Charlene Cranny
Sustainable Finance Specialist
Charlene is a Chartered Sustainable Investment and Finance who has worked across UK and EU sustainable finance for close to a decade.
Before joining Volans, Charlene worked with the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association and Eurosif engaging the industry on sustainable market trends, campaigns, EU and UK policy and best practice. She also directed a national campaign for retail audiences ‘Good Money Week from 2016 to 2020.
In her spare time, Charlene runs an educational project Economy of Good where she simplifies ethical finance for members of the public while advocating for climate action, women’s wealth, the power of pensions and seeing more sustainable options for our finances. She also helps to assess Good With Money’s Good Egg Mark and has recently started working on a film documenting the finance industry transition to ‘net zero’.
Charlene’s Superpower: Listening
Q. What brought you here?
A. A team that has big hairy audacious goals for a safer, healthier and fairer future for all. Everything is possible and it is incredibly exciting.
Q. How did you wake up to the change agenda?
A. Almost 20 years ago I wrote a newsletter for a children’s music charity. Volunteers played classical instruments for schools in deprived areas which tended to be old coal mining communities in the South East of England. I saw saddening poverty where children were often gifted clothes or shoes by teachers. I set off to learn more about entrenched inequality and the harmful socio-economic policies at play. And became committed to unravelling them by bringing them to light.
Q. When are you most fulfilled?
A. When unplugged and simply being in untouched nature (as far as that is possible) surrounded by forest, lakes, hills, friends and family. Ahhh.
Q. Where is your centre of gravity: past, present or future?
A. The future. As much as I enjoy the relief of experiencing the moment, and try to stay there as often as possible, I am still anxiously drawn towards the future and how I must help to make it cleaner, greener and kinder.