3 minute read
A day in the life of Romane Thomas
Q Tell us about your role and how you came to be at Trinity. I am the Investment and Sustainability Officer for the endowment of the College, where I oversee our investments in securities and all sustainability initiatives. I work in the Senior Bursar’s Office, and we are a small and dynamic team, passionate about the College and helping to fund its charitable objectives.
I came to be at Trinity through a secondment from my previous work in management consulting in Switzerland, and first worked with the Master, Dame Sally Davies, before moving across Great Court to focus on our investments and sustainability initiatives. I have found it incredibly fulfilling ever since. Q What are the goals you are working towards, and the challenges you are facing? You’ll know that early in 2021 the College announced changes to its investment policy, committing to divesting from all fossil fuel investments in public equities by the end of that year, which we achieved. Trinity’s endowment also committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions before 2050. This is a real challenge, not only for Trinity but for all organisations.
What does achieving net zero mean and how do we get there? This is the problem I am helping to solve for Trinity’s endowment. One unique aspect is that 50% of the investments are in property. For example, the College owns Felixstowe Docks, the Cambridge Science Park, and the O2 Arena. How do we decarbonise these
assets? It presents significant challenges, but also exciting opportunities to have tangible real-world impact. Nothing can be achieved without close coordination with our tenants, which is why we are very focused on engagement at the moment.
Q What does a typical day look like for you? Part of the reason I enjoy my work is because of its significant variety. My days can go from organising a tenant engagement event on the Cambridge Science Park, to meeting with the Reservicing team at Buckingham Palace to share learnings, to writing a set of recommendations for the Trinity Subcommittee on Sustainable Investment. It can involve working with our consultants on the baseline carbon emissions of the endowment, speaking with students about the upcoming annual general meetings they will be attending, and engaging with banks along with a coalition of investors to move them to change their fossil fuel financing policies. Of course, I work closely with the Senior Bursar, Richard Turnill, and his office team, Trinity students, and with Fellows who lend their time to work on sustainability topics. For example, I recently organised a field visit to the Trimley Nature Reserve with members of Trinity’s Investment Committee and Subcommittee on Sustainable Investment (comprising Fellows, staff, advisors, and alumni). We spoke about biodiversity and rewilding with the Suffolk Wildlife Trust who manage the site for the College and discussed potential opportunities for expansion and further environmental outcomes.
Q What do you most like about working at Trinity? What is so energising is that I am always working with others on these topics. Climate change matters to the College, and the Trinity community wants to be involved. Fellows and students are a great source of problem-solving inspiration for the College and its environmental goals. They bring very different perspectives to the table depending on their personal expertise and experience, from economics to mathematics, to engineering and beyond. It helps us get to a better answer. We’re fortunate that our students are engaged with our work and passionate about making positive change. The Trinity Responsible Investment Society for example, leads an annual Forum every year on responsible investment (see College news page 8). This is open to alumni, and I would encourage all who can to attend!
Q What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? One of the advantages of working at Trinity is having access to the broader University community, and its societies and clubs. When I arrived in Cambridge, I became a member of the Cambridge University Gliding Club and have been flying gliders for a little over a year now. It is a great group and there are regular trial flights for any interested alumni. What’s more, gliders are the greenest way to fly! cugc.org.uk/join.
The wildlife rich Trimley Marshes Nature Reserve began as a blank canvas in 1990 and was designed to mitigate the loss of the Fagbury Mudflats with the expansion of Felixstowe port.
