Susan Hickey
Appointed: 2022
Skills and Experience
Susan has over 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles in banking, long-term social and affordable housing management, specialist supported housing, investment and risk management. She spent 10 years as Chief Financial Officer at Peabody Trust, one of London’s oldest and largest affordable housing providers, developers and regeneration agents.
Susan regularly takes on interim executive roles and is currently Interim CFO at Notting Hill Genesis, one of the largest housing associations in London and the South East, providing affordable homes to all across a range of tenures. Prior to that she served as Interim CEO at Swan Housing where she was appointed following a serious non-compliant regulatory downgrade. Susan formulated and led a significant recovery plan, concluded in February 2023 with disposal to a large social housing group.
At The Good Economy, she advises on strategies to influence flows of socially responsible capital to social and affordable housing.
Susan is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Fellow of both the ICAEW and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Current Positions
- Interim CFO, Notting Hill Genesis
- Non-Executive Director, Saltaire
- Non-Executive Director, VSO International
- Non-Executive Director, LandAid
Isabelle Irani
Appointed: 2022
Skills and Experience
Isabelle founded Sumerian Partners in 2013 after she was approached by several close friends and philanthropists who recognised that her asset management experience – backing sound management teams, providing hands-on business support and structuring the appropriate financing – could help them achieve greater lasting impact.
Isabelle started her career at Lehman Brothers in equity research and was then a Principal at Advent Venture Partners, a venture capital firm focusing on technology in the UK / Europe. She was actively involved in sourcing, investing and sitting on the Boards of these companies, providing strategic advice with regards to overcoming challenges to growth, positioning them in the market and ensuring successful exits. After Advent, Isabelle was a portfolio manager at LK Advisers, the Mittal Family office, where she was one of three investment professionals responsible for investing in public equities and private companies, largely in developing markets.
Isabelle holds a BSc (Finance) from Lehigh University.
Current Positions
Founder, Sumerian Partners
Board Trustee, Sumerian Foundation
Advisor, Trafigura (Clean Energy Venture Capital Fund)
Board Trustee, Trafigura Foundation
Chair, South Lake Medical Services (Kenya)
Isabelle's LinkedIn
John-Paul Preston
Appointed: 2022
Skills and Experience
During his tenure as COO at Gresham House Plc, John-Paul was responsible for growing Assets Under Management from £17 million to £2.3 billion, expanding the team from eight to 95 people, the acquisition of four public companies, the listing of a clean energy fund and the creation of multiple private funds, including the sustainability-focused British Strategic Investment Fund.
Prior to that John-Paul was Investment Director and General Counsel at LDC, the mid-market private equity firm, and General Counsel at Coutts & Co, which he joined from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
John-Paul provides The Good Economy with strategic counsel alongside his other varied business interests as well as both executive and non-executive roles.
He holds an MBA from London Business School and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Current Positions
Commercial Director, Momenta Group Global
Chair, Selfless
Paul Stanworth
Appointed: December 2022
Skills and Experience
Paul has over 35 years’ experience in institutional investment and finance, covering a wide range of markets including private and public credit, venture capital, private equity and real estate. In addition, he built several successful start-up teams and businesses within corporate investment functions, treasury operations and sales environments.
Paul has acted as Chief Investment Officer on several major UK funds. His current position at Momentum Re was preceded by a role as CEO of Legal and General Capital which he led to provide early-stage investment to UK businesses and infrastructure. This unit pioneered the drive for socially useful investments by large institutions and is today one of the UK’s biggest investors in regeneration projects.
Paul co-authored PBII white paper, Scaling Up Institutional Investment for Place-Based Impact, and shares TGE’s passion for the need to address social and spatial inequality.
Paul holds a BSc from the University of London and professionally qualified as an actuary.
Current Positions
Group Chief Investment Officer, Monument Re Group
Member of Investment Committee, Lloyd's