Richard Hawkes

Richard has been the Chief Executive of the British Asian Trust since 2015. He was formerly Chief Executive of Scope (one of the largest not-for-profit organisations in the UK), International Director of VSO and Chief Executive of Sense International. He has worked for the United Nations and has been Chair of a number of sector bodies, including BOND (the umbrella body for UK international NGOs). He is on the Board of UNICEF UK, Chair of Motivation (an international disability charity) and on the Advisory Boards of the World Humanitarian Forum and the UK’s Charity Bank.

Richard has a vast experience of social finance. As CEO of Scope, he was responsible for launching the first social investment bond in the UK, a £20m bond that was listed on the Luxembourg Stock Market, and for Scope being listed on the Social Stock Exchange. The British Asian Trust is at the cutting edge of development finance, where traditional philanthropy meets innovative finance solutions and to date has launched three hugely successful Development Impact Bonds, achieving impact at scale and driving a change in the way development is delivered and funded.

In 2020 Richard was awarded an OBE for his contribution to the not-for-profit sector.