SPOTLIGHT ON A TEAM MEMBER - LUCY MANTELLA
This latest series aims to help you get to know the faces and team at CAF. Each quarter we’ll be asking a member of the team to divulge what drives them to come into work each day and encouraging them to look into their crystal ball. This time it’s Senior Corporate Client Manager Lucy Mantella who’s under the spotlight.
What or who inspires you to get out of bed every morning?
Getting out of bed is probably my least favourite part of the day! But what does get me up is not knowing what’s going to happen – I love spontaneity.
What is your favourite thing about your role at CAF?
I am motivated by seeing the support my clients provide to the charitable sector, from engaging employees in giving to their corporate donations and partnerships.
The team I work with also makes my role a pleasure. They are a talented group with varied backgrounds from working in cause related charities to corporate responsibility teams and consultancies.
We all care about what we do and enhancing our clients’ efforts. It’s great to work with such a passionate bunch of individuals.
Where’s the most interesting place you have travelled to?
Grenada in the Caribbean. It’s known as the ‘Island of Spice’ and is beautiful. The landscape is green and mountainous, the beaches are sandy, the people are happy and the sun shines.
I have been very privileged to go on more than one occasion to this special place as my best friend’s parents live there. They work in the chocolate industry. As well as working with one of the cocoa plantations they support a small business called The Grenadian Chocolate Company. They have imported machinery, provided a van to distribute chocolate on the island and brokered a deal to supply Waitrose and John Lewis. Next time you’re in Waitrose make sure you buy a bar – you’ll see that even the sell-by date is handwritten!
Who would you invite to a dinner party?
Lee Miller - an American photographer and model in the 20’s. In WWII she was a correspondent for Vogue – went to the front line, covered the liberation of Buchenwald and Dachau, sat in Hitler’s bath!
Vocal and provocative fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and eccentric actress Helena Bonham Carter.
Ayrton Senna the Brazilian formula 1 racing driver who sadly died in a horrific accident. It was discovered after his death that he was a secret philanthropist and had donated millions of his personal fortune to help poor children in Brazil.
Actor Joaquin Phoenix who was originally named Leaf and is a social activist who lends support to charities and humanitarian causes.
Denis Avey - a WWII prisoner of war who befriended a Jewish prisoner in a workhouse and swapped places with him to see what was going on in the concentration camp and enable the Jewish prisoner to have some food.
What corporate responsibility trends do you see emerging?
Societal and environmental risks are being recognised as threats to business success
- A number of my clients are looking to grow, or replicate programmes on a global scale
- Some clients are looking at how to make their corporate responsibility budgets go further and have more impact by using social investment.