SIS appoints first head of impact to lead social investment strategy

Alternative finance provider Social Investment Scotland (SIS) has named its first head of impact in a move to underline its commitment to positive social change.

Lindsay Wake will step up from her current role as business support and development manager at Social Investment Scotland to take on the newly created role. Picture: Greg Macvean

Lindsay Wake will step up from her current role as business support and development manager to take on the newly created position, leading and devising the organisation’s impact strategy and objectives.

She will also take responsibility for developing social impact practices across its current investment activities.

Wake has more than 16 years’ experience supporting and advising social enterprises, community organisations, businesses and charities.

The new role has been partially funded by social investor Big Society Capital, as part of its commitment under the £17 million Scottish Social Growth Fund.

SIS’s annual impact study last month found that 1.1 million Scots had benefited either directly or indirectly from its activities in the past year.

Impact-led initiatives have included the launch of the “pioneering” investment fund SIS Ventures and the development of Scotland-wide workshops for social enterprises and masterclass programmes for leaders of social purpose organisations.

Wake said: “As the finance community increasingly wakes up to the potential of social investment, so SIS must increasingly demonstrate new, authentic and innovative ways of increasing and measuring social impact.

“I’ll be looking at how we can really maximize the social impact of all our activities, whether that be through social investment funds, investment-readiness programmes or leadership masterclasses.”

SIS has invested £71m in more than 350 organisations since its inception in 2001.