William Parnis England

Principal

William Parnis England’s passion for both food and impact drove him to join as the fund’s second employee in 2020. His unique expertise straddles both finance and FoodTech, along with early-stage investing. Prior to joining PeakBridge, William cut his teeth in the financial industry, spending over 8 years at Deloitte, with a focus on advisory out of London and Tokyo. 

What brought you to Tokyo and what did you learn from that experience?

At the time I was looking to broaden my horizons and move somewhere unknown and exciting. When I learned that Deloitte was looking for talent in their Tokyo office, I jumped at the opportunity. You learn so much from living in a new culture. Beyond exploring the amazing cuisine, I was taken aback by the level of commitment and pride in workers across all industries. No job was too small whilst the pursuit of mastery was consistently evident. This is something I found to be humbling, and I try to keep it in mind with everything I do.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I love spending time outdoors and being active. This of course changes based on where I live. In Japan, for example, the skiing and hiking was amazing. But now that I am back in Malta, my latest passion is scuba diving. Whether it’s night dives after work, or weekends full of diving through shipwrecks, it has been the perfect activity for me this year.

What’s the next big trend in FoodTech?

The entire industry is undergoing so much disruption at the moment. With the proliferation of ghost kitchens and delivery platforms, I believe that disruption in kitchen automation and robotics is imminent. 

 

The pros: large cost savings in terms of personnel that can be spread across the value chain. Lower costs open many new opportunities, including cheaper, healthier meals on demand. The ability to personalize meals can also boost nutritional value and reduce waste.

 

The biggest obstacle: transitioning from theoretical to practical adoption. Although advances in robotics are making leaps and bounds, large-scale commercial use has yet to occur.