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4 min
21 May 2024
Kieron is a recognised pioneer in the world of social impact. He brings a wealth of experience from across business, government, and civil society.
100x Impact Accelerator, a social impact accelerator based at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), has announced Kieron Boyle, a global leader in impact, as its new Director.
100x is a £55m global initiative set up in 2022 at LSE's Marshall Institute to identify and support impact-first ventures that have the potential to become ‘social unicorns’ driving impact on the scale of billions. The Accelerator has so far supported two cohorts of social ventures, with its current portfolio comprising outstanding organisations across various sectors. Over two-thirds of these ventures focus on emerging economies that are home to most of the world’s population.
Kieron is a recognised pioneer in the world of social impact. He brings a wealth of experience from across business, government, and civil society. He is currently the CEO of the Impact Investment Institute, an independent, non-profit organisation and the UK’s national body for impact investing, where he has worked to transform capital markets for a fairer, greener future. Before this, he served as CEO of Guy's and St Thomas Foundation, one of the world’s oldest and largest charitable foundations, where he pioneered new ways of improving urban health and led its transformation into a leading responsible investor. Prior to this, he led the UK government’s efforts on social innovation and worked at No.10 Downing Street, the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Boston Consulting Group.
"I am thrilled to join 100x. Our mission couldn’t be more exciting — to help visionary entrepreneurs improve the lives of billions of people."
Kieron's career has focused on driving real-world, positive change in the systems around us. He founded Impact on Urban Health, Better Society Capital, and the Government Outcomes Lab, and brought ‘Giving Tuesday’ and the B Corp movement to the UK. He holds various non-executive roles, including as a Governor at the Southbank Centre and Chair of the Long-term Investors in People’s Health programme, a $7 trillion global coalition of institutional investors. He is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.
At 100x, Kieron will build on the Accelerator's innovative model in scaling impact entrepreneurship and financing, evolve its strategy alongside growing a diverse team of professionals, and promote the organisation's role as a critical part of the impact innovation ecosystem.
Kieron said: "I am thrilled to join 100x. Our mission couldn’t be more exciting — to help visionary entrepreneurs improve the lives of billions of people. Our work is powered by LSE, one of the world’s leading platforms for social science, which means the insights we learn can be shared for systemic effect. I’m hugely impressed by what 100x has achieved in a short space of time, and I look forward to drawing on my experiences from across the impact economy as we scale our work around the world. Societies are going through profound and rapid change, and the ventures we support will play a critical role in shaping a more positive future.”
Professor Stephan Chambers, the Director of the Marshall Institute, said: "Kieron’s track record as a global impact leader is outstanding, and we believe that his portfolio of experience across public and private social innovation and impact investment and his ability to navigate the complexity of multi-sectoral systems to drive tangible positive social change will take 100x's impact to the next level."
"Organisations seeking to address social challenges should have access to the best financial, intellectual and network support. 100x’s place at LSE makes this possible and we are pleased to add Kieron to the dynamic collection of resources we can offer to social ventures.”
100x sources cohorts of high-impact ventures from around the world and supports them with £150,000 of catalytic funding and a 12-week hybrid accelerator programme that introduces the cohort to a network of multipliers, including mentors, connectors, and funders. Over 2,000 ventures from more than 100 countries have applied to the programme since its launch. The current cohort comprises social ventures from emerging markets, tackling issues ranging from last mile and digital healthcare access, education and learning innovations to financial inclusion.
LSE President and Vice Chancellor, Professor Larry Kramer, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kieron Boyle to the LSE community. Organisations seeking to address social challenges should have access to the best financial, intellectual and network support. 100x’s place at LSE makes this possible and we are pleased to add Kieron to the dynamic collection of resources we can offer to social ventures.”
Kieron starts his new role in October 2024, poised to lead 100x Impact Accelerator into a new era of growth and global impact.