I’m Patricia Hamzahee. I’m the founder of Integriti Capital, which bridges the gap between social enterprise and private funders
What have been the challenges and discoveries of the lockdown What have been the challenges and discoveries of the lockdown period?
The lockdown has been challenging in one way, in that I’ve just moved into an apartment in this building. Lockdown started as I was in the middle of my move and refurbishment, so everything had to be stopped immediately. So that’s been a bit of a challenge.
My newest passion is connecting with people who have been friends in real life and finding creative ways to come together when you can’t be physically together. I’ve seen more friends since being locked down than I would have done being out in the real world!
What are your hopes and visions for social finance, in light of the pandemic and other recent events?
From the pandemic, what’s really inspired me is to see what the future could look like for everyone working in this space: it has really spurred a lot of innovation.
I think Black Lives Matter has significantly impacted my work in the social finance sector. Specifically, it has opened the eyes of the people in the sector so that they can see there is a lot to do from their side.
Diversity and inclusion are not things you can take for granted as being particularly strong in the social finance sector. Many people have been calling out spaces where some of the disparities exist, particularly in the leadership of the organisations – those who fund the social sector and how they look at the world. We need to make sure that access to social funding is really inclusive and open to everyone who’s looking for it.
What does Women in Social Finance mean to you?
I’ve been a member of Women in Social Finance from the beginning, the moment they launched, over 6 years ago. The women I’ve gotten to meet through Women in Social Finance are individually talented and committed. There is a lot of fun as well.
As a collective we are doing a lot of really good work as well, such as advancing the cause of gender lens investing, and investing in social justice overall.
What item or items have helped get you through lockdown?
I have with me, as my pandemic survival objects, a lovely bottle of Pinot Noir from a vineyard in my hometown – called “Au Bon Climat”. This is a lovely bottle of wine. The other object is my trusted radio. I have a radio in every room of my lovely new flat, which I listen to all the time.
I’m just interested in hearing different voices from different parts of the world, from different perspectives. It just stimulates you when you’re in isolation.
