SoftBank Vision Fund
  • Work With Us
  • Portfolio
  • Team
  • Insights
  • Work With Us
  • Portfolio
  • Team
  • Insights
  • Careers
  • Legal
© 2021 SB Investment Advisers

Catherine Lenson


Managing Partner, CHRO & Head of Social Impact

Overview

Prior to joining SoftBank, Catherine was at UBS where she held a variety of roles across Human Resources and within the Investment Bank. Most recently, she was a Managing Director and Head of Reward for the global Investment Bank. She holds an MA from Cambridge University in Modern and Medieval Languages.

Insights 05

01 –

How did your background prepare you for your role at the Vision Fund?

I grew up in the middle of Lincolnshire, a rural area of England. There weren’t a ton of role models around in terms of people with jobs in financial services or multinational corporations. I was fortunate to be inspired by a handful of exceptional teachers, and I made it to Cambridge University, where I studied modern languages. I’ve always felt lucky to have been able to carve out this life for myself, and I don’t take anything for granted. Staying humble and appreciating what you have are super-important to me.

02 –

What do you think is people’s biggest misconception about the Vision Fund?

I think that many people incorrectly believe that everybody who works here has a particular sort of background, whether that's a technology background or a finance background. One of the things that's been so invigorating for me is that actually it's the most diverse firm I've ever worked at in terms of the life experiences people here have.

We have this extraordinary spread of people from investment banking, technology, venture capital, private equity, and corporate backgrounds. One of the most rewarding parts of my role is to find a way to fit all of those jigsaw pieces together for maximum impact, and create a culture which is unique to us.

By having the most diverse perspectives possible around the decision-making table, we make better decisions.

03 –

What do you hope to achieve at the Vision Fund?

The HR team I lead has so many areas we’re focused on, but the biggest one for me personally is to build diversity within the organization. We understand the importance of making progress on this from a social-purpose perspective, but diversity also plays a role in making outstanding returns for our stakeholders. Research is clear that the more diverse the backgrounds people come from, the greater the range of life experiences that they bring. We know that groups with this kind of diversity will see opportunities and risks in totally different ways to groups with more monolithic cultures.

By having the most diverse perspectives possible around the decision-making table, we make better decisions.

04 –

What inspires you?

For me, inspiration comes from different people. I find inspiration in my friend who is starting her own business from scratch while growing her family. I’m inspired by amazing communicators―people who can find the right turn of phrase in the right moment. I’m coaching someone at the moment who is making really tough life choices but refusing to compromise his integrity. I love to reflect on different moments from my day and work out what I can take from them into my own life.

05 –

If you hadn’t gone into investment banking after university, what would you have done?

I’d have studied orchestral conducting at a music conservatory. Honestly, I'm glad that things worked out as they did, but I always wish I could find more time for music. Before my children were born I sang semi-professionally with the London Symphony Chorus. That was a dream come true―to be an investment banker by day and then spend the evening singing with the London Symphony Orchestra. That’s my retirement plan!

Next Profile

Yosuke Sasaki


Partner, Head of CEO Office

SoftBank Vision Fund
  • Work With Us
  • Portfolio
  • Team
  • Insights
  • Presentations
  • Social Impact
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Legal
  • Privacy
Pleasanton, United States

10x Genomics is paving the way for a new understanding of biology, human health, and disease.

Hangzhou, China

Alibaba Local Services is redefining urban lifestyle and bringing greater joy and convenience to consumers.

San Francisco, United States of America

Alto is building the world's most patient-centric pharmacy.

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Arm is using technology to architect a smarter world.

Berlin, Germany

Auto1 is making it fast and efficient to buy and sell used cars.

New York, United States of America

Behavox is using AI to help businesses uncover and address hidden regulatory risks.

, China

Beike is a leading integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services.

Boston, United States of America

Biofourmis is using data and machine learning to help clinicians predict and prevent serious medical events.

San Diego, United States

Brain Corp is developing intelligent, autonomous navigation systems for everyday machines.

Beijing, China

ByteDance is enabling people to discover and create a world of content powered by technology.

Kansas City, United States

C2FO is working to deliver a future where every company in the world has the capital they need to grow.

Cambridge, United States

Cambridge Mobile Telematics is making the world’s roads safer.

Beijing, China

CloudMinds is operating smart robots for people.

San Jose, United States

Cohesity is radically simplifying how organizations manage their data.

San Francisco, United States

Collective Health is making it effortless to navigate, understand, and pay for healthcare.

New York, United States

Compass is building the real estate industry's first-ever end-to-end platform. | NYSE: COMP

Seoul, South Korea

Coupang is transforming e-commerce end-to-end.

São Paulo, Brazil

Creditas is aiming to reinvent secured lending in Brazil with data and technology.

Gurgaon, India

Delhivery is disrupting the supply chain across India one shipment at a time.

Beijing, China

DiDi is building a better journey for the world.

Beijing, China

DiDi Autonomous is bringing safer and more efficient commercial autonomous fleets to the world’s largest cities.

San Francisco, United States

DoorDash is connecting people with the best in their cities.

San Francisco, United States of America

Encoded Therapeutics is advancing life-changing therapies through precision medicine

Lugano, Switzerland

Energy Vault is transforming energy storage technology by enabling renewables to deliver around-the-clock power.

London, United Kingdom

eToro is connecting users to global markets and to each other so that everyone can invest in a simple and transparent way.

Los Angeles, United States

Fair is revolutionizing the car-as-a-service concept.

Jacksonville, United States

Fanatics is changing the way fans purchase their favorite team apparel.

Pune, India

FirstCry is striving to build the world’s largest community and e-commerce platform for parents.

San Francisco, United States

Flexport is using technology and data to make global trade easier and more accessible for everyone.

Bengaluru, India

Flipkart is bringing more than 30 million products to Indian consumers via its e-commerce marketplace.

San Diego, United States of America

Flock Freight is using proprietary algorithms to optimize transit routes and pool multiple shipments together into one full truckload.

Shanghai, China

Full Truck Alliance is building China's largest road logistics ecosystem for shippers and truckers.

Santa Clara, United States

Fungible is aiming to revolutionize the performance, reliability and economics of data centers at all scales.

San Francisco, United States

Getaround is empowering people to carshare everywhere.

Berlin, Germany

GetYourGuide is connecting travelers to incredible experiences wherever they are.

Menlo Park, United States

Globality is revolutionizing how companies find and select service suppliers.

San Francisco, United States

Cruise is seeking to build the world’s most advanced self-driving vehicles.

Philadelphia, United States of America

GoPuff is becoming the go-to solution for immediate, everyday needs.

Singapore, Singapore

Grab is connecting millions of consumers to millions of drivers, merchants, and businesses in Southeast Asia.

London, United Kingdom

Greensill is changing finance to change the world.

Gurugram, India

Grofers is delivering groceries and other essentials to their customers' doorsteps.

Redwood City, United States

Guardant Health is using data to conquer cancer.

Beijing, China

Guazi is seamlessly linking car buyers and sellers across China.

São Paulo, Brazil

Gympass is defeating inactivity through its corporate fitness platform.

London, United Kingdom

Improbable is making it easier for more people to create extraordinary multiplayer games.

Madrid, Spain

Jobandtalent is changing the global marketplace for temporary work, improving job security and supporting a more engaged workforce.

Atlanta, United States

Kabbage is empowering small businesses through straightforward, flexible access to capital.

,

Karius is using genomics and AI to advance infectious disease diagnostics.

Menlo Park, United States

Katerra is optimizing every aspect of building design and manufacturing, materials supply, logistics, and construction.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Klook is connecting the best of what a destination has to offer with travelers worldwide.

, India

Lenskart is giving millions of people access to quality, affordable eyewear online, in store and at home.

Palo Alto, United States

Light is enabling machines to navigate their environment accurately and safely.

São Paulo, Brazil

Loggi is using technology to connect Brazil and reinvent logistics.

Washington D.C., United States

MapBox is using precise location data to change the way we navigate the world.

Berkeley, United States

Memphis Meats is reimagining how meat is made by harvesting it from cells instead of animals.

San Francisco, United States of America

MindTickle is enabling successful sales team through its sales readiness platform.

Palo Alto, United States

Nauto is using AI to make driving safer and smarter.

Mountain View, United States

Nuro is delivering the future of local commerce autonomously.

Santa Clara, United States

Nvidia is igniting modern AI to power the next era of computing.

London, United Kingdom

OakNorth is transforming commercial lending through big data and machine learning.

Bengaluru, India

Ola is on a mission to build mobility for a billion people.

Shanghai, China

OneConnect is making finance easier for small and medium-sized financial institutions.

San Francisco, United States

Opendoor is reinventing the way people buy and sell their homes.

Los Angeles, United States of America

Ordermark is helping restaurants and virtual kitchens increase efficiency.

San Leandro, United States

OSIsoft is helping people transform their world through data.

Haryana, India

Oyo is delivering predictable, affordable, and quality accommodation experiences to travelers around the world.

New Delhi, India

Paytm is working to bring half a billion Indians into the mainstream economy through payments, commerce, and financial services.

Boston, United States

Pear is transforming medicine by treating patients with software-based therapeutics.

Pittsburgh, United States

Petuum is industrializing AI technology and transforming enterprises across all industries.

Shanghai, China

Ping An Good Doctor is building a comprehensive, one-stop healthcare ecosystem platform.

Shanghai, China

Ping An HealthKonnect is building a tech-enabled managed care platform for providers of insurance and medical services.

San Francisco, United States

Plenty is growing flavorful, healthy, and fresh produce through its vertical farming technology

New Delhi, India

Policybazaar is making insurance in India fair, transparent and sustainable.

Provo, United States

Qualtrics is changing the way organizations manage and improve the four core experiences of business — customer, employee, product, and brand.

Bogota, Colombia

Rappi is a super app for Latin America that delivers virtually everything.

Miami, United States

REEF is creating urban mobility hubs for the on-demand world.

Cambridge, United States

Relay Therapeutics is transforming the drug discovery process with unparalleled insights into protein motion.

New York, United States

Roivant is rapidly developing innovative medicines through a novel form of industrial organization in R&D.

Redwood City, US

Seer is developing the tools researchers need to discover and understand the proteome.

Chicago, United States of America

ShipBob is providing global fulfillment so e-commerce brands can focus on growing their business.

San Francisco, United States

Slack is bringing the right people, information, and tools together to get work done.

San Francisco, United States

Standard is transforming existing retail stores into checkout-free experiences by using computer vision and AI.

Cambridge, United States

Tessera Therapeutics is pioneering Gene Writing, a new category of genetic medicine.

, Germany

TIER is rethinking urban transportation by offering easily accessible and affordable mobility services.

Jakarta, Indonesia

Tokopedia is democratizing commerce through technology.

San Francisco, United States

Uber is igniting opportunity by setting the world in motion.

Pittsburgh, United States

Uber ATG is transforming the way the world moves through the development of safe self-driving vehicle technologies.

, United States

Aurora is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.

Bengaluru, India

Unacademy is empowering the world’s youth through online lessons and specialized courses.

Mountain View, United States

View is transforming real estate through dynamic glass windows that enhance human health, increase productivity, and save energy.

Guangzhou City, China

VIPThink is providing early childhood education through its innovative online learning platform.

San Francisco, United States

Vir is integrating breakthroughs in science, technology, and medicine to transform the treatment of infectious diseases.

San Diego, United States

Vividion Therapeutics is utilizing its novel discovery technologies to unlock undruggable targets for oncology and immune disorders.

Hanoi, Vietnam

VNLIFE is transforming lives by simplifying mobile payments.

New York, United States

WeWork is revolutionizing the way people and companies work.

Boston, United States of America

Whoop is unlocking human performance.

Guangzhou City, China

XAG is scaling agriculture production by integrating AI and drones into farming practices.

Shenzhen, China

XtalPi is transforming drug discovery and development through quantum physics, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing.

Shanghai, China

Zhangmen is personalizing one-on-one online tutoring for students across China.

Shanghai, China

ZhongAn Insurance is applying technology to upgrade the insurance value chain.

, China

Ziroom is modernizing apartment rentals to create a better living experience.

Mountain View, United States

Zume is developing smarter and more sustainable food service and healthcare systems.

, China

Zuoyebang is educating students across China through its mobile study platform.

Emeryville, United States

Zymergen is using biology as a source of new chemical building blocks to commercialize novel products and materials.

© 2021 SB Investment Advisers (UK) Limited
team-modal
partners-modal
career-modal
Apply

Your application was successfully submitted. Thank you.

insights-modal
Search for Companies or Investors

Your search did not match any results.

Try a different search term or click a popular term below:

This site uses cookies to improve your experience.

We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We would also like to set optional analytics cookies to help us improve our site by anonymously collecting and reporting information on how you use it. For more information on how these cookies work, please see our Cookie policy.

Cookie Preferences

We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We would also like to set optional analytics cookies to help us improve our site by anonymously collecting and reporting information on how you use it. For more information on how these cookies work, please see our Cookie policy.

Optional Analytics