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Jie Zhou
Senior Programme Manager at University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
Professional Background
Jie Zhou is an accomplished professional with a rich background in circular economy and sustainability, boasting over 15 years of leadership experience across various sectors including NGOs, consultancy, and higher education. An expert in system-thinking and sustainable practices, Jie began her career in consulting with WSP, where she honed her skills in conducting environmental impact assessments (EIA) for major infrastructure projects in China. This formative experience occurred during a period of rapid urbanization and development in her home country, which significantly influenced her views on economic models and sustainability.
Driven by her beliefs about the limitations of GDP-centric growth, Jie relocated to the UK to deepen her expertise, leading her to pursue dual Master's degrees from prestigious institutions: the University of Cambridge, where she studied Sustainability Leadership, and University College London (UCL), where she specialized in the Economics and Politics of Energy and the Environment. This academic foundation equipped her with the theoretical and practical frameworks necessary to address complex sustainability issues on a global scale.
One of Jie’s most notable roles was at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, where she was instrumental in the launch of the China Programme. As the first UK-based team member, she significantly contributed to pioneering research on the circular economy in China, co-authoring the influential report "The Circular Economy Opportunity for Urban and Industrial Innovation in China." This impactful work was showcased at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions in 2018, marking a pivotal moment in global discussions on sustainability.
Education and Achievements
Jie's educational background is exceptional and highly relevant to her field. She earned a Master's degree in Sustainability Leadership from the prestigious University of Cambridge and another Master's in the Economics and Politics of Energy and the Environment from UCL, reinforcing her solid grasp on critical environmental matters. Additionally, Jie holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Planning and Management from East China Normal University, graduating with an impressive equivalent to Distinction.
Her commitment to continuous learning is evident through her participation in various courses, such as the Masterclass on "Challenges & Opportunities in Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy" at Imperial College London and a Certificate in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School Online. These qualifications reflect Jie's dedication to equipping herself with the latest knowledge and strategies pertinent to sustainability and leadership.
Contributions to Higher Education
In her recent seven years in higher education, Jie has focused on integrating sustainability and circular economy principles into university curriculums worldwide. As the Senior Programme Manager at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), she spearheads initiatives to foster professional development and academic leadership within this critical area. Notably, she led the Higher Education Demonstrative Initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, underscoring her commitment to cultivating a new generation of sustainability leaders.
Jie's role as a research advisor at University of Cambridge’s Newham College highlights her commitment to nurturing talent through the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme. This initiative aims to develop skilled researchers who advocate for data-driven decision-making and lead with integrity, embodying the ethical leadership qualities essential for future leaders.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Beyond her interests in sustainability and education, Jie is also a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). She believes that understanding and appreciating cultural differences enriches creativity, innovation, and leadership capabilities. As a volunteer on CISL’s DE&I Committee, Jie played an essential role in establishing the Equality Forum with her colleagues. This initiative served as a platform to promote a more inclusive workplace and resulted in her contributions to the CISL’s Equality Action Plan, which aims to ensure diverse representation within the Institute.
Jie’s commitment to DE&I extends beyond mere advocacy; she actively works to address systemic obstacles that often hinder the representation of ethnically diverse individuals in the field of sustainability and leadership. Her efforts are pivotal in creating a more equitable professional landscape and fostering transformative solutions to global challenges.
Future Directions
As Jie Zhou continues her journey in the fields of sustainability and circular economy, she remains dedicated to making a meaningful impact on her community and the environment at large. With an impressive history of academic prowess, professional accomplishments, and a commitment to ethical leadership, Jie is poised to contribute to ground-breaking advancements in sustainability practices and education. Her belief in the transformative power of diversity serves as an inspiration for future leaders, emphasizing the need for collaborative action in addressing the urgent global crisis of sustainable development.
In summary, Jie Zhou exemplifies what it means to be a leader in the fields of sustainability and circular economy. Her extensive experience, strong academic background, and dedication to fostering inclusive environments empower her to drive significant change. Individuals and organizations looking to engage with sustainability practitioners would find Jie not only knowledgeable but also a visionary leader capable of guiding them through the complexities of sustainable practices and innovations.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Clay is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Clay as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Clay offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Clay's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Clay isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Clay instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Clay is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Clay can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.