Ben Smith Email & Phone Number

Sydney, NSW, AU

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

• Constructing, managing, and building towards a $0.5bn+ impact investing portfolio and impact incubator program for one of the world’s top 10 largest philanthropic foundations per capita.
• Re-wrote and lead the implementation of the foundation’s Investment Policy Statement and ‘total impact approach’ which ensures that all funds are – at minimum – responsibly invested whilst meeting financial return.
• Led the design and implementation of PRF’s new impact investing strategy and support Australia’s wider market building which includes working with the Commonwealth Government and Social Investment Investing Taskforce.

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

• Lead the design and teaching of impact finance modules for CSI’s new Graduate Certificate in Social Impact.
• Support faculty staff, students, and wider stakeholders – including State Government – to provide academic counsel on student projects, enterprise activities, and wider impact investment market building in South.

London, United Kingdom

• Led the MSc-level ‘Social Finance’ module, designing and creating the course and assessment content and delivery.

London, United Kingdom

• Responsible for the organisation’s £55 million social and impact investment funds across all financial instruments: social impact bonds, funds, bonds, debt, equity, quasi-equity, blended finance, innovation grants and.
• Led Esmée’s social and impact investment work: shaping the organisation’s new social investment strategy, managing overall portfolio performance, designing investment opportunities and sharing learning.
• Structured, fundraised and launched Esmée’s first investment fund (Environmental Finance and Learning Fund).
• Developed, received Board approval and implemented Esmée’s global impact investing practice with a £10m carve out. Led first impact investment alongside Cambridge Associates.
• Worked across the Foundation’s ESG endowment investment strategy.

• Taught on the MSc in Finance and Management and the MSc in Management and Corporate Social Responsibility.

London Area, United Kingdom

• Responsible for over £6 million of UnLtd investments and capital across three early-stage impact funds: providing appropriate risk capital alongside the provision of support for ambitious social ventures.
• Designed, modelled, structured, fundraised, negotiated funding contracts, and launched UnLtd’s £3.2m blended debt and grant fund (UnLtd Impact Fund), and UnLtd’s £2m Thrive Fund providing equity and debt.
• Established UnLtd’s first social investment department, created its strategy and built the team.
• Chaired UnLtd’s Investment Committees, and held various Board and Advisory roles in the course of investments.

London Area, United Kingdom

• Ran the Big Venture Challenge £10m government funded growth investment programme and £2.2m match fund.
• The programme supported 120 social ventures over four years, helping 74 to raise over £13m of investment.

London, United Kingdom

• Management consultancy to develop and embed growth strategies and secure early-stage impact risk capital.

Mumbai Area, India

Birmingham, United Kingdom

• Social enterprise which sought to inspire youth offenders with enterprise, through training, mentoring and support.

Derby, United Kingdom

Birmingham, United Kingdom

Birmingham, United Kingdom

Master’S Degree, Education (Med), Distinction

Specific focus on the use of technology and embedding innovation within entrepreneurship education. Dissertation: “Is Higher Education.

Bachelor Of Science (Bsc), International Business And Modern Languages, Upper Second Class (2.1)

A highly integrated degree with many modules taught in French. Included a work placement in Paris, France. Principle areas of study.