Meet Alice Richard, who reflects on her journey from product design engineering to founding her own consultancy as a sustainability catalyst at Co-CREATE ImpACT. With a career rooted in creativity, innovation and purpose, she has inspired more than 10,000 people around the world to act on sustainability goals.
"Having a can-do attitude and believing in yourself is a valuable lesson I learned at the IfM and one I aspire to pass on."
Alice Richard
Alice now shares her consultancy expertise with some of the companies she visited while completing the Advanced Course in Design, Manufacture and Management (ACDMM) qualification in Cambridge.
The Institute of Manufacturing (IfM), part of the Department of Engineering, featured Alice as part of its From Learning to Impact series of interviews on the leaders and change-makers of the future.
She said: “Anyone can be a catalyst for change, regardless of their starting point. Having a can-do attitude and believing in yourself is a valuable lesson I learned at the IfM and one I aspire to pass on.”
Her pivotal experience on the ACDMM course at the IfM shaped both her entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to bridge design, engineering and business.
Alice’s move to consultancy, after a long career with UNICEF, was developed when she successfully identified a gap in the market. While considering work-life balance on walks with a sleeping baby, she realised that organisations were failing to engage their employees on sustainability. Her solution was founding Co-CREATE ImpACT to empower people through creative, experiential learning in sustainability.
Impactful learning
Alice studied at the University of Glasgow, where she studied Product Design Engineering, dividing her time between its Engineering Department and the Glasgow School of Art. Seeking a new challenge, Alice was drawn to the ACDMM, the predecessor to the Industrial Systems, Manufacture and Management (ISMM) MPhil. This allowed her to continue to blend design and engineering while gaining business acumen.
She said: “I came to Cambridge in 1998 eager for a change and motivated to deepen my understanding of the manufacturing and management aspects of product design. I was excited to gain new perspectives and forge connections. The course was designed for those seeking a fresh outlook on the world, which was precisely what I wanted.”
During her time in Cambridge, Alice found the site visits and project work offered a comprehensive view of the manufacturing landscape. Collaborating on industry consultancy-style projects taught her the importance of understanding the challenge before diving into solutions. It also instilled in her an entrepreneurial mindset that has been fundamental to her career.
“My lasting memory is the diversity of our experiences. One day we could be wearing protective gear in a clean room producing microelectronics, and two days later we’d be in a basic foundry pouring molten metal. It taught me to step back, see the bigger picture, and connect the dots,” Alice recalled.
The journey
Alice secured her first job at Scientific Generics (now Sagentia Innovation), where she applied her learning in practice.
She said: “It was an amazing role, working as an innovation catalyst, bringing together people from different backgrounds to collaborate, something the course had prepared me for. It felt like a dream job, something you’d expect 10 years into your career, but I was able to step into it straight out of university thanks to my training.”
Alice moved to Switzerland with her now-husband, Stefano Mastropietro, who she met on the course. A month-long contract at UNICEF then turned into a 14-year career. Starting in its product-based fundraising team, she moved to leading the full products business, and to then managing licensing relationships and large corporate partnerships.
“I designed and sourced more than 500 products, from mugs to backpacks. My team and I were ‘intrapreneurs’; we operated as a small business within UNICEF, handling the entire end-to-end development process, from concept design to final manufactured product. I loved applying my learning and easily built relationships with manufacturers because I spoke their language and understood their worlds.”
By using tools like the 2030 SDGs Game LEGO® Serious Play and Hack Your Box, Alice expands awareness, increases engagement, and motivates action.
Impactful people
As her family grew, Alice wanted a better work–life balance and had a desire to make a tangible difference. Her entrepreneurship strategy was to combine forward-thinking ideas with real-world outcomes.
“After having children, I wanted more flexibility, along with the chance to create change around issues I cared about. I wanted to build something of my own at the intersection between innovation and impact.”
Alice made a significant shift in her thinking, when she discovered the 2030 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) game, a Japanese experiential game simulating the world in 2030. It aligned perfectly with her interests in creativity and systems thinking. She saw the potential of play-based learning to engage and inspire people on a deeper level.
Since founding Co-CREATE ImpACT in 2018, Alice has used purposeful experiential learning approaches to help people see the world from new perspectives and take different actions. By using tools like the 2030 SDGs Game LEGO® Serious Play and Hack Your Box, she expands awareness, increases engagement, and motivates action. Through her workshops, Alice has inspired more than 10,000 people from around 100 nationalities, energising them to engage in the movement for necessary change. She has collaborated with clients including the United Nations, European Commission, universities, and manufacturing companies.
She said: “A message I am keen to convey is my ‘can-do’ approach: anyone can be the starting point for change. This lesson from the IfM is something I hope to empower others with through my work,” said Alice.
Her journey exemplifies how the foundations laid during her education have propelled her into roles that challenge the status quo and inspire change. From navigating the intricacies of product development at UNICEF to igniting sustainability initiatives through Co-CREATE ImpACT, her career reflects a commitment to creative problem-solving and positive results.
“I have come full circle and am now working with clients I visited during my time at the IfM, including NSG, formally Pilkington Glass and UBS,” Alice explained.
“It’s incredible to return to the companies that taught me so much about the manufacturing and business world and to give back with my own learnings, helping them along their sustainability journey.”
Adapted from an IfM news article.
