We’re please to introduce you to a new member of the Venturesome team, Holly Piper, who joins us as an Investment Manager.  Holly previously worked at the management consultancy firm Oliver Wyman, where she specialised in the retail sector.  She has a degree from the University of Cambridge and a Master’s in Political Science and Political Economy from the London School of Economics.  Welcome Holly!

Meanwhile, we’re delighted to wish our colleague Rob Hodgkinson good luck as he embarks on a six-month secondment at the Cabinet Office, where he will be working on the development of the UK social investment market.  Good luck Rob!

…takes place on Wednesday 30th March at London’s Stock Exchange. As the title of the event suggests it’s the perfect opportunity for  corporates to find out more about social investment. 

The breakfast briefing takes place between 8.30am and 10am.  Attendees will:

• Learn why social investment is ‘right for now’ and why leaders in CSR are already developing a social investment strategy
• Find out how CAF sees the market developing, including lessons to be learnt from the microfinance industry
• See the impact social investment can have with a first-hand account from a CAF Venturesome-supported charity (Fareshare)
• Hear from (and put your questions to) major corporates already active in the social investment arena.

Paul Cheng, Senior Investment Manager and Rob Hodgkinson, Investment Analyst from CAF Venturesome will be speaking. 

Lindsay Boswell, Chief Executive of Fareshare will discuss how his organisation was helped by a CAF Venturesome loan.  Finally there will also be a panel discussion on corporates and social investment.

For more information and to book a (free) place, please visit the CAF website here.

Last week Venturesome hosted a seminar for MBA students from the business school INSEAD. The school has a strong programme in social entrepreneurship, and 20 students heard an explanation of the state of the UK social investment marketplace from Paul Cheng, Senior Investment Manager at Venturesome.

Topics discussed included the distinction between revenue and capital funding, matching appropriate funding mechanisms to funding needs, and how different social investors approach the trade-off between financial and social returns. Students also heard from Rob Hodgkinson, Investment Executive at Venturesome, about his experience of leaving a career in investment banking to join the world of social investment.

INSEAD has a student-led club called INDEVOR which “serves as a forum for those interested in social, environmental, and ethical issues, often bridging the gap between business and the social sector. More specifically, INDEVOR seeks to address the areas of international development, not-for-profit organizations and socially responsible businesses in developing and developed countries.”

We welcome the growing interest of MBAs in social investment, and hope that more such highly talented individuals choose to make a career in the charity sector.