12pm, Wednesday 14th April 2021

Recording available below:

Ben’s slides are available here.

This workshop will give an insight into social investment from one of the UK’s largest social investors – Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The session will focus on common investment instruments with the aim of raising awareness for different forms of social investment and what potential investees should be conscious of when thinking about investment. There will be significant time dedicated to questions: creating an open space to ask questions which you may perceive as silly, though in reality are anything but.

Ben Smith is Head of Social Investment at Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, where he leads the social investment strategy and manages a £45m portfolio, as well as being a Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University’s School of Management. Ben previously established UnLtd’s social investment department where he designed and managed two new social investment funds. He was originally a management and strategy consultant before moving into the social startup and investment sector. Ben is Vice Chair of NatWest Social and Community Capital and is a former Board Member of Birmingham Town Hall and Symphony Hall and Aston University.