Others’ fire, my passion.
Some people know exactly what they want to do and what they want to work with. Others take on life with a constant “why”. A question that, at regular intervals, challenges one’s existence and what one does. Now Marion Peterson knows exactly what she wants to do and work with but before that came curiosity and a “why”. It was a thorough preparation for where she is today.
Marion was born in the USA, but she and her parents moved to Paris in the late 1960s. They arrived in the midst of burning student revolts, and there was widespread anti-American sentiment in the French capital at that time. But that didn’t stop Marion and her parents from creating a life there. They quickly acclimatised, and Marion has lived in France for most of her life.
“It was quite tough to come to Paris as an eight-year-old. We Americans were not particularly popular in Paris in the late sixties, but we found our place, and I blended in well at school,” says Marion.
Marion grew up in France, where she spent four years studying architecture and three years studying literature. After graduation, she has sometimes worked with architects and, during certain periods, as a translator, where she translated scripts for the film and TV industry. She also worked with American companies in France, where she acted as a kind of cultural support and a resource that lowered cultural barriers and created a bridge over cultural and language differences.
But a constant in Marion’s professional life has been her career as an actor. From the age of 20, she has played in many films and TV productions. It has been a long, extensive, and successful career, mainly in France. A career that lasted over 20 years.
Today, she is one of three co-founders of Emerging Cooking Solutions in Zambia. An idea that was born during a trip to India. There she met Per Löfberg and Mattias Ohlson. They shared a common vision of addressing life’s questions and the dream of being able to do work that improves the world and helps the less fortunate. They wanted to make a difference where it was really needed. And that was the start of a friendship that a few years later would result in Emerging Cooking Solutions. Their vision is to revolutionize cooking over an open fire with charcoal or wood. An energy source that is not only bad for the environment but also for the health of those cooking. Around the world, more people die from smoky cooking over an open fire than from malaria. So, it is a real and urgent health problem. At the same time, charcoal production contributes to deforestation, which has catastrophic consequences for whole societies and the environment.
The three friends decided to start a business in Zambia that would not only provide cleaner cooking conditions but also create employment and become a sustainable part of the community. It was the government in Lusaka that called for sustainable ideas for Zambian businesses.
About eleven years ago, Marion and Mattias decided to move to Zambia to be able to run Emerging Cooking Solutions on-site. In the shared dream of working for something good, they also found each other. And over the past eleven years, they have built a life in Zambia. They live there with their son Davy, who is twelve, their dog Sierra, and two cats, in a house outside Lusaka.
“I have always been passionate about understanding people, understanding cultures, and learning something from them. And I see how that knowledge helps me in my role in the business,” says Marion about running a company in Zambia.
We have a solid business idea that saves both lives and forests, and we want to show that to future investors.
– Marion Peterson
They started the business in February 2014 and have since grown to employ 104 people, offering numerous job opportunities. They have also become known at government level as a company with genuine commitment and a business idea that is economically, socially, and ecologically sustainable. The company has developed a stove that burns pellets made from by-products from the sawmill industry, among other sources. A by-product that there is plenty of, ensuring that their pellet production maintains good quality and that the availability of pellets is secure for all those who have switched to the SupaMoto pellet stove.
“It probably took three to four years to prove ourselves here in the country, both to customers, the authorities and the government. To prove that we were not just another ‘white’ company with a project that would do something good and then disappear,” says Marion about the perseverance and knowledge of the people, culture, and business climate required to become a natural part of the community.
Understanding the culture and lifestyle in Zambia has been a significant part of Marion’s leadership. She tries to be inspiring, and leading by example is also important to her. She gets great respect from the employees, who see her as a mother figure. And Marion laughs a little at the fact that her grey hair gives her both respect and credibility. It becomes a symbol of experience and wisdom.
“I am well aware that my leadership style is very different from other managers in Zambia. At the same time, I constantly must be vigilant about how I interact with customers and employees and be attentive, because sometimes I get a ‘yes’ just because I am the one asking,” answers Marion about what it is like to be a leader with her background.
Marion and her partners and employees continue to strive to get the cycle going where they find the economy to manufacture and distribute the stoves to the Zambian people. The demand and need are enormous, but it takes capital to get the stoves out. And that is Marion’s focus right now, getting new capital so that their SupaMoto Stove reaches more people, and their pellet sales take off.
“We have a solid business idea that saves both lives and forests, and we want to show that to future investors. And the fact that we are so far ahead with the technology in our connected SupaMoto stoves gives us an advantage when we need to demonstrate the significant positive environmental impact they have,” says Marion about the advanced technology the simple stove is equipped with.
Marion has a great passion for the work they do with Emerging Cooking Solutions. Their idea is sustainable, and they see with their own eyes the difference their stoves and pellets make, which makes her even more certain and passionate about what she does. Deforestation caused by charcoal production in Zambia and many other African countries must stop. And as long as it is a problem, we will see Marion passionate about cleaner and healthier fires. And for the company that helps spread healthy cooking while contributing to Zambian society. She loves to see how the people in the organisation grow and how they develop along with the positive impact they are making every day. And that they all are a part of creating something good and sustainable for the Zambian society.
Marion will go on inspiring the employees to carry this forward and be as passionate about the company’s positive impact and development, as she is. For other people’s fire is her passion.
Involvement
Emerging Cooking Solutions
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