June 14, 2022
Maya Chorengel, Co-Managing Partner at The Rise Funds, and Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli Join The Bridgespan Group Board of Trustees
The Bridgespan Group today announced that two new members, Maya Chorengel, Co-Managing Partner of The Rise Funds, and social innovation expert and entrepreneur Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli have joined the group’s Board of Trustees.
Cheryl Dorsey, Co-chair of Bridgespan’s Board said, “We are so excited to welcome Maya and Ndidi. They will bring a fresh perspective to our work at an important juncture in Bridgespan’s evolution. Their commitment to impact and leadership in their respective impact investing and global development fields are inspiring and we are eager to learn alongside them.”
The Rise Funds are a core pillar of TPG Rise, TPG’s global impact investing platform. With $14 billion of assets under management, TPG Rise is the world’s largest private markets impact platform committed to achieving measurable, positive social and environmental outcomes alongside competitive financial returns. Founded by TPG in partnership with Bono and Jeff Skoll, The Rise Funds invest in growth-stage, high potential, mission-driven companies that are focused on achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Before joining The Rise Funds, Maya co-founded Elevar Equity, and previously invested for Warburg Pincus.
Said Maya, “Impact investing has a significant role to play in addressing the world’s challenges. We are still early in this journey and Bridgespan has an important role to play in unleashing that potential. I witnessed the Bridgespan team’s dedication and commitment to impact and accountability when I worked with them in 2016 to develop the Impact Multiple of Money, a decision tool and assessment methodology for measuring the social and environmental benefits of impact investing. It will be an honor to partner with my fellow Board members and the rest of the Bridgespan team as we work together to improve our world.”
Bridgespan’s Managing Partner William Foster said, “Maya will be an invaluable resource, especially for Bridgespan’s impact investing practice’s growth and development. We welcome the chance to deepen our collaboration and tap into her expertise as a longtime impact investor and key architect of The Rise Funds’ impact methodology.”
With more than 25 years of experience in international development, Ndidi is a recognized entrepreneur, author, public speaker and consultant. A Bridgespan alumna, Ndidi started her career at McKinsey & Company. She established LEAP Africa, a leading youth leadership and development nonprofit organization, in 2002. Over the past 14 years, she has focused exclusively on transforming the African agriculture and nutrition landscape. She is the co-founder and executive chair of Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition and also co-founded AACE Foods, which produces a range of packaged spices, seasonings, and cereals for local and international markets. She is the founder/chair of Nourishing Africa, a learning and funding platform for agriculture and food entrepreneurs and Changing Narratives Africa, committed to changing global mindsets about Africa by showcasing the Continent’s contributions to the global food ecosystem through the pioneering work of her dynamic people, their innovations, and products.
"I am also overjoyed to welcome Ndidi back to Bridgespan,” said Foster. “From her time as a consultant at Bridgespan 20 years ago to now, she has become a recognized entrepreneur and sought-after philanthropy leader and speaker. We will benefit greatly from her experience in social innovation and international development, especially as Bridgespan expands its global footprint.”
Regarding her new role with Bridgespan Ndidi said, “I feel like I have come full-circle. I am so inspired by the growth and evolution of Bridgespan over the years and look forward to shaping its future as we work together to make the world more equitable and sustainable for people and the planet.”
Both Foster and Dorsey referred to the wealth of experience their new Trustees are bringing to the table and say that the whole of Bridgespan will be enriched by it.
Maya is also a Director of TPG Inc., Benevity, Varo Bank, Nithio, SEO, and Kiva and serves on the Advisory Boards of the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative and CASE i3 at Duke University. She co-authored with Bridgespan’s Chris Addy, Mariah Collins and Michael Etzel “Calculating the Value of Impact Investing” published in the Harvard Business Review. Maya earned an AB in Social Studies from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Ndidi serves on the Boards of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), AGRA, Nigerian Breweries Plc. (Heineken), Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. India, the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum, Royal DSM Sustainability Board, Netherlands, and the African Philanthropy Forum. She holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree with honours from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She was a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, an Eisenhower Fellow and an Aspen Institute New Voices Fellow. She is the author of “Social Innovation in Africa: a Practical Guide for Scaling Impact,” and “Food Entrepreneurs in Africa: Scaling Resilient Agriculture Businesses,” both published by Routledge.
About The Bridgespan Group
The Bridgespan Group (www.bridgespan.org) is a global nonprofit that collaborates with social change organizations, philanthropists, and impact investors to make the world more equitable and just. Bridgespan’s services include strategy consulting and advising, sourcing and diligence, and leadership team support. We take what we learn from this work and build on it with original research, identifying best practices and innovative ideas to share with the social sector. We work from locations in Boston, Johannesburg, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, and Singapore.
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The Bridgespan Group would like to thank the JPB Foundation for its generous and ongoing support of our knowledge creation and sharing work.