While spending a brief stint at The University of Hong Kong, reading business and finance, Luis Surroca Llorens initially planned to take the Impact Lab Course (formerly called the Social Venture Management Course) to work as an intern with a social venture. The plan would not materialize as Luis had to relocate to Singapore due to the political situation in Hong Kong, but an impactful internship nonetheless took place when David Bishop, Founder and Director of Soap Cycling (and Co-founder and Director of Foundation for Shared Impact), connected him with the team at Soap Cycling Singapore.
Looking back at the time when he was put in charge of fundraising initiatives, working alongside Soap Cycling Singapore’s management team, Luis credits the experiential learning experience for the values he applies to his current work as an Associate at Goldman Sachs in London, as well as the impact-driven perspective that stays with him today.
Read our conversation with Luis to find out how his experience with Soap Cycling Singapore inspired him to co-found a social impact consulting company, and why he would recommend Soap Cycling for skills-based volunteers to develop leadership skills or volunteer their skills and expertise.
Tell us about yourself, Luis?
I am currently based in London, working as an Associate at Goldman Sachs, fundraising from corporate investors into our investment funds across Public and Private markets. I started my career as a corporate strategy analyst at HSBC, though, solving problems for the bank globally.
I did my undergraduate studies at the University of Exeter in southwest England. I studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics there, with a brief stint at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) doing business and finance, and another one in Nanyang Technological University – NTU Singapore doing the same. I then went on to pursue a Master of Science in Management at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Despite the very corporate feel of my profile, I am very passionate about entrepreneurship and have had several (mostly failed!) ventures. One that stuck was a branch for 180 Degrees Consulting that I co-founded and incorporated as a company in Exeter. I still chair the company after around five years of operation, and it’s doing great! We have done lots of great work with 50 to 60 global NGOs.
Tell us about your experience with Soap Cycling Singapore?
I volunteered with Soap Cycling Singapore in early 2020 while studying at NTU for a few months, from January to April. I worked with Pat Davis (Managing Director), Jeremy Chia (Director), and Jacqueline Tan (Partnerships Director), especially on fundraising initiatives, putting the Soap Cycling story on paper for grant applications and other presentations. Building decks is still what I do to this day!
How did you learn about this experience?
I studied a few courses with Professor David Bishop (Founder and Director of Soap Cycling) at HKU. Initially, I was going to do David’s Social Venture Management Course (formerly SVM Course, now renamed Impact Lab Course), where I would have the opportunity to work with a social venture under the FSI umbrella. However, in 2019, my home university forced me to move from Hong Kong due to their perceived relative instability caused by the political situation. When David heard that I was going to be in Singapore, he connected me with Soap Cycling Singapore.
Why did you choose to get involved in the work of Soap Cycling Singapore?
I wanted to help the cause of what is a great organization. I had learnt a lot about social entrepreneurship and initiatives from David’s adventures and wanted to start doing some real work with real impact. Working at Soap Cycling Singapore felt like a great complement to studying at university – you learn while applying it to a good cause.
How did you find the experience?
It was a very positive experience. It proved that even the smallest help is valued and appreciated, and goes somewhere. I would not have co-founded the social impact consulting company in Exeter upon my return from Singapore if it weren’t for the experience I had at Soap Cycling Singapore. It kicked off a momentum that has not stopped yet!
Were there any memorable moments?
When I started helping out, Jacqueline kindly invited me to grab some dosas at a local Indian restaurant for us to get to know each other better, talk about life, and also Soap Cycling. I don’t know why it has stuck with me since, but it felt so genuine, and that I was part of the family, even if briefly!
When I went on holiday to the Philippines with some friends from NTU, I was working on some stuff for Soap Cycling during that trip, in the car, bus, hostel, beach, wherever I could, honestly. It was quite special being in one of the countries that Soap Cycling was helping in, while volunteering for it in a way, seeing the need and impact of the organization firsthand.
Has the experience shaped your perspectives in any way?
Massively. First of all, it proved that if we all did a little to contribute, the world would be a much better place. Second of all, it gave me the confidence to just go out there and try to do something myself, and I think that first step is a huge one. Who knows how that will influence the rest of my career!
Was there anything you learned from the experience that you are now applying to your professional and personal endeavors?
Work with purpose. Often, it is easy to lose touch with why we are doing the things we do, especially when we get lost in the day-to-day. Volunteering for Soap Cycling taught me to remember why I do the things I do, and whether I am having the impact I want to have.
One of Soap Cycling’s missions is to empower youth to become impact-driven leaders. How do you think that has applied to your case?
Hugely! I think an experience like Soap Cycling is invaluable, and I would recommend it to anyone. Even if it feels like the impact you have on the ground isn’t changing the world immediately, I like to think about how it has made me so much more self-aware and conscious of the fact that impact happens over time, and is exponential. Without step one, there isn’t a step 100, and perhaps without Soap Cycling, in my case, there wouldn’t have been a 180DC Exeter, and who knows what else to come.
Would you recommend Soap Cycling to others as a place to develop leadership skills or volunteer their skills and expertise?
Definitely. You learn about impact, you learn from the people around you, and you learn about yourself. If you want to develop skills, it gives you the opportunity to drive your own initiatives and ideas to create meaningful impact in doing so. If you want to share and apply your skills as a more tenured professional, it provides a platform for you to empower others to learn from you, and in the process, benefit real communities of people.
