Alessa Berg – of the people, for the people, by the people

What exactly makes an entrepreneur successful? And what does it take for a business to flourish? Is there an x-factor we miss out on? With Alessa Berg and Top Tier Impact, her impact investment company, we have deciphered that x-factor to be the mass identity of a leader. While it requires an immense amount of background knowledge in sustainability, economics and governance systems to explore the global impact ecosystem, what can make or break the deal for a CEO are communication skills.

Alessa Berg and her brainchild Top Tier Impact are involved in the assessment of companies and funds that are part of the global impact and sustainability sector. They manage an international network of investors, entrepreneurs and corporates who are aligned with Top Tier Impact's goal of bringing impact investing into the mainstream. They also operate a strategy business delivering climate risk scenario planning to publicly-listed companies and an investing unit that covers impact companies from early-stage all the way to pre-IPO.

Alessa Berg's mindset has been extremely effective in her professional sphere. It stems from a culturally diverse childhood spent in the Italian parts of Switzerland. As she reminisces, "I've been exposed to different cultures from a very early age, which helps me understand the different points of view that people can have, without believing that there is only one right approach." The ability to incorporate perspectives other than her own, and to understand what works best for the ultimate goals of a company, has enabled her to cater to a global audience with wider perspectives.

Instead of denying or suppressing her creative instincts, Alessa has hugely depended on them to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. "I still have no specific role models, although I've become good at recognizing the natural skills of people I interact with. I often get inspired by that! It gives me a great learning ground each day, where I can find new perspectives and challenge my own assumptions" she says.

Her core idea of including sustainability in business and making it economically viable comes from recognizing not only her own, but other people's needs and desires for a better planet and greener environment. With her empathy towards people, she keeps influencing this millennial generation to be kind and perceptive.