In the early 2000’s while helping social enterprise Belu launch the UK’s first biodegradable bottle from a barge in the Thames, I met Body Shop founder Anita Roddick. A video of her dismissing the Friedman-esq shareholder mentality of antiquated MBA training had been part of our introduction at London Business School, and when I met her, I told her I’d seen the video starting my own MBA, came from hippy stock, agreed, and needed her help to change some minds.

Anita was a massive, powerful presence (in a very small person), and I was a good foot taller. She stopped, looked into my eyes, grabbed me by the arm, pulled me outside of the crowded room, and asked me to explain. I told her that we had a recruiting fair at the school every year – banks and consultancies and financial institutions all coming for what was called The Milk Round, to recruit the best and brightest into the corporate world.

“I want to start an ‘Organic’ Milk Round,” I said, “and bring progressive, sustainable companies instead.” It was a simple, naïve, hopeful idea, and Anita—by then a very wealthy, very influential, very busy business woman, agreed on the spot to help. She became our keynote speaker, and her promised participation opened the doors and enabled us to recruit speakers and companies. The event lives on as the sustainable job fair, and it wouldn’t have happened without Anita’s support. Her tragic, sudden death remains a big void and a powerful reminder to live each moment.