Nick O’Donohoe, Chief Executive of British International Investment, has been appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) by Her Majesty the Queen in the 2022 Jubilee Birthday honours list. The Order of St Michael and St George honours individuals who have rendered important services in relation to Commonwealth or foreign nations.
The honour was awarded for Nick’s services to global impact investment. Over the past five years, Nick O’Donohoe has led British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution, as it has increased its impact investment into countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean with the goals of tackling climate change, and creating better economic opportunities to enable those countries and their populations to leave poverty behind.
Under Nick’s leadership the organisation has broadened how it provides impact capital to meet different needs, from building impact partnerships to provide vital services such as green energy and digital infrastructure, to finding further ways to reach the smallest and most nascent businesses and ideas by providing venture capital and forging new innovative strategies, such as the company’s catalytic capital programme. He has also overseen British International Investment’s increased role in the fight against climate change, including its recent commitment to allocate at least 30 per cent of all new commitments over the next five years to climate finance.
Alongside his work at British International Investment, Nick continues to dedicate his time to championing the advancement of global impact investment through his involvement in the two most prominent associations for the movement. He sat on the Board of the GIIN (Global Impact Investing Network) and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment.
Nick O’Donohoe, CMG said:
“I am deeply honoured to have received this award and delighted that the global impact investment movement has been recognised in this way. Impact investment –properly targeted at tackling the biggest global development challenges – is, I believe, one of the most effective ways we can collectively achieve permanent change and sustainable development.
“Over the years, I have been privileged to collaborate with many dedicated and brilliant people who wholeheartedly share, champion and put into practice this vision, not least at British International Investment. The collective nature of the impact investment movement and the partnerships we build at BII means that this award is really a recognition of everyone’s collective efforts than of mine alone.”
Diana Layfield, Chairman of British International Investment said:
“We are all delighted that Nick has been recognised in this way. Anyone who has met Nick will have felt his real determination in making the case for directing pools of investment capital to support the ‘right’ activities and reduce support for harmful practices. Nick’s energy in turning this passion and belief into practical ideas, tools and partnerships that make a material difference to people’s lives is something that is admired by colleagues and partners around the world, who I know will join with me in congratulating Nick on this honour.”
The announcement of HM Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours list is here.
Nick’s journey into impact investment began over a decade ago while he was working at JP Morgan when he became the senior sponsor for the company’s Social Finance Unit and co-authored a paper “Impact Investments: An Emerging Asset Class”. Nick’s career has subsequently seen him put his beliefs around the power of impact investment into action. By 2011 he had co-founded, with Sir Ronald Cohen, the world’s first social investment bank, Big Society Capital, and he subsequently went on to advise the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on its use of blended finance.
ENDS
Contact: Lynsay Taffe, Director of Communications, 07780 336676 / ltaffe@bii.co.uk
