Meet the good bunch—Brooke RobertsMeet the good bunch—Brooke Roberts

Tell us a bit about yourself

Firstly, I’m mum to my 3 and 1-year-olds, Elle and Louie, and partner to Leighton. Secondly, I’m a co-Founder and Director of our high-growth company, Sharesies.

I love playing games and singing made-up songs with my kids. I also enjoy running (even hill running—which not long ago I thought was crazy!), reading, and connecting with my friends and family.

I studied Finance, Marketing, and International Business, and also have a Master of Finance (Distinction). Post university (and pre-Sharesies), I grew my career at A J Park, Kiwibank, and Xero, leading international product teams, managing billion-dollar investments, and running multi-million dollar revenue lines. While building my career, I was also always dabbling with business ideas on the side, and mentoring young social entrepreneurs.

I'm passionate about business being a force for good, and using it to create more and equal opportunities for all. This passion is what’s led me to where I am today.

What were you doing before Sharesies?

Sharesies feels like it’s been a big part of my life and career, but it’s only been 4 and a half years!

Before making the switch to Sharesies full-time, I was working at Xero. I really enjoyed being a part of a publicly-listed, global growth business, and learnt heaps while I was there. Before that, I was in the finance world at another growth company, where I learnt a lot about money and access to wealth development. I was also able to learn a lot about myself through several leadership programmes.

Going way back, I was very entrepreneurial as a child and tried my hand running a few businesses through high school (like a tuck shop from my locker and hosting fashion events for the local community). Recently—while rummaging through some old boxes—I found a list of life goals I wrote when I was 17. Some of the things on the list I don’t value as much today (I mean... I was 17), but I was happy to find that a few match what my goals are today, like: start my own companies and make sure they’re successful, employ people smarter than me, give something back to the community, and never lose sight of what matters most.

It’s nice to know that I’m on a track that would make past-Brooke proud!

What made you want to be a part of Sharesies’ journey?

I believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity to grow their wealth, and this is shared by everyone at Sharesies.

Sharesies was founded on the purpose of creating the most financially empowered generation by giving someone with $5 the same investment opportunities as someone with $5 million. There are structural and systematic challenges that face some individuals wanting to grow their wealth. Through Sharesies, we want to play our part in dismantling these barriers and enable financial empowerment.

I wanted to help create a way for anyone to access opportunities that have typically only been accessible to the wealthy few. That’s why creating a wealth development platform with no minimum investment was really important. It was also key to create a lovable investing experience so that more people could be exposed to the power of compounding returns and wealth building for the long term.

I see financial empowerment as a key part of closing the wealth equality gap. The more people who are able to develop their wealth, invest in companies and funds they really care about, and share the knowledge with their friends and family, the more we’ll see a positive change. Ultimately, I hope that with this financial freedom and empowerment, people can be more connected to their community and one another.

What does a typical Sharesies day look like for you?

It varies so much! Right now, I’m in Sydney trying to create new relationships here in Australia. We’re currently in lockdown so I’m using a lot of screen-time to connect with our team, potential partners, and investors.

When I'm off-screen, I try to spend as much time as possible hanging out with my kids. This usually consists of building pillow forts, dancing, singing songs, playing hide and seek, and trying to support our 3-year-old to manage her feelings and share toys with her brother. 😉

When the kids are tucked up in the evening, I listen to the news, podcasts, and read. I’m also trying to do more writing which I’m starting to enjoy more. And I have to admit, this lockdown’s gotten me into some mind-chilling Stan series to just relax and switch off!

What excites you about working at Sharesies?

Why we do what we do and the impact we will have. I love hearing from Sharesies investors about their experience, what they’d like to see, and how they’re going on their wealth development journey.

I also love the people—the team at Sharesies, and seeing so many people with so much passion and care for why we do what we do.

Sharesies is founded on the strong values of being in it together, always caring (for ourselves, each other, investors, and community), and chasing remarkable in the way we deliver lovable experiences to our investors. I love when I see this come to life—whether it’s in little moments or massive milestones that we’re celebrating together as a team.

I’m also so so proud that Sharesies is a B Corp, and that we’re making a positive impact on our community, customers, environment, and our people.

Are you personally investing towards anything specific?

I’m a long-term investor—building my Sharesies Portfolio every payday. I try to invest my money in companies and funds that are having a positive impact on the world.

I’m not currently investing towards anything specific, but I see long-term investing as a way of increasing my financial freedom in the future. This means I’ll hopefully have the opportunity to support my kids’ futures, support my community more, and use my money for whatever else is important to me in the future.

What’s your aspiration for the future?

There are so many current and future opportunities for Sharesies to support investors. In my eyes, we’ve only just scratched the surface!

I’m excited about wealth development becoming more accessible, and watching the intergenerational wealth gap reduce as more people build wealth over time with amounts they can afford.

I’m excited by a world where more people own pieces of companies and funds. And I’m really excited about people putting their money (voting with their dollars) towards businesses that align with their values.

I’m really enjoying my role at Sharesies and feel so lucky to be a part of this great company, working with remarkable and caring people. I’m so in the present, every day challenging myself to turn up as a better leader (and person) than I was the day before. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Brooke Roberts is a sub-authorised representative of Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893).