Where can your career take you when you’re open to learning more? In this episode of the Master Builders series, Annie Ropar—the CFO of the UK’s National Wealth Fund (formerly the UK Infrastructure Bank)—joins Riccardo and Shormila for a candid conversation about lifelong learning, leadership humility, and how a start in finance has evolved into purpose-driven management in infrastructure. Annie’s dedication to curiosity and building great teams is a throughline in her career. A transition from the private to public sector reshaped Annie’s understanding of success—shifting from rapid execution to long-term and varied stakeholder impact. She outlines their different approaches, with the latter’s focus extending beyond amassing revenue to providing lasting social value. With humour and realism, Annie speaks to numerous industry motifs, including the senior-level gender gap and the demands of executive leadership. Her perspective highlights why today’s major programmes demand a special kind of master builder—one who can leave their ego behind and lift the whole team forward.
Where can your career take you when you’re open to learning more? In this episode of the Master Builders series, Annie Ropar—the CFO of the UK’s National Wealth Fund (formerly the UK Infrastructure Bank)—joins Riccardo and Shormila for a candid conversation about lifelong learning, leadership humility, and how a start in finance has evolved into purpose-driven management in infrastructure.
Annie’s dedication to curiosity and building great teams is a throughline in her career. A transition from the private to public sector reshaped Annie’s understanding of success—shifting from rapid execution to long-term and varied stakeholder impact. She outlines their different approaches, with the latter’s focus extending beyond amassing revenue to providing lasting social value. With humour and realism, Annie speaks to numerous industry motifs, including the senior-level gender gap and the demands of executive leadership. Her perspective highlights why today’s major programmes demand a special kind of master builder—one who can leave their ego behind and lift the whole team forward.
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“I really have a fundamental care for not just my box or whether it's a small box, big box, but also about the people around me, even if they work in different parts of the business, et cetera. I always look at it from the perspective of, I'm an owner of this organization. I may not have shares, I may not have a stock certificate, but I am responsible for everyone in this organization.” - Annie Ropar
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