It's ok to not know what you want to do with your career; few people do. Do what interests you. Do what you're passionate about.
Where will English take you? Investment
Finance and investment are not the usual paths one might imagine for an English graduate, but increasingly these sectors are taking an interest in humanities graduates. As Robert Goldstein, BlackRock COO, says: 'We have more and more conviction that we need people who majored in history, in English, and things that have nothing to do with finance or technology'. In his view, companies are recognising that 'It's that diversity of thinking and diversity of people and diversity of looking at different ways to solve a problem that really fuels innovation.'
This chimes with our alumni in these careers. Tilly Franklin, Chief Investment Officer for the University, emphasises the importance of 'cognitive diversity' and finds that reading widely beyond works on investment, both fiction and non-fiction, helps her to think creatively. While Saul Klein, Co-Founder of Phoenix Court, an investment company, is convinced of the advantages of being a polymath, including the ability to think differently. Over and above this, English at Cambridge exposes you to brilliant thinkers who will encourage you in your ambitions, as Check Warner, Founder of Ada Ventures, says, 'I spent a lot of my academic time at Corpus surrounded by impressive and thoughtful women'.
3 Alumni in Finance and Investment
Check Warner, Ethical Investor
Corpus Christi College, 2009
Check Warner read English at Corpus and began a career in advertising before pivoting to venture capital. She co-founded Ada Ventures in 2018, which invests in 'the best, not just the best connected' and backs European founders 'building businesses for a better human future'. She is also the co-founder of the non-profit Diversity VC, which works to promote diversity and inclusion in venture capital firms. In 2023, she was awarded an MBE for services to Equality and Diversity in the Venture Capital Sector. You can read more about her time at Cambridge here:
Tilly Franklin, Chief Investment Officer
Jesus College, 1990
Tilly Franklin was appointed Cambridge University's Chief Investment Officer in 2019 in charge of the University's £3.2 billion endowment fund. She is a founder of GAIN (Girls Are Investors), a charity which aims to inform and inspire the next generation of female investment managers in the UK. You can hear her talk about her childhood, her time at Cambridge, and her non-linear career route into investment, starting with consulting here:
Saul Klein, Entrepreneur and Investor
Magdalene College, 1989
Saul Klein is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Phoenix Court, an investment company. After studying English he went into journalism and digital media, before becoming one of Europe’s most respected technology investors over several decades. He has a passion for working with seed and early-stage founders and investors, and for the positive impact that technology can have on society. He was appointed as the non-executive Director at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in 2023. Hear him talk about his path here: