BRIGGS OVERSEES FORD FOUNDATION’S IMPACT INVESTING AND BRINGS DECADES OF PUBLIC POLICY AND MOVEMENT-BUILDING EXPERTISE TO THE GIIN

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) today announced the appointment of Xavier (“Xav”) de Souza Briggs as its newest Board member.

Briggs is Vice President of Inclusive Economies and Markets at the Ford Foundation, where his role includes overseeing the foundation’s impact investing as well as programming in inclusive economic growth, the future of work, natural resources and climate change, and affordable housing. He is also responsible for overseeing the foundation’s regional teams in Asia and West Africa.

“We are honored to welcome Xav as our newest Board member,” said Amit Bouri, CEO and co-founder of the GIIN. “He is a proven leader whose strong values and unyielding commitment to advancing economic opportunity and sustainable development align well with the GIIN’s mission and objectives. His global reach and understanding of local communities, strategic problem solving, and expertise in catalyzing systems changes will be instrumental as the GIIN continues to drive transformation of the industry and propel the impact investing movement forward.”

Briggs is widely known for his pioneering research and public service in promoting economic fairness and opportunity. Prior to his role at the Ford Foundation, Briggs was professor of Sociology and Urban Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he also served as Head of the Housing, Community, and Economic Development Group. An award-winning author and educator, Briggs’s career also spans public policy, serving as Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama White House and as Policy Adviser and R&D Director at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Clinton administration. Briggs was also a faculty member in Public Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

“Impact investing holds tremendous potential for funding solutions to some of our greatest global challenges,” Briggs said, “and for reconciling the functioning of capital markets with our highest social values. The GIIN has been the preeminent advocate for impact investing, and I am incredibly proud to join this organization. I look forward to working with the board to further our shared goals of advancing this vital movement.”

The Ford Foundation is a member of the GIIN’s Investors’ Council, a leadership group for large-scale impact investors. Last year, the Ford Foundation publicly committed $1 billion USD of its endowment to impact investments over the next decade, the largest commitment of its kind by a private foundation.