Next to chair of EVPA, Steven is also chair of EVPA’s Corporate Initiative. During his career, he has been working over 20 years with both executive teams of corporates to reshape their strategies towards an inclusive business, and social entreprises, to create impact at scale.

A leader in the social business movement, Saskia co-founded Yunus Social Business (YSB) together with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus and Sophie Eisenmann.

Luís Jerónimo works as Deputy Director at the Gulbenkian Integration and Social Cohesion Programme of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. He manages a portfolio of projects on social innovation and impact investing, including the first social impact bonds issued in Portugal and invested by the Foundation.

Leslie Johnston launched Laudes Foundation as its first Chief Executive Officer in January 2020, bringing over 20 years of management experience across business and philanthropy. At Laudes Foundation, she is leading the development of its initial vision, strategy and operating model. Previously, she joined C&A Foundation as its first Executive Director in August 2013 where she led the development of the foundation’s strategy to make fashion a force for good. In addition to EVPA, Leslie serves on the boards of Fashion for Good, the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy, and Built by Nature.

A trained economist with a 20-year track record at Telefónica, María Ángeles is the co-founder of Open Value Foundation, a non-profit with a hybrid model between traditional philanthropy and private capital investment. She is also the creative mind behind Global Social Impact, an Impact Investment Funds Manager designed to offer a more efficient and impactful way to support the most disadvantaged.

Chris is currently a co-founder and Director of Sumerian Foundation and Sumerian Partners. In these roles, he both advises high net worth individuals, institutions and corporates (on how to maximise the impact of their programmes), and manages philanthropic capital (with a focus on deploying venture philanthropy to help social enterprises transition to scale in the UK and in Africa).

Karen Wilson is the Founder of GV Partners, a research and consulting firm focused on entrepreneurship, innovation and finance. Among other organizations, Karen has been working with the OECD since 2009 on topics related to entrepreneurship, finance and innovation. For the past several years, she has been leading the OECD work on social impact investment. She has been engaged in the venture philanthropy and social investment community for over a decade through involvement with EVPA and other organisations.

Antonio Miguel is the Managing Director of the Maze - Decoding Impact, a Lisbon-based social investment intermediary that implements financial and non-financial mechanisms to unlock capital towards social change in Portugal.

In 1994, Demeter was set up to support incipient and innovative non-profits develop alternative business models helping them in reaching financial self-sufficiency. For about 10 years Demeter focused upon Microfinance in India, Africa and Latin America.

Silke Horáková is the Co-Founder & Partner of Tilia Impact Ventures, the first social impact fund in the Czech Republic and the co-owner of Albatros Media, a.s., the largest Czech book publishing company.

Karen Wilson is the Founder of GV Partners, a research and consulting firm focused on entrepreneurship, innovation and finance. Among other organizations, Karen has been working with the OECD since 2009 on topics related to entrepreneurship, finance and innovation. For the past several years, she has been leading the OECD work on social impact investment. She has been engaged in the venture philanthropy and social investment community for over a decade through involvement with EVPA and other organisations.

A leader in the social business movement, Saskia co-founded Yunus Social Business (YSB) together with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus and Sophie Eisenmann.

Xavier Thauron has a 25 years experience in private equity after five years as SME banker, first in charge of growth capital in the PE structure of the French Banque Populaire Group where he was sponsor of the European Business and Innovation Network (EBN), then Head of Risks at Natixis Private Equity with a large diversified and international portfolio in Europe, Brazil, India and China.

Chris is currently a co-founder and Director of Sumerian Foundation and Sumerian Partners. In these roles, he both advises high net worth individuals, institutions and corporates (on how to maximise the impact of their programmes), and manages philanthropic capital (with a focus on deploying venture philanthropy to help social enterprises transition to scale in the UK and in Africa).

Together with Ashoka, Markus has founded the Financing Agency for Social Entrepreneurship (FASE) in Germany. FASE helps leading social enterprises across Europe in raising hybrid growth capital so that they can scale their social impact.

A trained economist with a 20-year track record at Telefónica, María Ángeles is the co-founder of Open Value Foundation, a non-profit with a hybrid model between traditional philanthropy and private capital investment. She is also the creative mind behind Global Social Impact, an Impact Investment Funds Manager designed to offer a more efficient and impactful way to support the most disadvantaged.