Anita Panchmatia is a Managing Director at Bank of America (BofA) with over 20 years of experience working in global investment banks. In her role, she drives growth in trading businesses by delivering transformative technology solutions. Anita previously worked at Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, in Global Markets and Private Wealth Management businesses. She is experienced in leading complex, large scale, multi-stakeholder organisations, in highly regulated sectors.

Anita has been a champion for diversity throughout her career. She was recognised in Nasdaq’s global campaign for Women in Technology, and The Sunday Times’ “35 Women Under 35” list. As Chair of the IC, Anita will help shape the strategy and investment processes for the Fund. Commenting on her hopes for the Fund, Anita said:

“A commitment to diversity — in every facet — is what GIF does best. For example, the investment process stretches beyond traditional financial measures: ESG Environmental, Social, and Governance) risks are captured in the risk management framework; social impact is measured in performance reports. GIF actively engages diverse founders, who may have been overlooked by traditional investors. There is a lot to learn from GIF practices — and we are happy to share those with the social investment community.”

In addition to her role as chair of GIF’s IC, Anita sits on the boards of the National Shipbuilding Office (Ministry of Defence), and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. She also tutored Finance at Harvard University. These experiences reflect Anita’s desire to apply her skills to different cultures, stakeholders, and sectors.

“Joining the GIF board was a chance to contribute all my experiences to a cause close to my heart: tackling poverty and inequality.”

Bridging the Gap Between Law and Social Impact

Anita’s appointment coincides with the appointment of Teddy Kim and Sung-Hyui to the IC board. Sung-Hyui is Partner in the Purpose & Impact team at Bates Wells, the first UK law firm to be certified as a B Corp. She advises clients seeking to have a positive impact through their business and other activities, including on capital-raising, formation, governance, and general not-for-profit and commercial law issues.

Sung-Hyui’s legal expertise gives her a unique perspective on the Fund, bridging the knowledge gap between the investment and legal spheres of social investment. In addition to her role on the IC, she also acts as Co-Lead of the Equalising Deal Terms (EDT) Project, which seeks to analyse and overcome (often inadvertent) power imbalances between impact investors and founders. On her motivations for joining the Fund, Sung-Hyui said:

“I have always admired the Growth Impact Fund from afar since its inception, particularly its courage and ambition to be a social investment fund that really strives to do things differently, to genuinely improve access and the overall investment experience for a wide range of underrepresented founders.”

Cross Border Investment Expertise

In addition to the financial and legal expertise appointed to the board, Teddy Kim, a Partner at Berlin based Heartfelt_, has joined the IC to share his expertise in supporting and partnering with pre-seed startups from Europe and European founders abroad. Heartfelt_ is a pan-European first cheque fund partnering with aspiring founders from across Europe. The team behind Heartfelt_ has invested in over 300 startups over the past 10 years in their commitment to European pre-seed investing. The fund sees particular promise in first-time founders coming from diverse backgrounds, reflecting the team’s varied history and lived experiences.

Teddy also sits on the investment committee of London Business School’s Student Impact Investing Fund (SIIF) and acts as an advisor to several early-stage impact startups including SafetyNet Technologies. On joining the Fund, Teddy said:

“I’m a believer in trying new and often difficult things. I was both impressed and intrigued by the mission of the Fund and am humbled to do my (small) part in helping realise improved outcomes for both entrepreneurs and investors alike.”