Sir Ronald Cohen
Co-founder
Sir Ronald is a pioneering philanthropist, venture capitalist, private equity investor and social innovator, who is driving forward the global Impact Revolution.
As well as co-founding Social Finance, he is Chair of the Global Steering Group on Impact Investing (GSG) and led its predecessor, the G8 Social Impact Investment Task Force, from 2013–14. Prior to that, he chaired the UK Social Investment Task Force (2000–10), and the UK Commission on Unclaimed Assets (2005–7). In 2012, he received the Rockefeller Foundation’s Innovation Award for Social Finance.
He is also the co-founding Chair of Bridges Management Fund UK and US, Bridges Ventures Israel, Better Society Capital and The Portland Trust, and Vice-Chair of the Capitals Coalition following its merger with the International Foundation for Valuing Impacts (IFVI), of which he was the founding Chair.
Sir Ronald was co-founder and Executive Chair of global private equity firm Apax Partners Worldwide LLP from 1972 to 2005, co-founded and chairs the British Venture Capital Association and co-founded the European Venture Capital Association and EASDAQ. He has chaired numerous global initiatives on impact investment.
Born in Egypt, Sir Ronnie left as a refugee at the age of 11 and was educated at Oxford University and Harvard Business School. He served on the Harvard University Board of Overseers, the Board of Dean’s Advisors at Harvard Business School, and the University of Oxford Investment Committee.
He is the author of Wall Street Journal bestseller IMPACT: Reshaping Capitalism to Drive Real Change (2020), and The Second Bounce of the Ball (2007).
He lives in London with his wife, Sharon Harel-Cohen, a film producer. They have two children, Tamara and Jonny.