Having started from modest beginnings on a dairy farm in Yorkshire, where she worked hours into the night, Tessa learnt all the hard work that goes into producing the food we eat, and that it should be eaten, and not thrown away. Tessa set her sights on a successful corporate career, which paved the way into the creation of OLIO – an app in which you can share your unwanted food with someone who’ll need it.
Tessa graduated from the prestigious Cambridge University, and built her way up through various companies including Dyson, where she ran an in-house team of web developers and digital marketers responsible for all of their digital marketing and CRM. This provided her with her experience and knowledge of how an iconic brand is managed and grown successfully online.
The lightbulb moment for her came one day when she was moving to a new country, having purchased food for the moving men, she found herself with a lot of leftovers. Unwilling to throw it all away, Tessa set out for the streets in hope of someone to give it to, but to no avail. It then became Tessa’s mission to combat food-waste, and so after 4 years, 1.5 million people have joined OLIO with over 3 million portions of food have been shared. This is with a lot of help from over 400,000 OLIO ambassadors working as volunteers in their local communities.
Given the sought-after “Momentum for Change” award, as well as also winning numerous awards including Chivas The Venture in the UK, Sustainable Cities, The Europas, Feel Good Brands and the Digital Agenda Impact Awards. OLIO is also recognised by the United Nations as an genuinely scalable solution to the issue of climate change.
Tessa is an engaging and thought- provoking speaker with recognised authority of sustainability. She is available for corporate engagements.