Think the banking industry is full of badness and greed? Don’t despair, there is a growing number of people pushing it in the other direction.
This week, one organisation charged with lighting a better way, the Finance Innovation Lab, announced the appointment of six new trustees.
The Lab’s primary purpose is to “work for a financial system that serves people and planet” by providing support and opportunities to new businesses changing the financial system.
It was co-founded by WWF-UK and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and became an independent organisation in 2015. Since then, the Lab has launched a unique incubation programme for purpose-driven innovators in finance, led the debate on the social impact of fintech, and worked with regulators and policymakers to build a more enabling environment for socially useful finance.
Some of the businesses it has helped in the past include Cathartic.co, Credscope and Community Reinvest.
The new Trustees are:
- Caroline Ellis (Chair) – Social and organisational change consultant
- Kate Ormiston Smith (Treasurer) – Director of finance and operations, The B Team
- Hanna McCloskey – Founder and CEO, Fearless Futures
- Toyin Ogundana – Investment manager, CAF Venturesome
- Paul Riseborough – Chief commercial officer, Metro Bank
- Julian Thompson – Social innovation and fundraising strategist
The new appointments join three Trustees serving for a second term: Christine Berry (independent researcher), Sue Charman (Director of corporate stewardship, WWF-UK) and Bruce Davis (Founder and joint managing director, Abundance Investment).
Anna Laycock, Executive Director of the Finance Innovation Lab, said: “We’re delighted to have attracted such a strong group of new Trustees, who are all leaders in their field. It’s a sign that the Lab’s mission to transform finance for the better is more relevant than ever.
“Our new Trustees bring a huge breadth of experience to inform our work, from retail banking and social investment to design thinking and mission-driven business. We’re excited to work with them as we take our work into the heart of the financial system, in the UK and beyond. ”
Find out more about the work of the Finance Innovation Lab here.
