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ARTICLE · 01 JULY 2025

The Pioneers: Financial Times Interview With Ben Goldsmith

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Having sought solace in regenerating his Somerset farm, Ben Goldsmith now hopes his innovative "natural capital" model will inspire others to invest in biodiversity.

GlobalEnvironment
Justine Markovitz
Justine Markovitz
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Bertie Hoskyns-Abrahall
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Having sought solace in regenerating his Somerset farm, Ben Goldsmith now hopes his innovative "natural capital" model will inspire others to invest in biodiversity.

"I felt a longing for nature all my life. But it was definitely the deep, dark grief following the loss of my daughter that made me realise that this was more than just a hobby," says the financier and environmentalist Ben Goldsmith. "I realised that this love of nature was something more vital for me."

Goldsmith's 15-year-old daughter, Iris, died in 2019 in a vehicle accident on the family's Somerset farm, Cannwood. His 2023 memoir, God Is An Octopus, reflects his experience of profound grief, and how it was only turning his attention to the natural world that brought him any solace. "Even in the days immediately after the accident, I felt 'held' by nature," he says. "I took to swimming in the river near my house every day."

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