About Us
Our Story
EthicalFin was founded by Alexandra and Alessandro after successful careers in investment banking and recognising the disconnect between their personal values and how “success” was defined.
Driven by the belief that ethics are essential to a thriving financial system, they rebranded the company and built a team united by integrity, transparency, and a shared purpose: to transform finance into a force for good.
What they say
“Capital raising for early stage technology businesses can be extremely challenging, especially for hardware businesses. The team at EthicalFin were truly influential in the overall success of our capital raise campaign. Their experienced and passionate management team dived deep into the core aspects of the business, crystallising the strategy and supporting how it this was represented to investors. It was a genuine pleasure working with EthicalFin at this critical phase of our business growth and we are excited to build our relationship with them as we continue to grow”.
“Thank you, Alessandro, and the rest of the EthicalFin team, for your support with our Series A fundraising round. Your passion, dedication and commitment to see us succeed was appreciated and valued by the entire team at Ryp Labs. Onwards and upwards!”
“I have had the pleasure of working with EthicalFin over the last two years. This has been a collaborative endeavour in which Alessandro and Fabio have made available their extensive network and have been generous with their time and expertise. Our work together has included identifying potential sales partners in Italy, targeting of specific end clients, and informal mentorship of myself and other members of the team at Naked Energy. I enjoy our regular meetings and look forward to building our successful relationship in future.”
”EthicalFin helped us organize and run a competitive bid process for the sale of one of our Italian asset management companies. They proved to be a trustworthy and reliable advisor who delivered timely results and handled all processes with care and dedication”.
“EthicalFin has assisted our group at a very significant time, when we have developed and strongly accelerated our flexible workspace business model; the team at EthicalFin have demonstrated high professional integrity, entrepreneurial passion and technical expertise. I have personally appreciated their ability to think out of the box and combine strategic thinking, financial structuring and real estate skills”.
“We have worked with EthicalFin during our fund raising. They have worked very hard and very professionally – I have very much appreciated the preparation of each meeting and the highly professional management of the process with one of our key investors. [EthicalFin]* is one of our preferred corporate finance partners for the Italian market and we look favourably to future opportunities of doing business together.”
“At the end of my Master’s Degree, I decided to pursue a career in Investment Banking, working for a non-traditional firm that could have allowed me to learn through day-by-day activities and also make an impact on people. Many people assume that financial companies are an elite industry irrelevant to them; the truth is that the players in this field help leading companies and people make billion-dollar decisions that impact people’s lives daily. I wanted to work in an industry and a firm that changes the global landscape; therefore, EthicalFin is a perfect choice. I am grateful to my mentors, for helping me achieve my dreams. This firm is committed to making a lasting impact, and I am honoured to be part of that.”
Our Core Values
At EthicalFin, we rely extensively on our knowledge, experience, ethos and collaborative network of industry players to formulate, craft, and scale mission-aligned investment opportunities for promoting a sustainable future.
Our culture and values guide our actions, set the tone with our clients and collaborators, and empower us with the enthusiasm and determination to pursue the positive change we see as essential to ensure a healthy future for humankind.
We seek to change systems, team up with disruptive innovators and forward-looking investors, challenge conventional thinking, and support new economic models that can and must take root.
Our decision making and actions are guided by the following core values, which underpin our business ethos:
Alignment
Financial performance and impact go hand in hand. We pursue both with integrity.
We maintain high professional standards in every aspect of our work – across both financial and impact-related areas. We believe that financial success is important to impact success and seek to balance these sometimes-competing issues without compromising our ethical values. We strive for measurable, long-term value creation that integrates financial viability with meaningful positive impact for society and planet.
Holistic Regeneration
Regenerative thinking is the future. We embed it into strategy, funding, and execution.
We believe in the essential interconnectedness of finance, business, human consciousness and nature, applying a holistic approach that actively contributes to restoring and regenerating social, environmental, and economic systems. We like to think out of the box and connect the dots across different spheres of human knowledge to discover and support innovative solutions. Standard ESG approaches are typically centred on risk and compliance. In contrast, we seek to embed regenerative practices into the heart of our thinking and investment activities. We see money as a tool for positive systemic transformation.
Intellectual Integrity
We speak truth. We question boldly. We learn continuously.
We seek to uphold the highest ethical standards, ensuring intellectual rigor, honesty, and transparency in all our work. We have the courage to question, scrutinise, and validate with the intention to build and improve, maintaining an open mind and avoiding entrenched beliefs. We seek to discuss and transparently disclose risks, limitations, and negative externalities associated with our investment opportunities. We maintain that an unbiased dispassionate commitment, the spirit of humility, and a willingness to admit when we are wrong are vital to our aim for intellectual honesty.
Curiosity
We seek out better ways—and help you do the same.
We embrace forward-thinking mindsets, continuous learning, innovation and change; we prefer unconventional solutions tailored to real-world social and environmental problems whenever necessary. We seek to share our knowledge and experience through thought leadership and aim to stimulate dialogues that build and share knowledge within and outside our networks.
Collaborative Relationships
We build lasting, trust-based partnerships—with clients, investors, and collaborators.
EthicalFin values partnerships, teamwork, and mutually beneficial relationships. Clients are not just customers but mission-aligned partners in driving systemic change and achieving financial success. Investors are not just providers of capital but active supporters of founders with their wisdom, strategic thinking, commercial acumen, business networks. Our approach is rooted in mutual trust, respect, and an abundance mindset—where success is shared and amplified fairly amongst all stakeholders.
Executive Team
Alessandro Mele, Founder & CEO
Alessandro, as the source of EthicalFin’s vision, holds the space for the evolution of the business and manages the team to implement the Company strategy. He began his career in 1995 with Financial Security Assurance. He later worked with Deutsche Bank, HVB and Bank of America, and lastly, as head of the Continental Europe Asset-Backed Securities origination. Alessandro graduated summa cum laude from Bocconi University in Milan and holds an MBA from Cass Business School.
I am driven by seeking alignment in my vision and purpose with everything I do in order to promote sustainability.
Alexandra Mele, Co-Founder
Alexandra began her career at the equity derivatives desk in 1996 at Bankers Trust in Zurich. In 1999, after the merger with Deutsche Bank, she was responsible for selling equity derivatives to the Bank’s Swiss clients. From 2006 to 2009, she was COO of the equity derivatives trading desk at Deutsche Bank in Zurich. Alexandra has a degree in law from the University of Basel.
I am driven by living in harmony with nature.
Christian Polman, Senior Consultant
Christian is a London-based impact investor and advisor who uniquely combines deep knowledge of sustainability with vast commercial and strategy experience, digital, data analytics and brand storytelling. He loves advising climate-related ventures and impact funds across health & wellness, climate data & analytics, farming & agriculture, nature-based solutions, social impact, and impact measurement. He chairs the taskforce for impact licensing, is helping his family farm adopt regenerative and wilding practices, and is a member of Nexus global. He is married with two kids, and is a passionate advocate for cycling and nature exploration.
I am driven by mobilising capital into the world’s most promising climate solutions, circular and regenerative business models.
Edward Baker
Edward Baker joined EthicalFin as a senior consultant in February 2025, bringing over 40 years of experience in the investment management industry, with expertise in quantitative investing, risk modeling, ESG investing, and sustainability. He also advises climate risk modeling firm Tipping Frontier, and provides ESG-related expert witness services as Managing Director of Seda Experts.
Edward has been involved in various industry associations and nonprofits, including serving as Chairman of the Working Group on Corporate Governance for the Institute of International Finance. He currently serves as a trustee and Chairman of the Investment Committee at the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute.
He has published extensively on ESG and risk management topics and was honored with the 2023 IWI Investment Consulting Impact Award for his contributions to the industry.
Elena Shebunyaeva, COO
Elena has extensive experience in investor and shareholder relations, financial, operational and strategic analysis, and corporate reporting. She started her career as an analyst in an investment fund focused on the emerging equity market in Russia. Further, she spent 5 years in the investor relations function of the NYSE-listed telecommunications group. Elena holds an MBA from Cass Business School (London, UK).
I am driven by supporting purpose-driven and sustainable businesses through my work and responsible consumer choices in my everyday life.
Senior Advisors
Jamie Stein, Senior Advisor
Jamie is the founder of Fonte Capital, which supports clients with exceptional engineering expertise, scientific knowledge, or operating know-how to build pipelines of commercial opportunities and establish relationships with different forms of capital.
I am driven by finding teams to positively impact an established market and helping them make that happen.
Tyler Schmetterer, Senior Advisor
Tyler is a sustainable offsite construction expert based in Switzerland and New York with 30 years of experience in creative business strategy, international marketing, communications, business development, project management, public/investor relations, and consulting. In 2006, Tyler co-founded an advisory group and award-winning producer of sustainable prefabricated buildings focused on designing and manufacturing high-performance housing. Tyler graduated from Skidmore College and earned an MBA summa cum laude from Fordham University in NYC.
I am driven by the formidable reality that there is no solving climate change without addressing the built environment!
Reyad Fezzani, Senior Advisor
Reyad has 25 years of experience in energy and finance. He serves as Chairman and CEO of Regenerate Power, a developer, owner, and operator of utility-scale renewable energy projects, and Managing Partner of Energy Finance Company, a fund manager investor in distributed generation projects. Before co-founding Regenerate Power, Reyad was CEO of BP Solar and Tata-BP Solar’s Chairman. He previously served as President of BP’s Global Wind and Solar business.
I am driven by supporting founders in funding and taking to market innovative and sustainable technologies.
Thea May, Senior Advisor
Thea is a professional voice and communication coach committed to supporting people in whole-self-speaking. Her passion and curiosity for her subject motivate her to find new and interesting ways to help her clients say what matters in an embodied way. She founded Working With Voice in 2011 and now focuses on working with positive impact businesses. She believes that the quality of how we communicate determines how we feel, share and grow our ideas, and prepare for the future.
I am driven by helping purpose driven change makers effectively communicate from their heart and soul.
Interns
Sheng Gao, Corporate Finance Execution Intern
Sheng supports EthicalFin’s fundraising and valuation activities for early-stage companies operating in food and agriculture, climate tech, sustainable fashion, and the energy transition. He is particularly focused on investor research, transaction execution, and financial modeling for impact-driven ventures. Before joining EthicalFin, Sheng worked in arts administration and concert production, having led fundraising initiatives at arts organizations in New York and Washington. His interdisciplinary background informs his interest in supporting mission-aligned founders who blend creativity with scalable solutions for a sustainable future. Sheng is currently pursuing a Master’s in Management at the London School of Economics. He also holds an M.A. in Arts Administration from Columbia University and a B.A. in Music from The George Washington University.
I am driven by a commitment to harnessing capital at the intersection of finance and positive social and environmental change.
Tong Wu, Intern
Tong holds a dual degree in Psychology and Piano Performance from Johns Hopkins University and the Peabody Institute, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Organizational and Social Psychology at the London School of Economics. With a strong interest in human behavior and decision-making, he is passionate about bringing psychological insights into the world of finance to help shape more thoughtful, sustainable investment practices that prioritize long-term impact.
I am driven by the vision of aligning investment practices with the rhythms of nature, fostering a more harmonious and regenerative future.
Ecosystem Collaboration Network
We work with a diverse group of like-minded external partners, called “ecosystem partners”, allowing us to offer a broad range of specialist expertise across key impact sectors and technologies such as energy transition, food and agriculture, education, health, regenerative business models, nature-based solutions, biomimicry, circular and regenerative business models, along with diverse regulatory coverage, and geographical reach.
This collaboration framework provides an efficient model for fostering and catalysing sustainable business growth for EthicalFin, our partners and our clients.
Ecosystem Partners
Andrea Licata - Switzerland & Germany
Dr. Andrea Licata was born in Turin, is based in Berlin and is regularly in Geneva. He founded Talenteco GmbH (Berlin, 2017), through which for years he has been organising many successful small and large events for green startups & scaleups (in the energy, mobility, materials, agriculture and sustainable fashion sectors) and motivated investors. He loves ancient history, beautiful cities, the Mediterranean Sea and the Swiss mountains.
Arjan Overwater - Agribusiness & Food
Arjan worked in CEO, advisory and investment roles with Shell, Hay Group, Coca-Cola and Unilever (as the CEO for Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus), co-founded the East India Company Fine Foods in London and led Meinl am Graben, Austria’s premier fine foods company as their interim CEO. Has been advising & investing in start-up and growth companies in Europe in food and agri. Co-owner and equity stakes in a number of venture companies.
Our collaboration: I understand the Dutch ecosystem of food and agri: together we go faster!
Chris Leo - Asian Market
With 25+ years of experience in advertising media, fund management, and private equity, Chris has vast experience as a strategic advisor on various levels, including on board levels. Chris started her career as an International Media Planner at McCann Worldgroup in London, followed by direct investments at PGIM (NYSE: PRU) and Symphony Asia (LSE: SIHL) in Singapore. Through SkyPath Capital, she advises companies and funds on capital and strategic business introductions. She graduated from EMBA Global at Columbia Business School, Hong Kong University Business School and London Business School in 2014
I am driven by optimising sustainable positive impact for humanity and planet Earth.
Christophe Walewski - UK & France FOs
Christophe has 15+ years of expertise in VC, fundraising, fund operations and M&A. In 2014 he co-founded C4 Ventures, a leading European VC investor and successfully launched 2 funds and helped raise more than €70m, mostly from Family Offices, to invest in tech start-ups from Series A onwards. He built an extensive network of relationships within the Wealth management industry.
Our collaboration: supporting EthicalFin and its clients with their capital-raising efforts.
Crescent (Chris) Varrone - Pickwick Capital Partners - US Clean Tech
Experienced Managing Director at Pickwick Capital Partners, LLC, and President of Riverview Consulting, Inc. Former McKinsey & Co. consultant and Vestas Wind Systems’ Chief Strategist, Tech R&D. Specializes in renewable energy, energy storage, plastic alternatives, recycling, and carbon capture (CCUS). Has advised over 50 companies, holds equity stakes in 12, and serves on boards of UGE International and Eocycle. Holds Series 63 and 82 securities licenses.
Our collaboration: tikkun olam – “repair the world.”
Leehe Skuler - Clean Tech
Experienced Managing Director at Pickwick Capital Partners, LLC, and President of Riverview Consulting, Inc. Former McKinsey & Co. consultant and Vestas Wind Systems’ Chief Strategist, Tech R&D. Specializes in renewable energy, energy storage, plastic alternatives, recycling, and carbon capture (CCUS). Has advised over 50 companies, holds equity stakes in 12, and serves on boards of UGE International and Eocycle. Holds Series 63 and 82 securities licenses.
Our collaboration: tikkun olam – “repair the world.”
Ludovico Marini - Italy (Fashion / Furniture / Food)
Senior Financial Advisor with 28 years of international experience: founder of Marini & Co. Former Head of equity investments manager for Gruppo Banca Leonardo and independent advisor since 2014. He graduated in Business and Economics with top marks from the University Cattolica of Milan in 1995. His dissertation was on Public Tender Offers, focusing on the Italian banking system: the Credito Romagnolo case.
Our collaboration: Let’s build bridges between Italy and the rest of the world.
Markus Freiburg - CEO Fase Impact Investing
Together with Ashoka, Markus founded the Financing Agency for Social Entrepreneurship (FASE) in Germany. FASE helps leading social enterprises across Europe raise hybrid growth capital to scale their social impact. So far, FASE has built an open pipeline of investment-ready social enterprises and closed more than 30 transactions leveraging more than EUR 14 million in impact investments. Prior to this, Markus worked for more than seven years as a consultant for McKinsey. He studied Business Administration and Economics at the Universities of Witten/Herdecke and Cambridge and received his PhD from the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management.
Our collaboration: Let’s expand our impact by supporting more impact founders together.
Nicola Chiaranda - Food Tech
Nicola Chiaranda is a global finance and strategy leader with over 30 years of experience in multinational public companies, primarily in the Agribusiness and Food sectors across Europe, North America, and the Middle East. He brings deep expertise in sustainable value creation through Strategy, M&A, and Corporate Finance, having successfully led complex transformations, acquisitions, and financial integrations in Italy, France, Switzerland, the USA, Spain, the UK, and Saudi Arabia.
A multilingual advisor fluent in Italian, English, French, Spanish, and German, Nicola combines global insight with hands-on execution. His leadership spans finance function optimization, cross-border dealmaking, and the creation of high-impact shared service models delivering tens of millions in savings.
Nicola is also a Professor of Private Equity and Development Funding at the University of Venice, where he shares his expertise with the next generation of finance professionals. His work reflects a commitment to driving sustainable financial impact and long-term stakeholder value.
Tiffany Harnsongkram - Gulf Region & FOs
Senior Financial Advisor with 28 years of international experience: founder of Marini & Co. Former Head of equity investments manager for Gruppo Banca Leonardo and independent advisor since 2014. He graduated in Business and Economics with top marks from the University Cattolica of Milan in 1995. His dissertation was on Public Tender Offers, focusing on the Italian banking system: the Credito Romagnolo case.
Our collaboration: Let’s build bridges between Italy and the rest of the world.
