Margarita Skarkou

Margarita Skarkou is a successful venture and growth equity investor and advisor with a background in engineering and corporate finance. She has a passion for technology and sustainability, with a focus on the transition to net-zero. She is currently a Vice President at Barclays Principal Investments - Sustainable Impact Capital team, where she invests in companies at the intersection of these themes. As a co-founding advisor and investor in Haste, a consumer tech start-up disrupting on-demand delivery, Margarita showcases her ability to work with technology-driven companies.

Margarita is a qualified MEng Civil Engineer, CIMA certified Business Accountant, and member of British Mensa. She has been recognized as a ‘Top 30 Inspirational Woman in The City’ by Brummel, TargetJobs Rising Star, and Woman Future Leader by McKinsey.

Margarita is an advocate for women in finance, having served on the Women on Boards Committee at Barclays and the Advisory Board Member - Women in Finance at Bonhill Group plc. She is currently Non-Executive Credit Committee Member at Innovate UK, further highlighting her influence in the finance industry. Margarita obtained her Master of Engineering (MEng) in Civil Engineering from The University of Edinburgh, studied Urban Planning & Engineering at Ecole des Ingénieurs de la Ville de Paris and completed the ATHENS Program Intensive Course in Moving Graphics in Architecture, Design, and Communication at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

Margarita’s professional experiences include, but are not limited to: Vice President - Principal Investments, Sustainable Impact Capital at Barclays, Investor / Advisor at Haste Delivers, Business Mentor at Conception X, Vice President / Founder Member - Barclays Ventures at Barclays, Associate, Leveraged Finance Credit - Barclays Investment Bank at Barclays, Head of Strategy at Greek Economic Forum, and Analyst - Barclays Investment Bank at Barclays. She has also worked as an Assistant Project Manager at VINCI and as a Teaching & Development Summer Placement at Engineers Without Borders UK.