Harry appointed senior exec at $1bn startup

[porcelaine]

Just seen that Harry has been appointed Chief Impact Officer at a billion dollar valued Silicon Valley startup.
This feels so unfair. I know people who have worked for years first qualifying then gaining experience in their field, without a hope of a job like this. Harry of the 2 A levels and zero formal work experience outside of the army. He can bleat about the hardships of privilege all he wants but he’d never get near a job like this as a private “normal” citizen.

I do apologise Ricki. The quoting on here confuses me sometimes

@Roussette

I do apologise Ricki. The quoting on here confuses me sometimes

Apology accepted. Although I don’t see the issue if someone else had joined the conversation.

People won't be happy unless he's working for McDonald's. What do you want him to do? He is a high profile figure, he can't just work a desk job earning minimum wage with security to pay for.

@SoWhyNot

Is it really good PR to have someone involved in a mental health start up who was too embarrassed by his wife needing help that he didn’t seek any for her? It would put me off.

Where did you get this from?

Ok, yes
I didn't read it properly and yes someone else can.

I would be embarrassed to take a job with such a made up title

I bet your CV is more impressive than Harry’s.

Oooh you’re hard

I am pleased to see Harry has taken a role, that seems like a really positive development. I agree with those who think he's taken a role in line with his skills and experience - essentially to be a high-profile public face for a new start-up and a "draw" for its future investors/clients. No different from his cousins' roles, I imagine (though I exempt Zara who actually sits on the Board in her non-executive role and though presumably has more substantial work to do).

My main query is with the job title. "Chief Impact Officer" is not a well-defined role to date, but online literature suggests that it involves:

• overseeing the measurement, verification, management, reporting and improvement of the company’s ESG impact;
• advising the board on business model and operational risks arising from areas of impact underperformance and developments in the understanding of ESG impact; *To contribute to the strategic and operational development of the business by identifying and promoting innovation that mitigates impact risks and opens up new commercial opportunities; *To ensure that all stakeholder relationships (workers, suppliers, community and environment) are managed consistently with the company’s impact vision and values; *To report on and discuss at each board meeting progress against agreed key environmental, social and governance metrics; and
• To oversee the production and publication of an annual impact report.

For the life of me, I can't see Harry being qualified to do any of that. Job titles are such a minefield though, I can totally see why he wanted something that sounded more exciting than "Ambassador" though it's easier to imagine that's the role he's expected to fulfil.

If ever proof was needed that Mumsnet has turned into the Daily Mail comments section, this thread is it.

@ElspethFlashman

Cheif Impact Officer = wheel him out at the AGM and make him host the fundraisers, and make him give interviews about the products because he'll get into whatever publications they want.

It'll be well paid. These American companies always pay high profile people well.

It's a no brainer for him. Won't take too much time, pays well, and plays to his strengths (gladhanding rich anglophile Americans)

This. Look at all the useless ex politicians who get incredibly prestigious jobs when they get sacked leave to pursue other opportunities.

@MolyHolyGuacamole sorry, it was ashamed, not embarrassed. From a transcript of the Oprah interview (readily available online):

Oprah: ‘I don’t want to live any more.’
Harry: Mm-hmm.
Oprah: And you didn’t know what to do?
Harry: I had no idea what to do. I wasn’t . . . I wasn’t prepared for that. I went . . . I went to a very dark place as well. But I . . . I wanted to be there for her and . . . 
Meghan: Also, we didn’t leave right that minute, right?
Harry: I was terrified.
Meghan: We still . . . that’s almost a year after.
Oprah: So then did you tell other people in the family, ‘I have to get help for her. We need help for her’?
Harry: No. That’s just not a conversation that would be had.
Oprah: Why?
Harry: I guess I was ashamed of admitting it to them.
Oprah: Oh.
Harry: And I don’t know whether . . . I don’t know whether they’ve had the same . . . whether they’ve had the same feelings or thoughts. I have no idea. And it’s a very trapping environment that a lot of them are stuck in.
Oprah: You were ashamed of admitting that Meghan needed help?
Harry: Yeah.

I hope that Better Up live stream the board meetings. I would pay to watch them. I really think that they should. All the better to maximise the impact of their new chief impact officer. Can’t wait to hear his incisive questions and carefully thought out strategy.

@SoWhyNot oh wow thanks for that

@Iamthewombat

His cousin Beatrice is ‘Vice President of strategy and partnerships’ for a software business. Who knows what she does all day, in between holidays?

His cousin Peter Philips did a grace and favour job at RBS where he spent five years ‘setting up a sponsorship programme with formula one’. You could do that in five weeks!

His cousin Zara Tindall is handsomely remunerated as a non executive director of Cheltenham racecourse for a few days’ work a year.

So dear old Harry is simply following tradition: milk your royal connections to get a pretend job that pays well. More fool anyone who pays them.

VP of strategy and partnerships is a pretty common job title in any organisation that has partnerships. Sounds like a proper job to me. Software companies don’t usually look for celebs to endorse them.

Agree Peter P has never done a days proper work, but he’s no worse than any other rich kid flouncing around doing jobs he got through his connections.

Pretty sure Zara’s experience as a professional in equine sports make her well qualified to be a non-exec of a race course. Boards look for a variety of skill sets, not just accountants and financiers.

If ever proof was needed that Mumsnet has turned into the Daily Mail comments section, this thread is it.

@GreenHairThingy - It's always been, Harry marrying Meghan makes it more pronounced

I just found this on MSN:

www.msn.com/en-gb/news/royal-family/prince-harry-has-a-new-job-and-hes-really-excited-to-start/ar-BB1eSoJq?ocid=mailsignout&li=AAnZ9Ug

I have a feeling he might prove to be quite good at this once he is settled.

I don't understand why people can't just be pleased for him and wish him luck.

Because I’m sure a hell of a lot of people would be more than “quite good” at that job, but they’re not the ones who are also all over world media complaining about the trials of being uber well connected, rich and famous. Harry is. Yeah he might be ok at the job but so what? He is yet again able to waltz through life, and probably equally deludedly thinks that this is his due, unlike a role at the lower end of the corporate ladder like most people start off with, where he would actually pay his dues.

VP of strategy and partnerships is a pretty common job title in any organisation that has partnerships. Sounds like a proper job to me. Software companies don’t usually look for celebs to endorse them.

Software companies are queuing up to recruit girls with mediocre ‘history of ideas’ degrees from Goldsmiths for senior roles, aren’t they?

Agree Peter P has never done a days proper work, but he’s no worse than any other rich kid flouncing around doing jobs he got through his connections.

I don’t feel any more sympathetic towards Peter Philips knowing that, I’m afraid!

Pretty sure Zara’s experience as a professional in equine sports make her well qualified to be a non-exec of a race course. Boards look for a variety of skill sets, not just accountants and financiers.

That will be why all those retired jockeys are being offered £100k a year to be non-exec directors of racecourses for four days a year, then. Oh hang on...

I'm not a particular Harry fan, but he can't seem to win.

Harry should get a job and pay his own way!

Harry gets job.

No not THAT type of job!!

Tbh I never said he should get a job, he has a 40m fortune and has just signed major deals with Netflix and Spotify to do vanity projects, in line with a lot of the very rich and/or offspring of the rich. Any job Harry gets is not going to be in line with his actual qualifications or experience for reasons pps have already mentioned - security, profile etc.

However it does look like H’s role will mainly involve appearing at company events

Certainly saves him the trouble of touting himself and his worn out sob stories to a presumably limited supply of gullible bankers.

Agree Peter P has never done a days proper work, but he’s no worse than any other rich kid flouncing around doing jobs he got through his connections

Although TBF I doubt many have trousered £750K for an uncontested tender to run a charity event for granny that raised less than half that amount.

Wondermule

VanGoghsDog
Yeah, I don't have A levels, only 4 O levels, and I'm really good at my job and at business generally.
Yes but you’ve got to where you are through talent and hard work. You can’t compare it to being on the Royal springboard. How would you know this Wondermule? I'll assume you know the poster personally. Plenty of people get positions through contacts and not qualifications, hard work or direct experience - I wonder why you feel so bitter about Harry? If he is rubbish at the job (and I don't think he will be after settling in) - I'm sure he will just leave and move onto another- like most people it's all relative.

Peter Phillips getting the RSN position is a good comparison.There’s even less excuse for him. Didn’t he go to Edinburgh university? Surely you can get a decent enough job by yourself with his education.