Clarissa graduated from the University of St. Andrews in 1995 with a degree in French and Spanish and subsequently began her career as an analyst with Schroder Investment Management, covering banks and other financial institutions. During this time she successfully completed the IIMR examinations.

In 2000 Clarissa joined Morley Fund Management as a consumer goods analyst, responsible for the coverage of Pan European Food and Beverage stocks. In 2003 she was a top ranked Food & Beverages analyst as per Starmine which measures recommendation return.

Clarissa has also worked as an analyst on the sell side, with Bryan Garnier & Co, where she focused on mid- cap growth stocks, primarily within the Pan European Consumer sector and also in the Renewables sector.

Clarissa joined Montanaro in June 2007 as a senior equity analyst.