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In this episode, we were joined by Darren Lapp, CEO of the New Forests Company, a sustainable forestry and timber products business operating in Uganda and Tanzania. Darren shares his journey from growing up in a forestry town in Canada to leading a major forestry enterprise in sub-Saharan Africa.

We discuss:

• Darren’s career path – how he transitioned from biology and soil science to forestry, influenced by early work experiences and international exposure.
• The challenges of forestry in Africa – balancing environmental sustainability, community engagement, and economic viability.
• Sustainable practices – how the New Forests Company restores deforested areas, integrates local communities, and secures FSC certification.
• Investment in forestry – why forestry requires long-term, impact-driven investors and how the industry is evolving in Africa.
• Local value addition – efforts to reduce reliance on raw material exports by producing finished timber products within East Africa.
• Leadership insights – Darren’s collaborative leadership style, developed through multinational experience and INSEAD’s International Directors Program.
• Future vision – scaling New Forest Company's impact by expanding industrial capacity and market development, with a goal of long-term economic sustainability.

After this podcast was recorded, Darren let me know they had closed a transaction with Shell Nature Based Solutions in forming a new impact forestry joint venture. You can learn more on the New Forests Company’s LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-new-forests-company

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Pedja is an INSEAD 14J and GP at Fifth Quarter Ventures, the first VC firm solely focused on Southeastern Europe. Pedja was on the Serbian National Water Polo team, and post-INSEAD scaled Gelato (a print-on-demand startup) into a unicorn my leading its expansion into emerging markets like India, China, and Russia.

In this episode we discuss the types of founders Pedja likes to invest in, traits he looks for in investors and partners, how to build brands in emerging markets as a foreigner and much more.

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Nubank (NYSE: NU) is Latin America's largest fintech company and the world's largest neobank with over 100 million users and a valuation of over $70 billion.

Livia is an INSEAD 09D and prior to Nubank directed tech and business analytics at Itau Unibanco (Latin America's largest bank) and was a Partner at McKinsey.