Justin Sykes
Justin is an impact investment specialist with 20 years’ experience in supporting the deployment of private capital to increase economic opportunity and access to essential services for vulnerable populations, often in fragile contexts. These investments have impacted hundreds of thousands of lives across a diverse range of countries in Africa and the Middle East. Justin is the Founder and Managing Director of Innovest Advisory, is an impact investment consultancy that seeks to unleash the power of capital to address some of the world's most challenging problems through a rigorous focus on impact. His wide-spanning career history has included working for Youth Business International (patron HRH Prince of Wales) the United Nations Youth Employment Network (Chair UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan) and Silatech Foundation (Chair former First Lady of Qatar and mother of the current Emir). He serves as a board member and adviser to a number of microfinance institutions and international charities engaged in supporting the livelihoods of low-income communities. He is a non-executive director on the Guernsey domiciled $210 million impact investment fund, Partners Group Impact Investments. (PGII).
“With more than 79.5 million forcibly displaced people worldwide and more than 272 million international migrants, there is a need for long-term, market-based solutions to support livelihoods for this population. For long-term sustainability, vulnerable migrants and forcibly displaced populations need to be equipped with the necessary capital and skills to successfully build and operate businesses or be employed by displacement-inclusive businesses. Such businesses need support to scale their operations and break into new markets enabling them to grow and as a result, hire more employees.”