Meet Joanna Lee, Giant Leap's new Analyst

To kick things off, what people should know about your background?‍

I'm originally from Sydney. I moved to Melbourne at the beginning of 2024 for personal reasons (read: for love), and I've been enjoying the many amazing coffee and brunch spots here. Before joining Giant Leap, I worked in PwC's Valuations team and then Macquarie Asset Management's Infrastructure Investments team focussing on transport and utilities.

What drew you to Giant Leap? 

It's perhaps needless to say, but impact can mean different things to different people. What resonated with me was Giant Leap's thoughtfulness and transparency in integrating impact into their investment process and operations. I was also impressed by their portfolio companies, such as Mindset Health and SwoopAero, which are doing amazing work.

What are your key interest areas within impact? 

Climate. My time in infrastructure helped me appreciate the immense task of addressing climate change. The private sector has a crucial role in reducing emissions and achieving net zero, and startups are uniquely placed to contribute by bringing new ideas, technologies and solutions needed.

What advice do you have for others seeking work in the impact space?

There are several different areas within impact, so I suggest exploring what interests you and what plays to your strengths, such as investing, startups, or advisory. Once you've decided, I think it's just a matter of waiting for the right opportunity to come up, which will require some patience. Meanwhile, don't be afraid to reach out to people!

If you're looking for a starting point, check out Giant Leap’s impact startup ecosystem directory.

What are you looking forward to most? 

 Meeting people in the ecosystem!

Quick fire round… favourite interests? 

Anything involving food - cooking, baking and eating. I follow Nagi from RecipeTin Eats, Alison Roman and Binging with Babish. 

A bit random but I went to a muay thai camp in Thailand for 3 weeks last year (for fun). It was the most gruelling and physically demanding experience I've ever gone through, but it was amazing - highly recommended!

Bonus photo below from my time at the muay thai camp! You can tell who is a fighter and who isn't…

Any book or podcast recommendations?

I am a regular listener of the Prof G Pod and Freakonomics.

Books that I liked are Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Bonnie Garmus' Lessons in Chemistry (the dog is my favourite character).

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Connect with Joanna on Linkedin.