Anna-Klara Lindskog.

Anna-Klara Lindskog is changing how we think about food sustainability

14 July 2020

The article at a glance

Executive MBA alumna Anna-Klara Lindskog joins global plant-based food collective The LIVEKINDLY Co. as Global Chief of Staff and Sustainability.

Anna-Klara Lindskog (EMBA 2015) has joined plant-based food collective LIVEKINDLY Co. in the role of Chief of Staff and Sustainability.

As part of the collective’s executive team, Anna-Klara is responsible for mergers and acquisition (M&A) and corporate strategy, joint venture agreements and sustainability.

Anna-Klara believes the biggest challenge facing her and the collective is shifting attitudes to food production and consumption towards sustainability, and encouraging more people to try plant-based solutions.

“The LIVEKINDLY Co.’s goal is shifting the global food system into a sustainable one and make plant-based food the new norm,” says Anna-Klara.

The LIVEKINDLY Co.’s portfolio of plant-based food brands includes LIKE MEAT from Germany, Fry’s Family from South Africa and Swedish multi-award winning plant-based meat collective OUMPH!, a recently announced acquisition. The collective is also an independent publisher for vegan food-based news.

“By 2050, the world population is predicted to reach 10bn. If all the cattle in the world were considered as a country, this country would be the third largest contributor of CO2 emissions in the world, behind only the United States and China. Livestock-related farming occupies 77 per cent of agricultural land globally.

“The time to change the way we eat is now. A plant-based diet has a significantly lower carbon footprint, is healthier, and not to mention the ethical aspect of avoiding the horrors of industrial factory farming to keep meat prices low.”

How the Cambridge Executive MBA prepared Anna-Klara for her new role

Anna-Klara, who recently relocated from Bucharest, Romania to Zürich, Switzerland, joins The LIVEKINDLY Co. following a career of almost 14 years at Nestlé. During this time, she worked in marketing and sales, followed by General Management, and most recently as Business Executive Officer (BEO) for South East Europe.

“In my role as BEO at Nestlé, I had regional responsibility with profit and loss,” continues Anna-Klara.

“My new role is different in that it has global scope and more strategic focus. I am certain to learn a lot as I get to work with truly amazing people.”

Graduating from the Cambridge Executive MBA (EMBA) in 2017, Anna-Klara is a keen advocate for the strength of the network participants become a part of.

“My time at Cambridge Judge Business School allowed me to broaden my skills and forge a strong network,” she says. “In fact, I was introduced to my new collective by a colleague from my cohort, and I now owe them a nice dinner!

“There is no right time to start an MBA. When I applied for the programme, I was a Regional Marketing Manager and expecting my second child. During Orientation Week, our son, Edward, was nine-weeks old and our daughter, Alice, was two. I knew that pursuing an EMBA at Cambridge would broaden my skills and network. There was never really going to be an ‘ideal’ time to go for it, so I made it work out with big support from my ex-husband and mother, for which I am very grateful.”

Looking forward, Anna-Klara is excited to contribute to The LIVEKINDLY Co. as a purpose-driven collective with a mission of making the world a “kinder” place.