The Team
B Lab, the non-profit organization that oversees GIIRS, is governed by a dynamic process of broad, transparent multi-stakeholder engagement.
B Lab Board of Directors
The responsibilities of B Lab's Board of Directors include:
- Oversee strategy, budget and operations of B Lab & GIIRS, including oversight of management, compensation, and development
- Play a leadership role in forming the Standards Advisory Councils and GIIRS Advisory Committee, provide oversight of their activities, and amend/approve their recommendations
- Assist in identifying and cultivating potential philanthropic donors/investors to ensure funding of B Lab's operations prior to sustainability via licensing and ratings income
Members of the B Lab Board of Directors:
- Debra Dunn, Director, Skoll Foundation; former SVP Corporate Affairs and Global Citizenship Hewlett Packard
- Bart Houlahan, co-founder B Lab; Former CFO, COO and President of AND 1
- Tom Bird, Chairman, Global Giving; Founder & President, Farm Capital Services
- Dave Chen, Founder and Managing Director, Equilibrium Capital Group LLC
The Board of Directors has established several Advisory Councils to ensure continuous incorporation of best thinking and practices into B Lab's mission and activities. The Board has ultimate decision-making authority on recommendations coming from the Advisory Councils.
GIIRS Advisory Committee
The GIIRS Advisory Committee is comprised of innovators at organizations taking the lead in impact investing including banks, pension funds, foundations, investor networks, ratings agencies, private wealth managers, and investment advisors. The group is tasked with making recommendations to B Lab's Board of Directors and Management regarding:
- Rapid adoption of GIIRS as the standard by which the investment community measures the social and environmental impact of its non-public market investments;
- Raising initial $8 million and future growth capital to support the development of GIIRS; and the
- Development of GIIRS' product features that meet the needs of the impact investing community. Particular input will be sought on features concerning the GIIRS analytics tools, ratings reports, and the fund weighting methodology.
Members of the GIIRS Advisory Committee:
- Amit Bouri, Director, Global Impact Investing Network
- Margot Brandenburg, Associate Director, Rockefeller Foundation
- Matt Christensen, Executive Director, EUROSIF
- Stuart Davidson, Managing Partner, Labrador Ventures
- Sarah Forrest, Former Head, GS Sustain, Goldman Sachs
- Lisa Hagerman, Director, More for Mission
- Christina Leijonhufvud, Director Social Finance, JP Morgan
- Steve Lydenberg, Chief Investment Officer, Domini Social Investments
- Jessica Matthews, Manager MRI Group, Cambridge Associates
- Preston Pinkett, Vice President, Prudential
- Ed Powers, Managing Director, Banc of America Capital Access Funds
- Jody Rasch, Vice President, Moody's Corporation
- Max Rutten, Former Vice President, Bernstein Global Advisors
- Christa Velasquez, Director, Annie E. Casey Foundation
Standards Advisory Council
Oversight of the B Impact Ratings System is the responsibility of B Lab's Standards Advisory Council, an independent committee of 14-16 members, each respected in the field for their wisdom and each with deep industry or stakeholder expertise. The Standards Advisory Council is divided into two subgroups — one group oversees the content and weightings for the version of the B Impact Ratings System that is appropriate for companies and funds in the developed markets, the other for the version that is appropriate for companies and funds in the emerging markets.
Developed Markets — Current Members:
- Bart Houlahan, Co-founder, B Lab
- Hewson Baltzell, Head of the Sustainability Solutions Team, Risk Metrics
- Doug Claffey, Founding Partner & CEO, Workplace Dynamics
- Cathy Clark, Adjunct Asst. Professor, Duke University, CASE
- Debra Dunn, Director, Skoll Foundation; former SVP Corporate Affairs and Global Citizenship Hewlett Packard
- Rhonda Evans, Science Advisor, GoodGuide
- Bonny Moellenbrock, Executive Director, SJF Advisory Services
- Beth Sirull, Executive Director, Pacific Community Ventures
- Don Schaffer, President & CEO, RSF Social Finance
Emerging Markets — Current Members:
- Lindsay Anderson, Metrics Manager, Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE)
- Veronica Chau, Project Manager, Dalberg Global Advisors
- Kelly McCarthy, Global Impact Analyst, World Resources Institute
- Rafi Menachem, Metrics Managers, Grassroots Business Fund
- Fred Ogana, Country Director, Technoserve Kenya
- Rob Schneider, Senior Alliance Manager, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Brian Trelstad, Metrics Manager, Acumen Fund
- Flory Wilson, Director of International Standards, B Lab
- Michael Wright, Legal Advisor/Fellow, Harvard University, Center for Business and Government
Management & Staff
Jay Coen Gilbert, Bart Houlahan, and Andrew Kassoy cofounded B Lab in 2007. They have a shared passion for creating a better world through business and have been friends for over 20 years. Prior to B Lab, Jay and Bart were Co-Founder and President, respectively, of AND 1, a $250 million basketball footwear and apparel business. Andrew spent his previous career as a private equity investor; most recently as a Partner at MSD Real Estate Capital, a $1 billion real estate fund controlled by MSD Capital, the investment vehicle for the assets of Michael Dell and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.
The GIIRS management team also includes:
- John Hillstrom, Chief Technology Officer
- Beth Richardson, Director of Financial Services
- Flory Wilson, Director of International Standards