Impact Investing Heavyweights Bolster Boards with High-Profile Appointments
ILX Management and Big Issue Invest have bolstered their boards with high-profile appointments, while Unity Trust Bank has welcomed a new COO. These moves come as each organisation looks to strengthen its social security and impact investing capabilities.
ILX Management, a leading alternative investment firm, has appointed Paul de Klerk to its supervisory board. De Klerk brings a wealth of experience, having previously served as COO, CFO, and chairman of the managing board at AlpInvest Partners.
Meanwhile, Big Issue Invest, the social investment arm of The Big Issue Group, has appointed Holger Westphely as its new managing director. Westphely, with two decades of experience in finance and social investment, succeeds previous MD, Russell Galley. Prior to this, Susan Tirop was appointed co-head of investments at iGravity, another impact investing firm. Tirop has over 15 years of experience in social security and impact investing across sub-Saharan Africa.
Unity Trust Bank has also made an appointment, welcoming Martin Barrett as its new COO. Barrett will be responsible for enabling Unity to deliver its five-year plan to 2030. Since 2005, Big Issue Invest has invested over £100m in UK businesses with a social mission, including allocating £9.3m to 50 social purpose organisations in 2025 alone.
These appointments signal a commitment to furthering social security and impact investing in the UK and beyond. With their extensive experience, de Klerk, Westphely, Tirop, and Barrett are well-positioned to drive growth and innovation in their respective organisations.
