Jonathan Jenkins

Biographical Information
"Jonathan Jenkins is the CEO of the Social Investment Business, the largest lender to social ventures in the UK. He was previously director of ventures at UnLtd, overseeing the innovative Big Venture Challenge seed investment programme. He was also seconded to NESTA to working on two projects around the introduction of Big Society Capital. Prior to working in the third sector, he has over 15 years' experience in raising finance for small and medium projects from his city career, which included time at a UK merchant bank. This culminated in his role as managing director of Plus Markets, a stock exchange created by his family to enable access to capital for small companies. Jonathan is on various advisory panels looking at social finance and also holds various charity trustee appointments such as Ethex, Impact Assets and Bright Charity"

"Jenkins used to be a foreign exchange trader and describes himself as a "former arch-capitalist" who converted to investment with a social conscience and entered the sector in 2008 as director of ventures at the social enterprise support body UnLtd.

"He took over from Jonathan Lewis at the SIB in September, and describes the organisation as a "sleeping giant". He points out that it still has more funds under management than any other outfit in the social investment sector. "But it's time to look at where we can get some new money," he says.

"He already has ideas about where else to go to raise that cash. And although he is hesitant to say exactly whom he will approach, one source will certainly be the newly formed wholesale lender, Big Society Capital." 

Affiliations

 * 2011: Chief executive, Social Investment Business
 * 2008: Director of Ventures, UnLtd
 * 2006: Director, Myhome Services
 * 1997: Managing director, Plus Markets Group
 * 1992: Head of forward foreign exchange, Schroders