protect and restore nature.

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How do you work with founders and companies?

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I like to work collaboratively, with a high level of transparency.  For example, we share information about the events that we attend throughout the year with our portfolio companies.  I map out what’s coming up so we can plan effectively in the short, medium and longer term.  It’s such a privilege to be part of a team - and a sector - that is so optimistic about creating real change for nature.

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