Christina Hobbs, CEO of Verve Super
"Today I am the founder and CEO of Verve Super, Australia's first superannuation fund for women. Prior to founding Verve, I spent over a decade working for the United Nations supporting women globally in the midst of some of the greatest human tragedies of the 21st century: the famine in Somalia, the conflict in Syria, the Nepal earthquake. The experience changed my life and relationship with money. I now understand that true wealth is having the freedom to live a meaningful life and that I truly have, and will always have, enough money to be happy.
My mother grew up in Austria after the second world war, her childhood memories are of living on a farm where virtually the only food to eat was that which was grown. My father came over from the UK with his entire family as immigrants in the 50s looking for a better life. We were brought up to appreciate a really simple way of living: family holidays were spent bush-walking and camping, I rode my bike to school every day because a bus ticket was considered a luxury only for rainy days. My parents supported me to get a job as soon as I could, my dad driving me to my first job at a fish and chip shop when I was 14, sometimes waiting in the car-park reading a book for 3 hours until I finished my shift. Between the petrol to take me to work and the time dad spent driving and waiting for me to finish work, I'm sure they could have just given me the measly $21 I would earn in a shift. But my parents wanted us to learn the value of money, and because of this even to do this day I remember how hard I have worked for every dollar before I spend money.
In later years. My mother introduced me to investing in Government bonds in my teens, it taught me the value of compound interest and sparked a passion for supporting other women to invest and think long term with their money. And today at Verve, I love that we provide free financial coaching to our members and that every day we are able to pass on valuable money lessons to help other women achieve financial freedom in their own lives."