Amelia Spence: Taking the Karma Legacy Forward

Amelia Spence is something of a polymath. Youngest daughter of Karma Group Chairman John Spence, Amelia has studied fashion, business and marketing, travelled and lived all over the world – and has recently been learning the ropes with our legendary sales team in Goa – and proving herself more than capable as a budding sales executive…

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You’ve grown up with Karma. What has been its biggest impact on you personally?

Growing up with Karma has made me become a very confident and innovative young woman. From a very young age I was accustomed to always being on the move, travelling and exploring new places and meeting new people. To this day this is what makes me feel most alive and fulfilled. My love for travel and exploration definitely comes from my father and Karma and for that I am very grateful.

You recently undertook sales training with Sales team in Goa. How did you find it?

My trip to Goa was great ! I must say i went in with no expectations and was not sure what I was getting into. My dad gave me a brief over view but nothing too specific of what it would be like, to be honest I think this was better as I gained the full experience. I learnt a great deal about where, when and how the company started and its core values. I also gained such a deeper respect for the amazing sales team that work day in and day out and I must say it was a great honour for me to be able to go work with them and for everyone to be so kind and accepting of me. I loved talking and meeting so many new people that had been with the company for so many years.

You made a sale after just four tours, so you’re clearly a natural! How did that come about?

Well I had around 4/5 days of intensive training prior with Kevin Augustine ( President – Sales & Marketing -India and Middle East ) who was so amazing and really gave me a great script one might say to learn and amazing tips and tricks. It was a lot and I stress a lot harder than I thought it would be. First of all I think there was a slight language difference and I really struggled to wrap my head around the Indian currency (given maths in my own currency isn’t my strongest suit) but the sales team were amazing and helped me out whenever I needed. It took a lot of grit and pushing but I finally got my first sale and I must say it was a great feeling.

It was also a great feeling knowing I was doing my father proud by following in his footsteps as he started as a salesman selling on the beaches. I learnt such a great deal on my trip to India and am so glad I had the opportunity to go and learn.

What was your earliest involvement with Christel House?

I was first involved with Christel House from the age of eight or nine (2009) when I first visited with my father, sister and uncle. It was an amazing experience, which left a lasting impact on me and first sparked my real interest in philanthropy and the importance of giving back, something which my father and mother have both instilled in all of us children from a very young age. My first trip was such a success that I wanted to then visit again in 2018. However, this time without the rest of my family – I wanted to go on a solo trip to work at Christel house for a week and it was an incredible experience, one which I hold dear. I hope to go back in the next year or so and hopefully take my younger brother Columbus with me as he hasn’t visited yet.

What drew you to philanthropy and what other projects have you been involved in?

I have always been interested in giving back and helping others as I think any decent human should be. My father has always stressed the importance of “what comes around goes around” (hence the company name Karma) and my mother has always said to me “Treat others as you would want to be treated”. For me I get great fulfilment and happiness when I am able to help others or make a small change. It is a feeling I cannot describe explicitly but definitely a great one. Besides Christel House, I also completed the 10k Paris Run in June 2022 in order to raise money for the Ukrainian refugees who were housed at Karma Residence Normande in Normandy. I have visited Bali Life Foundation’s orphanage in Bali, which Karma constantly supports. Furthermore, during my time in lockdown, I decided to help clean up around the house and I found about a 100 vanity sets that my family and I had collected from our travels and my mother and I came up with the idea to turn them into care packages and we donated them to our local homelessness shelters.

What was the most important thing you learned from studying fashion?

It’s all in the details, and the aesthetic does matter. I love fashion and art and I think life should always be beautiful. Studying fashion has taught me how sometimes the small adjustments and attention to detail can make a big difference. It’s superficial but first impressions matter and often what you wear can make an impact on how people view you. My advice is always dress for the part you want and the person you aspire to be, show up everyday for yourself first then others. My course is BBA so it is not solely fashion based, more centred on business, marketing and PR within the fashion, art and luxury world. So I am gaining a great holistic overview.

We know you love to travel – what are your top three destinations at this moment in time?

I am always on the move and I was just speaking to my brother about how I’ve done 12 flights in the past 6 weeks. I recently visited Cairo with some friends and we had a brilliant time; the vibe was great and the culture was very cool. Greece will always be a favourite for me, Athens and Mykonos in particular and I am also loving the South of France this summer as my French is greatly improving since living in Paris.

Tell us about your passions?

My passions? Well I have many and I always struggle to give a single answer! The obvious is travel and exploring which I am very fortunate to be able to do continuously. I also love my sport, whether it’s surfing in the Maldives, horse riding in the English countryside or my weekly boxing and pilates classes in Paris. Furthermore, philanthropy is also a great passion of mine as mentioned before and I also love art history, fashion and styling. I am aware I have a wide range of passions but what can I say, I’m
quite indecisive!