For Manuel Bossi, success is about impacting as many people as possible and changing our food system for the better. Get to know this member of the Robb Report Singapore Thought Leaders community and get inspired

After years building a corporate career in multinational corporations (MNCs), Manuel Bossi finally found a perfect alignment between work and personal values at Growthwell Foods, a leading plant-based foods company that is at the forefront of solving one of the many growing challenges facing life on Earth: that of providing accessible nutrition for all.

Who or what has shaped who you are?

I grew up in a working class family, the only one in my family who attended university. I knew very early on that I wanted to work abroad, see the world and make a difference.

Why are you passionate about what you do?

After 20 years of MNCs, you really need to decide how you want to spend the next 20 years of your career: politics and personal brand management or products and impact. I decided to go for the latter and do something that is close to my heart and truly can make an impact on some of our biggest climate challenges.

Where do you see this industry going in the future? Also, name one common misconception about your industry that you would change if you could.

Alternative protein is bound to make a substantial difference in our world, simply because it’s a much more efficient process to produce human calories as opposed to animal protein. The biggest challenge is consumer education and perceptions of being overly processed. But we are still very early on in the adoption curve. All new technologies face challenges before becoming mainstream.

How does your work align with your values?

This is probably the first time in my career when my work is 100 per cent aligned with my personal values. Although no company is perfect, and there are always opportunities to improve, I feel what we are trying to achieve at Growthwell will truly benefit consumers and the planet.

What is your idea of success?

Success is relative to one’s values. For me, it’s about impacting as many people as possible and to drive a change in our food system in order to make it more efficient and more sustainable.

Editor’s note: Get to know the full Thought Leaders community here.

Photography by Sayher Heffernan
Styling by Wei Lun Tok
Hair & Makeup by Angel Gwee
Credits: Chanel Beauty and L’Oréal Hair Professional; cotton-blend jacket and wool pants by Boss