At the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), O’Donnell leads the Big Food Redesign Challenge, which aims to catalyse and inspire the food industry to create food and drink products that contribute to a food system that regenerates nature, based on the principles of a circular economy.

She also participates in a mentorship programme organised by Unreasonable, a venture capital (VC) and private equity firm that focuses on regenerative investments.

She shares her story with us.

You studied zoology and environmental science at the University of Cape Town. Is it important for you that your work has a direct link to sustainability or the environment?

“Yes, but that is something that I came to later in my career. I didn't work in sustainability for a very long time. I always loved the natural environment, but I think it has come with age or having a family and, as climate change and sustainability have obviously gone up the agenda, it became more important for me. So, I am really pleased […] that I love what I do and it happens to be in a very purposeful space.”

Prior to joining EMF, you worked for years in local UK government and city councils with a focus on regeneration projects related to housing. What led you to pivot to a career focused on sustainability at EMF?

“I did 18 years in local government, and I was working at the Isle of Wight Council after we moved to the island […] but I found I grew weary of the bureaucracy and the politics, particularly in a place that isn't as forward-thinking as other parts of Europe.

“At the same time, my daughter's friend’s mother worked at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. One night, [she] put on Facebook that the Ellen MacArthur Foundation was looking for a project manager in the fashion team, so I messaged her. She wrote back to say, ‘You're too senior for this job but if you're interested, come in for a conversation’. So I did, and it just so happened that the Foundation also needed a new higher education programme manager and one of the projects I was working on here on the Isle of Wight Council was about higher education opportunities on the island. […] So, they took a chance on me, I took a chance on a complete career change, and I've never looked back!”

Then you made the switch to the food programme within the Foundation. Can you tell us more about what this job entails?

“When I came in as the food lead, we had just launched our report called the Big Food Redesign study, which was really groundbreaking in saying to the food and retail sector: ‘You design the food that we eat and the impacts of those design decisions mean that soil is degraded, we've got monocultures, and artificial chemicals and pesticides, and the food is not even particularly healthy – but you can make different design decisions that then have different outcomes.’

“What's been so lovely over the past two and a half years has been making it real and bringing it to life. My day-to-day work really revolves around promoting the message that upstream design decisions can have regenerative outcomes within the food system. I spend a lot of time working with our corporate partners and the Food Advisory Board. […] There's a lot of relationship and stakeholder management and […] setting the strategic direction – supporting the participants who are creating the products and now getting them on supermarket shelves.”

You recently joined Unreasonable, a VC focused on sustainable business to ensure a regenerative future, as a mentor in its Fellowship programme. What is the value in such mentorship programmes, in your opinion?

“It was a really fantastic collaboration between a large brand, innovators, and mentors – that kind of magic mix of big business, small emerging business, and people from different walks of life with different viewpoints.

“I'm a huge believer in mentors and have had some amazing mentors throughout my career. I think if you go into mentoring thinking you're not going to learn something, then you probably shouldn't be a mentor in the first place!

“Part of the value of being a mentor is that, in general, you take away as much, if not more: you learn about yourself, it’s a challenge, and it’s inspiring. I think programmes like that are hugely important in changing systems and changing the way that we work together.”

Would you describe yourself as a conscious shopper in terms of your own purchasing and eating habits?

“I try my best. When you work in the world of sustainability there is an element of walking the talk but [that] is a very different thing for everybody, and we're all prepared to make compromises and changes in very different parts of our lives. […]

“There are lots of ideals and you can only take part in those that are available to you and are reasonably accessible in your life. I have a full-time job and three children so, like I say, I do my best.

“We've got a local regenerative beef and pork farm up the road, so try to get the meat from there, we have a local delivery of vegetables every week, and try to cook from scratch but the reality is, it's easiest to go to your supermarket and do all your shopping in one place.

“I think that's why the work that we're doing with the Big Redesign Challenge is so important. The system has to enable us, as shoppers, to make the right decision almost unconsciously.

“We are trying to get the big supermarket giants to [pledge] to stock on their shelves or use, for their own brand products, ingredients that come from healthy, thriving landscapes, that support farmers’ livelihoods, and support them farming in line with nature. That way, when I do the shopping, I can go to one place, I can put it all in my basket and it doesn't cost the earth, but also, I don't have to feel guilty for not driving to every local farm.”

“And what's interesting is that sometimes […] locally produced food that's conventionally farmed and is bad for the environment is a lot worse than shipping something over from another part of the world where the way in which it is grown is creating biodiversity, [promoting] soil health, and increasing the livelihoods of Indigenous communities. So, again what is a conscious shopper is a really difficult question to answer.”