Instinet’s distinctive logo of two forward-facing red chevrons has come to life, thanks to a very special woman in the UK.
The agency brokerage and fintech firm this week introduced its new ‘mascot’ Chevvy, which has hands, feet, a big smiley face and a decidedly can-do aura.
The backstory is an inspiring one.
Chevvy was created in collaboration with Rhea Talwar, a 19-year-old woman from Croydon, England, who was born with a genetic disorder that resulted in an underdeveloped brain and a lifetime of complex care needs. Rhea has cerebral palsy, global development delay, scoliosis and severe epilepsy. She is blind, non-verbal, and she has mobility issues that require 2:1 support from healthcare assistants 24/7.
But rather than live a quiet life revolving around daily care needs, Rhea’s mother Purabi Lakhani was determined that her daughter live life to the fullest, and with the help of a team of dedicated friends and supporters, a bucket list was drawn up. Rhea has managed to check a number of items off this list, including visiting Florida, meeting Prince Harry, and starting her own greeting-card business, Perfectly Imperfect Prints, for which cards are made using her fingerprints, handprints and footprints.
How did Instinet get involved? Media coverage of Rhea’s story inspired Asha Patel, who works in Global Portfolio and Index Sales at Instinet in London, to reach out to Purabi on a personal level. The two moms struck up a friendship, and Patel coordinated a business meeting between Perfectly Imperfect Prints and Instinet Marketing earlier this year, which led to the ideation for and development of Chevvy.
On Dec. 7, Instinet held an internal InstinetTalk entitled “The Power of Perfectly Imperfect: An Inspiring Story of Collaboration,” and 88 employees tuned in, according to Lorna Boucher, Chief Marketing Officer and Global Head of Social Responsibility at Instinet. Talwar, Lakhani and Patel were on the call.
Lakhani spoke about the development of Chevvy. “There was a lot of thinking that went on,” she said. “We were a bit nervous because a logo for a company is such a big deal. We didn’t want to change things too much or make any drastic changes, we just wanted to enhance. We came up with a bit of a cheeky character.”
“For Rhea to be working on this corporate logo and doing this corporate work is just an amazing experience,” Lakhani added.
Instinet is launching Chevvy with a line of greeting cards, produced in collaboration with Perfectly Imperfect Prints, and the firm is considering how else to deploy the mascot in fun and casual ways, Boucher said. But ultimately, the takeaway is the story behind it.
“Rhea’s story of resilience, optimism and sheer positive will is something we hope comes across in the mascot she designed for us,” Boucher said. “We’d like people to remember those principles when they see Chevvy.”
