Sir Ronald Cohen

Sir Ronald Cohen is Chairman of the Global Social Impact Investment Steering Group and The Portland Trust. He is a co-founder director of Social Finance UK (2007-11), Social Finance USA, and Social Finance Israel, and of Big Society Capital (link is external). He was co-founder Chair of Bridges Ventures (2002-2012).

He chaired the Social Impact Investment Taskforce (link is external) established under the UK’s presidency of the G8 (2013-2015), the Social Investment Task Force (2000-2010) and the Commission on Unclaimed Assets (2005-2007). In 2012 he received the Rockefeller Innovation Award for innovation in social finance.

He co-founded and was Executive Chairman of Apax Partners Worldwide LLP (1972-2005). He was a founder director and Chairman of the British Venture Capital Association and a founder director of the European Venture Capital Association.

He is a graduate of Oxford University, where he was President of the Oxford Union. He is an Honorary Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School to which he was awarded a Henry Fellowship.

He is a member of the Board of Dean’s Advisors at Harvard Business School and Vice-Chairman of Ben Gurion University. He is a former director of the Harvard Management Company and the University of Oxford Investment Committee. He is a former member of the Harvard University Board of Overseers (2007-2013), former Trustee of the British Museum (2005-2012) and a former trustee of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (2005-2011).

In 2007, Sir Ronald published: “The Second Bounce of the Ball – Turning Risk into Opportunity”.