Thank you for your interest in the role of Non-Executive Director at Big Society Capital. I hope you find this appointment brief helpful and informative.
Big Society Capital is a unique organisation – now being replicated in several other countries around the world. Set up by Government but fully independent, we are a company with a powerful social mission: to improve the lives of people in the UK by connecting social investment to charities and social enterprises tackling some of the most pressing social issues.
We were established in 2012 with £425m from UK Dormant Assets and £200m investment from the four main UK high street banks. Ten years on, we have now committed over £860 million which with co-investment from others has made over £2.5bn available for social investment. Our investments have now reached over 2,000 organisations across the UK.
Over the last decade we have delivered strongly on our market building role, transforming the ability of social organisations to raise the repayable finance they need to do more of their vital work, attracting more investors to the market and working with public sector stakeholders on creating the most favourable policy environment. Our tenth anniversary was an opportunity to recognise the progress. In 2021 we launched our new strategy to 2025 setting out our goals to further develop and grow the social investment market. We are now focused on four areas of investment: impact venture, social outcomes, social property, and social lending with ambitious goals in each.
We are recruiting two new Non-Executive Directors to join our team at this critical time for our organisation and for social impact investing. Despite progress in the last ten years, inequality and injustice is more apparent than ever, especially as we all respond to the devastating effects of the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis. We feel the need for social impact investment has never been greater and Big Society Capital has an important role to play.
The successful candidate will join a mission-driven and engaged board bringing together experience and insight from private, public and voluntary sectors. Our staff team also show outstanding commitment and energy for our mission, with powerful teamwork and an excellent working culture. We bring some of the world’s best people into an organisation which has line of sight across the entirety of the rapidly developing field of social investment.
From charities providing accommodation for women fleeing domestic abuse, to community arts groups to tech-driven attempts to address financial exclusion, a role on Big Society Capital’s board gives you a chance to contribute to tackling a wide range of the most pressing social issues facing the UK.
Kind regards,
Robin Hindle Fisher, Chair
