Acumen Fund Announces Three Additions to Its Board of Directors

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Pat, Ken, and Thulasiraj bring a wealth of expertise and experience that will help Acumen Fund continue to expand geographically, to build a truly global community and to create a world in which all people have access to critical goods and services

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 25, 2011

Acumen Fund, a recognized pioneer of impact investing celebrating its tenth year of working to create a world beyond poverty, today announced the following additions to its Board of Directors:

•     Pat Mitchell, President and CEO of the Paley Center for Media. Prior to the Paley Center, Ms. Mitchell was President and CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for six years. She was the first woman and first producer and journalist to hold the position. In 2011, she was named to Newsweek’s list of 150 Women Who Shake the World. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Green Cross International, and sits on several boards, including AOL, the Sundance Institute, Human Rights Watch, the Mayo Clinic, and the Jordan River Foundation.
•     Ken Ofori-Atta, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Databank Financial Services Limited, the leading investment banking firm in Ghana. Databank has offices in the Gambia and Liberia and manages EPACK, the most successful pan-African equity mutual fund. Ken Ofori-Atta also serves on the boards of Enterprise Group Limited, Trust Bank of The Gambia, Women’s World Banking Ghana, New York University in Ghana, Central University College, College of Health Sciences at the University of Ghana, Ashesi University, and on the International Advisory Council of Yale University. He is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and Co-Founder of the Africa Leadership Initiative.
•     Thulasiraj Ravilla, Executive Director of Aravind Eye Care System, the largest eye care facility in the world. Mr. Ravilla is Executive Director of Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology which focuses on contributing to the prevention and control of global blindness through teaching, training, consultancy, advocacy and research in eye care delivery. He is the Chairman of the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness-South East Asia Region (IAPB-SEAR) and the Human Resource Working Group of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).

Acumen Fund’s Board of Directors includes representatives from across the geographies where Acumen Fund is active and represents leaders from the worlds of philanthropy, business, social change, investing and media.

“Pat, Ken, and Thulasiraj bring a wealth of expertise and experience that will help Acumen Fund continue to expand geographically, to build a truly global community and to create a world in which all people have access to critical goods and services necessary to live a life of dignity and choice,” said Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO, Acumen Fund. “The value of their guidance, insight and perspective is immeasurable, and we are deeply honored to have them join the diverse group of directors on the Acumen Fund board.”

On November 9 and 10 in New York City, the Board will gather with the Acumen Fund global community for the annual Investor Gathering to reflect on lessons from the last ten years, share a vision for the future and celebrate a decade of innovation for social change. Since its founding in 2001, Acumen Fund has cumulatively invested over $68.5 million in patient capital—investments made in early-stage enterprises, often including management support, with a payback or exit in several years—in 63 transformative businesses that provide access to water, health, energy, housing and agricultural services to low-income customers.

About Acumen Fund
Acumen Fund is working to create a world beyond poverty by investing in social enterprises, emerging leaders and breakthrough ideas. We invest patient capital in business models that deliver critical, affordable goods and services to the world’s poor, improving the lives of millions. Since its founding in 2001, Acumen Fund has invested more than $60 million in enterprises that provide access to water, health, energy, housing and agricultural services to low-income customers in South Asia and East Africa. And we are building a global community of emerging leaders that believe in creating a more inclusive world through the tools of both business and philanthropy.

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