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

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Today the U.S. National Advisory Board on Impact Investing (NAB) named Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, as the new Chair, joining the leadership team that includes Matt Bannick, Managing Partner at Omidyar Network, and Tracy Palandjian, CEO of Social Finance US.

The NAB aims to catalyze the development of the impact investment market. “As a society we are facing enormous challenges and through impact investing we can create sustainable, scalable solutions for the public good. Impact investing is a win-win, generating beneficial social or environmental impacts alongside financial returns, “said Walker. “I am honored to take up this position at such an exciting time for impact investing and the NAB.”

“We’ve only begun to see where impact investing can take us,” said Matt Bannick. “Darren has been a valuable member of the NAB since its founding, and we’re excited to bring him into this leadership role as we work together to realize the potential of impact investing in our ability to address entrenched social issues.”

In June 2014, the NAB released its first report, Private Capital, Public Good: How Smart Federal Policy Can Galvanize Impact Investing — and Why It’s Urgent, underscoring the vital role of smart US policy for impact investing to reach massive scale. Presented at the White House and to members of Congress, the report highlights strategies for how the government can partner with impact investors to unleash new capital, talent, and energy for social, economic, and environmental good. Specific recommendations include removing regulatory barriers to unlock private impact investment, increasing the effectiveness of government programs, providing incentives for new private impact investment, supporting innovative impact enterprises and investment opportunities, and improving metrics and data access.