The Impetus executive team comprises individuals with many years' experience in financial services and consulting as well as the not-for-profit sector. We believe that this makes for a team that is both experienced and innovative.
Daniela
Barone Soares, Chief Executive
Daniela Barone Soares joined Impetus Trust as Chief Executive in
June 2006. Most of her career has been in private equity and
venture capital, with BancBoston Capital in the U.S., Europe and in
the U.K. Daniela was instrumental in developing their practice in
Spain, Italy and Portugal. She also worked for Citigroup in Brazil
and Goldman Sachs in New York. Prior to joining Impetus, Daniela
was Head of Institutional Support at Save the Children, where she
was responsible for strategic development and fundraising. She has
a Bsc in Economics from Universidade Estadual de Campinas
(UNICAMP), Brazil and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Born in
Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Daniela has long been committed to finding
innovative ways to break the cycle of poverty and create new
opportunities for the economically disadvantaged. In 2008, she was
chosen for the Independent on Sunday "Happy List" as one of the top
100 people who make Britain a better place to live. In the
same year, Impetus was winner of the grantmaker category of the UK
Charity Awards for being an example of excellence in the sector,
from which other organisations can learn. In November 2011
Daniela was appointed Non-Executive Director and member of the
Audit Committee of Halma plc, the leading safety, health and sensor
technology group. Daniela is also a member of the Business Advisory
Council at Said Business School in Oxford. Impetus has been the
chosen charity for the British Venture Capital Association since
2007.
Chiku Bernardi, Consultant*
Chiku has spent more than ten years in management consulting in
Europe and North America. She began her career at the Boston
Consulting Group, were she worked for seven years on strategy and
operational improvement projects for FTSE 100 companies. Since then
she has worked for boutique consulting firms and carried out a
number of projects in the not-for-profit sector in the UK and
India, on a pro-bono basis. Chiku holds an MBA from Kellogg
Business School and a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from
Oxford University.
Elly De Decker, Investment Director
Elly combines experience in both the NGO and for-profit sectors.
Most recently she worked for Save the Children UK where she led the
strategic review and resulting transformation of the organisation's
overall business model. Prior to this she spent two years with the
international humanitarian agency Medecins Sans Frontieres, with
whom she worked for a year in Bangladesh and a year in the
Democratic Republic of Congo as Financial Coordinator and Project
Coordinator respectively. She started out her career working as a
management consultant for McKinsey & Co, managing strategic
reviews, as well as process improvement projects. Elly holds an MBA
from the University of Chicago and a Business degree from the
University of Brussels, Belgium.
Julia Grant, Portfolio Director
Julia Grant joined Impetus Trust in January 2011. She has
over ten years' experience as a Chief Executive in the social
sector, preceded by 15 years' experience in management consultancy
and business development. Most recently she was Chief Executive of
The National Gardens Scheme, a charitable trust raising funds to
support nursing, caring and gardening charities. As a consultant
she specialised in strategy, organisational development and change
management, as well as client base development. She worked in
both the private and public sectors including advising on
privatisation strategies in the UK and South East Asia. Julia has
an MA (Oxon) in Politics Philosophy and Economics and an MBA from
London Business School.
Meredith Niles, Investment Director
Meredith brings to her work at Impetus a background in
both finance and the voluntary sector. She spent seven years as an
investment banker in New York, Frankfurt and London with Goldman
Sachs, where she was latterly an Executive Director managing
mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance for companies in the
retail and consumer goods sectors. Meredith left banking to focus
on her interests in the not-for-profit sector, serving in numerous
trustee positions including as President (from 2010-11) for the
Junior League of London, a women's voluntary organisation. She
holds an MSc in International History from the London School of
Economics and a BA in International Studies and Philosophy from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a trustee
of Hestia Housing and Support.
Elena Pantazi, Investment Manager
Elena joined Impetus as an Investment Manager in 2011. She was
previously Vice President of CognoLink, an international primary
research firm. She was CognoLink's first employee and was
integral to the firm's growth to 70 staff, 15,000 specialists and
its expansion into Asia. Prior to CognoLink, Elena was an Analyst
in the Emerging Markets Team at UBS Investment Bank in London,
where she was involved in deal sourcing and due diligence. She
holds an MBA from INSEAD, an MPhil in International Relations from
the University of Cambridge and a BSc with First Class Honours in
Economics from University College London. She is also an active
member of INDEVOR at INSEAD, an organisation focussed on social
entrepreneurship and innovation.
Asheem Singh, Director of Policy and Strategy Asheem joins Impetus after a four-year career in Westminster, where he worked for a number of public elected officials including Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd. He also worked with a number of influential think tanks including the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), the Policy Exchange think tank, and the ResPublica think tank, where he was Deputy Director until February 2011. He has written extensively and regularly for The Guardian, The Scotsman and for Social Enterprise Magazine, appeared on national and international television and radio and spoken widely on social innovation, public service reform and social investment. He is the author or co-author of six original policy publications, including The Venture Society, Digital Giving, and The Civil Effect (all ResPublica) and Dynamic Benefits (CSJ). Originally from the North East of England, Asheem received scholarships to study Law at the University of Oxford, and then Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.
Amy Stillman, Director of Communications and
Development
Amy Stillman has more than 30 years' experience in the private and
voluntary sectors. She was most recently Head of
Communications and Public Engagement at VSO. Prior to that she was
Marketing Director at leadership development organisation Common
Purpose. Her previous positions include strategic marketing roles
for international architecture firm WAT&G, Merrill Lynch,
advertising agency Redington, Inc and five years as General Manager
at marketing consultancy The Commonwealth Group. She has dual UK/US
citizenship.
Amelia Sussman, Investment Director
Amelia is a solicitor by training, qualifying in England and
Israel where she worked in central and local government as well as
in the private sector. Prior to joining Impetus, Amelia spent two
years as a freelance consultant, including working for the NHS
Appointments Commission as an independent assessor. From 1999-2003
she served as Chief Operating Officer for Common Purpose, a
leadership development social enterprise, which runs educational
programmes and activities for leaders of all ages, sectors and
backgrounds. Amelia holds a BA in Law from Oxford University.
Judith Twentyman, Finance Director
Judith is a Chartered Accountant with 15 years'
experience in Finance. She spent ten years at
PricewaterhouseCoopers in both London and Paris in the Business
Assurance Department. During this time Judith also worked for
clients of PwC in Switzerland and Germany. She then became the
Group Financial Controller of Laporte plc, a FTSE 250
multi-national group, progressing after three years to be the
Deputy Finance and IT Director. Following a six-year career break,
Judith joined Impetus on a part-time voluntary basis. She holds a
degree from The University of Newcastle upon Tyne in French and
German.
Joanna Walker, Director of Philanthropy and
Partnerships
Joanna's career in business development and fundraising spans 13
years and encompasses both the private and the voluntary sectors.
She joins Impetus after four years with UBS Wealth Management in
London and more recently Dubai, where she was responsible for
acquiring new business. She had previously spent five years with
overseas development organisation The Brooke, as Head of Major
Gifts and International Fundraising. Prior to that, Joanna was
Development Manager at Forum for the Future. She holds a degree in
Geography from the University of Manchester and professional
qualifications in both finance and fundraising.
Sarah Young, Investment Director
Sarah has more than ten years' experience in fund
management and venture capital. She most recently worked for SV
Life Sciences (SVLS), a leading international life sciences venture
capital firm, making investments in the global quoted biotechnology
sector and helping make and manage investments in unquoted European
biotechnology companies. Prior to SVLS, Sarah worked for
Framlington Investment Management where she managed a European
smaller companies unit trust.
* Chiku generously volunteers her professional skills to Impetus.
Impetus stood out because it has such a direct impact on the effectiveness of a whole range of other charities, and on the difference they can make in their chosen field.
Wol Kolade
Managing Partner, ISIS Equity Partners, Impetus corporate donor