University of Exeter Business School graduate, Selin Yigitbasi-Ducker, has been named as one of the top fifty “female trailblazers and role models in ESG” in 2022.

The Women of Future list, published in partnership with the Financial Times and Tesco, annually recognises fifty women under 35 who are leading the way in promoting ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) goals. The women are chosen from a diverse set of sectors across the world, with the aim of recognising and celebrating a new generation of future-focused leaders and generate a continued conversation around ESG.

Selin was selected due to her social value-focused start-up, Goodsted, which seamlessly connects individuals who want to make an impact to causes that need support. The company is primarily a “stakeholder engagement platform” to help firms further their ESG aims by connecting their employees, customers and suppliers to volunteering programmes and causes.

After having completed a degree in Marketing and Advertising, Selin went on to work for at a marketing consultancy, before discovering a passion in “Design Thinking” and going on to complete a master’s in design and Innovation at Goldsmiths. Her background in Business and Marketing and her desire to make a positive social impact combined to inspire her to start a company that could help businesses more easily achieve their ESG goals.

In Selin’s own words, she sees the future of business as ESG-driven, due to shifting consumer demands and the changing state of the planet, and hopes that Goodsted can help companies stay competitive and remain profitable while reducing their negative impact on the world.

Responding to the accolade, she said “it’s an honour to be included on this list of brilliant female leaders who are all striving to make a tangible difference to the world.” Though, this isn’t the first award received by the entrepreneur, who in 2019 won the FBN NxG Lombard Odier Award, and in 2019 received the Top Next Generation Entrepreneur Award.