By Megan E. Morrice

I have spend my entire career in the financial services industry, starting by working as a financial advisor for 5 years. I constantly wished for better solutions to my clients’ financial health issues. Many of my ideas, like peer-to-peer lending, actually came into existence a short time later.

I realized there was vast opportunity in the industry to improve financial solutions. Not to mention that working in a conservative, male-dominated industry, I have been told by clients that I am “pretty smart for a girl” or “not professionally sexy enough” by management in my company. Although I started working as a financial advisor to help people, as I transitioned roles I started to feel a large disconnect between my professional life and personal passions. I decided to go back and get my MBA and refocus on how to make money while having a positive social and environmental impact.

One of the things I loved about my graduate school program was the professional diversity of my teams, from the travel industry to public relations to professional sports and everything in between. Everyone at the school, no matter the industry they came from, is united by a focus on the mission. I also got to spend some volunteer time in Kenya with the microfinance organization Zawadisha. Instead of lending money, they give women loans for critical eco-friendly products, such as solar lamps or clean cookstoves. My team was tasked with creating content for a financial literacy training for the group leaders to help the women who participate in the loans. Of course, my work as a financial advisor in America didn’t apply all to women who were living off of fewer than two dollars a day. By surveying the women on what financial successes they had, I was able to come up with a flexible training for the leaders.

I was inspired to examine ways that technology could help women who are struggling here in the United States. Since graduated, I focused on the intersection of financial technology, financial inclusion, and sustainable investing. The businesses of the future will have a triple bottom line, and do what’s best for people and the planet while being profitable.

Megan E. Morrice is committed to integrating her background in financial services with her professional experience in sustainability to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. She currently is working on a matchmaking platform for clients to find advisors who specialize in sustainable investing, and issues such as gender equity. Megan previously lead client and partnership development at HIP Investor, a global leader in impact investing. Her professional background working as a financial advisor and as a wholesaler allows her to work with clients and understand the internal challenges faced in the financial services industry. In 2015, she did a fellowship at Confluence Philanthropy, an international network of that helps move philanthropy in the direction of mission-aligned investing. She holds an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School. Megan is passionate about helping individuals and organizations understand their financial options, align their money with their values, and creating financial products that best serve the needs of people.

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