Rachel Carrell

Koru Kids

Koru Kids is on a mission to profoundly improve the wellbeing of a million families in the next 5 years. We're doing this by building new childcare infrastructure for the world, underpinned by our software, data and content. We provide innovative services like 'nanny share', in which a single nanny looks after children from 2 families at once. Each family pays less, the nanny gets paid more, and the children get a friend to play with. Brilliant!

Innovation in childcare is desperately needed. Did you know that most families with children spend as much on childcare as they do on their mortgage? Or that the average cost of a full time nanny in Central London is £37,000? (Remember, that comes out of your post-tax income). Did you know that nurseries aren't much cheaper than that, if you have two children? Did you know that many nurseries shut for summer holidays, or only do half days, and that if your child is sick they can't go for the next 48 hours?  

If you're a parent, you probably knew all of that, plus much more about the pain of sorting out your childcare.

Koru Kids was founded to solve these problems. The mission brings together several things I care deeply about: the critical importance of positive early childhood experiences; the need for real choices for women in the workplace; and the potential of great tech to solve market failures. 

We help thousands of families every day in London and we're backed by some of the best investors in Europe. We've won a bunch of awards.  And we are JUST GETTING STARTED.

World Economic Forum Young Global Leader

In 2014 I was elected a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. The WEF says... "The Forum of Young Global Leaders is a unique, multistakeholder community of exceptional young leaders who share a commitment to shaping the global future. Young Global Leaders represent the future of leadership." The  YGL community includes people like Joe Gebbia, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page,  Jimmy Wales, Marissa Mayer, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jacinda Ardern.

Young Global Leader

Various

Proud supporter and angel investor in some of the UK's most exciting, mission-driven, high-growth startups: EF,  EF Singapore, AllPlants, Beryl (formerly known as Blaze), Optimal, Bababoom, and two supercool ones I can't talk about yet.

Angel Investor

ARGC

The ARGC is famous in fertility as one of the top performing IVF clinics in the world.  As MD l was brought in by the private equity backers to lead a programme of digital and operational development to expand access to its innovative methods. I also launched a new partnership with Champneys spa & resort.

Managing Director of ARGC

DrThom

For three years I ran the world's largest online doctor service, providing healthcare services over the internet, phone and post and in partnership with community pharmacies in the UK, Ireland and Australia. I grew the service to over 1.3m paying patients, simultaneously taking it from break-even to substantial recurrent profit. I rebranded DrThom as 'Lloydspharmacy Online Doctor' after an acquisition by their parent company Celesio UK. The main site is now www.lloydspharmacy.com/doctor

CEO of DrThom

McKinsey and Company

I worked in a broad range of sectors including healthcare, oil and gas, mining, retail and banking, across geographies including the UK, Australia, Russia, South Africa, New Zealand and the United States. Functions covered included lean process optimisation, big data analysis, financial strategy, organisational redesign, and performance transformation.

Strategy consultant

NHS London

NHS London was responsible for 8 million patients and an annual budget of over £16 billion.

I headed up the Strategy team and was also (simultaneously) Head of Innovation. My responsibilities included implementing some of of the largest ever NHS reforms in London (as the CEO of the NHS famously said, 'So big you can see them from space'.)

Strategy and Innovation

International Institute for Sustainable Development

While at university, I worked part time as a travelling writer and editor at United Nations and other conferences. This role involved writing and editing daily reports from the field, in Iran, Japan, Argentina, and Costa Rica.

Writer/Editor

Oxford Analytica

While writing my doctoral thesis, I was also Oxford Analytica's expert analyst for Ecuadorian politics and economy. My analyses formed part of Oxford Analytica's 'Daily Briefing', used by leaders in business and politics to inform their daily decisions.

Political and economic analyst

University of Oxford

Tutored small classes of 10-20 students across four subjects -- politics, political philosophy, communications and international development -- at the University of Oxford and the University of Otago.

Tutor

I am the CEO of Koru Kids.  Koru Kids helps parents have some 'easy days' in their week, by getting help from a nanny who can pick children up from school/nursery, look after them at home while you work, give them snacks and meals, and play great games. 

Our fantastic nannies are available throughout the UK, and can work part time, or full time, or after school hours.  It's super easy to get your nanny via Koru Kids, as we help you every step of the way.  Parents describe the experience as 'easy', 'seamless', and 'life-changing'.  

We're multi-award-winning, and have so far provided over 3.5 million hours of childcare to over 11,000 families. 

Previously I was CEO of DrThom, a healthcare company which I grew to 1.3 million paying users in 3 countries.  Before that I spent six years at McKinsey.   I have a DPhil from Oxford, where I was a Rhodes Scholar, am a WEF Young Global Leader, and have been awarded 'Best Business Woman in Technology' and 'Inspirational Mother' awards.  I have three lovely children and live in North London.

Why telling your child they can ‘be anything’ might backfire — and what to say instead

“You can be anything you want to be.”

It sounds empowering, doesn't it?

But a major new OECD report suggests it may do more harm than good.

📊 This year, the OECD published The State of Global Teenage Career Preparation — the largest study of its kind, with data from 700,000 students across 81 countries.

They found that:
▶️ Many teens have ambitious job goals — doctor, lawyer, architect
▶️ But 1 in 5 expects to get a high-status job like that without going to university
▶️ These students are career misaligned, and they face worse job outcomes later on

Part of the problem is that these kids were told they could “be anything” -- but not shown how. 
 
That phrase skips over:
❌ What jobs actually involve
❌ What it takes to get there
❌ Whether it fits their interests and skills

Here’s what we can say instead:
✅ “Let’s explore what you’re good at and what you enjoy”
✅ “There are lots of great paths. We’ll find one that fits you”
✅ “You don’t need to choose now. You just need to stay curious”

And most importantly: 
Celebrate all ambitions, not just the famous gold-plated professional ones.
You can have a fantastic career as a baker, a builder, a caregiver. And of course, the myriad of professions which don't exist yet. 

The OECD report makes it clear that children start narrowing their career ambitions from as early as age six (!!) and also that parents play a huge role in helping kids keep mentally open to possibilities and also grounded in the reality of what it takes to build their dream life.  

You don't have to start having these formal conversations at age six, of course. You can layer them on as your children grow.  
I've put some specific tips in the carousel below. 

I'd love to hear from parents who are having career conversations - what are you seeing and hearing? 

🔄 Repost to share with your network and follow Rachel Carrell for more like this.

CEO of Koru Kids | Follow for daily posts on parenting and work life | 🎤 Keynote speaker | ex-McKinsey, Rhodes Scholar, Oxford DPhil | 👶 3x Mum

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