Who we are
Our People
An experienced, multi-disciplinary team committed to contributing to positive social change in the UK and internationally.
Our Founders
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CEO & Co-Founder Sarah Forster Sarah is CEO and Co-Founder of The Good Economy. She has worked at the forefront of finance for positive impact for more than 25 years, working in the fields of sustainable economic development, development finance, and impact measurement and management both internationally and in the UK.
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Co-Founder and Director, Research and Policy Mark Hepworth Mark is a multidisciplinary economist and entrepreneur whose international career spans academia, public policy and business consulting. Mark’s work over 30 years has focused on innovation and new paradigms for economic development. He directs The Good Economy's research and policy work on inclusive and sustainable development.
The Good Economy Team
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Head of Impact Matt Ripley Matt is technical lead for The Good Economy’s impact services, where he advises on best practices and industry standards for managing sustainability impacts. He runs Impact Assured, our assurance and verification service, as well as our work with global impact funds. Matt has an extensive track record in impact investing, working for over 15 years with the United Nations, ‘Big 4’ management consulting and in boutique sustainability advisory.
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Head of Housing Impact Services Andy Smith Andy leads on housing impact services at The Good Economy, working with clients to design impact measurement and management systems and deliver independent impact reports. Andy also led the development of the Sustainability Reporting Standard criteria – now being used by over 100 housing providers and lenders.
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Head of Real Estate Social Impact Vivienne King Vivienne is Head of Real Estate Social Impact at The Good Economy. Vivienne has worked in leadership positions in real estate for more than 30 years, including leadership of ESG strategy, spearheading innovation in social and environmental strategy in real estate. She joined The Good Economy in 2022.
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Head of PBII Sam Monger With over 25 years' experience of driving transformation in the real estate industry, Sam's expertise is helping funders, providers and occupiers of real estate to deliver against an increasingly challenging set of commercial, environmental and social goals.
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Head of Analytics Sam Waples Sam is a multidisciplinary geographer and highly experienced specialist in data and spatial analysis. Sam has worked in university and business schools and commercial companies. His innovative work on data analytics is integral to TGE’s impact services, economic strategy consultancy and Good Jobs analysis.
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Head of Marketing Communications Jessica Whitcutt Jessica joined The Good Economy in 2023 as Head of Marketing Communications. She is an accomplished corporate communications and reputation professional with 20+ years of experience in helping both major multinational firms and high growth businesses deliver bottom line performance through enhanced reputational capital.
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Senior Consultant Amy Ingham Amy has over a decade's experience in impact measurement and management in the UK and internationally. Most recently Amy led a performance improvement initiative for Homes England to support its new strategy. Amy has joined the Housing and Real Estate Social Impact team as a Senior Consultant.
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Senior Consultant Jenni Zietsch Jenni has over five years’ experience working across the impact investing spectrum with specialist expertise in impact measurement and management. As a Senior Consultant in impact services, she helps private equity, debt and venture capital clients understand, measure and improve their impact.
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Senior Consultant Mieke Dale-Harris Mieke has a background in assessing the impact of charitable interventions on service users, as well as embedding high standards of data collection and management within growing organisations. She works primarily with our housing team, supporting clients to develop impact measurement and management systems, and driving best practices through collaborative projects.
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Senior Consultant Samantha Curtis Samantha is a finance and impact professional with fifteen years of experience working in both asset management and impact investment industries in the UK and Kenya. Sam works with The Good Economy’s Global Funds clients, supporting them to improve and integrate their impact into reporting and decision-making.
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Consultant Ben Rosoman Ben joined us in 2017 on a work placement as part of his first class degree in International Development with Economics at the University of Bath. We were so impressed we offered him a full-time job. Ben is now a core team member across our client work.
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Senior Analyst Anna Haskins Anna joined TGE having graduated with a MA in Development Studies at the Institute of Development Studies and a BA in Business Management and Anthropology at the University of Exeter. Anna is part of the housing team having previously held roles as Property Manager and Lettings Agent within the private housing sector.
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Senior Analyst Larissa Kirkpatrick Larissa has experience working with private market investors and social enterprises focused on improving social outcomes in emerging and frontier economies. Larissa is part of The Good Economy’s SME team, providing research and project support.
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Impact Analyst Astrid Pedersen Astrid joined TGE following her graduation from the London School of Economics and Political Science with an MSc in Political Science and Political Economy. Her previous roles focused on developing resources for research and impact evaluation, and summarising evaluations and other evidence into digestible materials for policy makers. She mainly works within our housing team, providing analysis and writing reports for our clients.
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Impact Analyst Charlie Denney Charlie has a background in international development and experience in designing development impact bonds focused on improving learning outcomes in developing economies. Charlie provides analysis and research for TGE’s clients.
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Impact Analyst Sakshi Chaudhary Sakshi is an Impact Analyst at The Good Economy. She has experience in evaluating the social impact of community-led charitable interventions, specialising in research and analysis in the housing sector. Sakshi has a background in economics and public policy and works primarily within our housing team.
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Research and Project Management Assistant Grace Greenfield Grace has joined the Good Economy on a work placement as part of her degree in International Development with Economics at the University of Bath.
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Operations Manager and Executive Assistant to CEO Emma Rush Emma provides executive support whilst managing the daily operational needs of the business. She is highly experienced within both small and large organisations, most recently supporting the leadership team of a large international NGO. Emma keenly supports all areas of sustainable development and enjoys being at the heart of a busy, dynamic, and forward-thinking business which drives a better future for people, places and planet.
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Part-Time CFO and Financial Advisor Rob Savage Rob is an ex PWC ACA Chartered Accountant with 37 years’ experience working in the private equity and investment sectors with a particular focus on the SME space. He has a strong track record having been involved in numerous corporate transactions worth in excess of €900 million returning 3x. In addition, Rob has extensive managerial and non-executive director experience.
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Finance Manager Kathryn Jackson Kathryn helps The Good Economy with day-to-day financial management.
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Lead Associate for Net Zero Delivery Mike Briggs Mike is the lead consultant for Net Zero at The Good Economy and is focused on uncovering pathways to accelerate the energy transition by building partnerships which discover and grow opportunities for impactful intervention. Mike brings a wealth of experience working with public and private partners to shape and deliver complex programmes.
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Senior Associate - Climate, Nature and Innovative Finance Tamara Giltsoff Tamara is strategist and innovator in Climate, Nature based Solutions, Regenerative Agriculture Transitions and Innovative Finance.
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Senior Associate Nick James Nick is an expert in sustainability-focused design. He has more than 20 years of experience in the real estate sector, holding senior sustainability roles within a range of organisations. Nick is also the founding director of Futureground, a strategic sustainability consultancy.
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Senior Associate Sophie Taysom Sophie is a senior associate at The Good Economy, with experience working in central government, business and academia. She is the founder of specialist ESG Consultancy Keyah Consulting, bringing expertise in ESG within the fields of real estate, health and the built environment.
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Senior Associate Gareth Presch Gareth has been involved in healthcare for nearly 25 years and is the Founder and CEO of the World Health Innovation Summit and World Health Service. He was the former Chief Officer of the National Haemophilia Council, Ireland reporting to the Department of Health and advising the Minister for Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE).
Board of Directors
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Chair Paul Stanworth Paul serves as Chair of the Board of Directors at The Good Economy alongside his other roles of Group Chief Investment Officer at Momentum Re and member of the Investment Committee at Lloyds. He also co-led the Place Based Impact Investing (PBII) Project, a collaboration between The Good Economy, the Impact Investing Institute and Pensions for Purpose, that aims to mobilise greater flows of institutional investment for more inclusive and sustainable development across the UK and provides strategic direction to the business.
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Non-Executive Director Susan Hickey Susan advises on strategies to influence flows of capital to social and affordable housing, including TGE’s work to enhance ESG and impact measurement and reporting for investors and housing associations. She has over 25 years of leadership in senior finance roles, including 10 years as CFO at Peabody Trust and now combines executive project work with several non-executive roles.
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Non-Executive Director John-Paul Preston John-Paul is a trusted adviser to, and commercial negotiator for, entrepreneurs, private equity firms and listed companies. He previously held the post of Chief Operating Officer at Gresham House plc and prior to that, Investment Director and General Counsel at LDC.
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Observer Isabelle Irani Isabelle is the Co-Founder of Sumerian Partners, an impact investment firm that enables early-stage social enterprises to achieve viable growth and impact in their efforts to tackle different dimensions of social inequality in any part of the UK. She has 17 years of experience in investing in both private and public companies worldwide.
