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NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Contributor.

Blair Miller
Millennium Development Goals Health Alliance

Blair Miller is vice president of the Millennium Development Goals Health Alliance,a coalition of philanthropists/businessmen that uses private sector approachesto address global health issues. Prior to this, Blair spent five years at Acumen Fund, a nonprofit venture capital fund with more than $85 million invested in South Asia and East and West Africa in businesses that serve the poor. Her experience in market-based solutions for development is drawn from both business and policy. She has helped develop a social impact assessment framework for base of the pyramid business ventures like VisionSpring and Hindustan Lever’s project Shakti, spearheaded youth-centered policies and education programs at the United Nations, and worked on a micro-health insurance project with Ashoka’s Full Economic Citizenship Initiative in India. Blair also worked with CARE in El Salvador to develop the business plan for an investment vehicle aimed at scaling small and medium-size BoP enterprises. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s in business administration from the University of Michigan, where she is a member of the Alumni Board of Governors. Follow her on twitter @_blairmiller.

 

Articles by Blair Miller

  • Friday
    April 29
    2011

    Blair Miller

    Unlocking the Levers for Change: Stop Waiting for Permission

    What’s keeping so many from finding their place in this field? As capable as this generation is - we are still waiting for permission. Jacqueline Novogratz, founder of Acumen Fund, the late CK Prahalad, author of Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, and Bill Drayton Founder of Ashoka didn’t wait for permission - and they created an entire field.

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  • Thursday
    April 14
    2011

    Blair Miller

    The Spectrum of Sacrifice: Managing Tradeoffs in Social Enterpreneurship

    I just returned from the Acumen Fund Global Fellows mid-year meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. The mid-year is one of the most critical parts of the Fellowship, where fellows have the opportunity to reconnect, share experiences and think about what they have learned related to our work and their vision for change.

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  • Monday
    March 28
    2011

    Blair Miller

    NexThought Monday: A New Movement – From Divergence to Convergence?

    A few days ago a friend of mine asked me "is this movement (social entrepreneurship) really any bigger or different than any other social justice movement we have seen? And if so, why?" After giving it more thought, my short answer was "yes." Here are some of the ideas that came out of our dialogue..

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  • Guest Articles

    Tuesday
    March 8
    2011

    Blair Miller

    Guest Post: Listening to the Voices of Experience

    Acumen Fund created the Global Fellows Program because we wanted to build a core group of leaders from across the globe who not only had the intellect, passion and business skills, but also the experience of serving low-income consumers in some of the most challenging environments in the world. Last month I got a glimpse into that complexity.

    Categories
    Education, Social Enterprise

  • Sunday
    April 18
    2010

    Blair Miller

    Remembering CK Prahalad – A Student’s Reflection

    There are few people who have created a global movement that has changed the way millions of people see the world - and CK Prahalad is one of them. I first heard about CK through his book, "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid". The idealist in me was moved by his words of dignity; the pragmatist in me was driven by his talk of business.

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