Introducing 2011 ProInspire Fellow: Brint Markle
Name: Brint Markle
Hometown: Philadelphia
Organization: Small Enterprise Assistance Funds
Previous Employer: Bain & Company
What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?
I decided to switch to the nonprofit sector this year for two main reasons: 1) I wanted to take on greater leadership responsibility through a new experience 2) I have always had a strong passion for impact investing influenced by prior experiences working for a microfinance institution in Chile and a social venture fund in Nicaragua. After three great years at Bain & Company, I wanted to see how I could apply the skills I had built in the private sector to a hybrid for-profit/non-profit environment.
What is your current position, and a typical day like?
I am a Business Development Project Manager at Small Enterprise Assistance Funds. Each day is definitely unique. My key projects include launching a $100M global frontier market fund, SEAF’s largest fund in its ~20 year history, and leading our 5 year strategic plan effort.
Where did you work prior to making the switch?
Bain & Company in the Atlanta, Zurich, Spain, and Munich offices.
What is your professional background and areas of expertise?
My professional background covers strategy consulting, entrepreneurship, and impact investing. As a strategy consultant at Bain & Company, I built expertise across private equity, healthcare, IT, telecom, consumer products, and pro-bono consulting. Prior to consulting I held two impact investing internships in Latin America. As an entrepreneur, I founded Rival Magazine, the first joint publication between Duke-UNC. The publication focuses on deepening connections and collaboration between both institutions.
What are you involved in outside of work?
Outside of work I serve as Chairman of the Advisory Board of Rival Magazine. I am also active in the Duke Alumni community. Having just moved to DC, I am looking for ways to get involved in the local Latino community as I used to volunteer for the Latin American Association in Atlanta and loved that experience. I am also an avid backcountry skier and love mountain sports. During the winter you can find me chasing powder wherever I can find it – this year will be my first trip to Alaska with some of my best friends from the US/Switzerland!
Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.
At Bain, I co-founded our first global development initiative focused on supporting social entrepreneurs in emerging markets. The experience taught me the importance of combining grassroots momentum with top-down, decisive leadership – I also learned how to make a persuasive business case for expanding social impact efforts of major corporations.
At Duke, my two primary leadership experiences were serving as Co-Captain of the Duke Water Polo team and founding Rival Magazine. Both of these experiences taught me about leading with passion, working collaboratively with many different types of people, and creating a sense of family and commitment in an organization.
Who do you look to as a leader in your respective field, and why?
Two names jump to mind: Rich Sheridan of SEAF and Ben Powell of Agora Partnerships. I think both are true innovators in the field. Specifically, Rich is helping SEAF broaden its investor base to attract socially minded commercial capital. As the sector grows to some ~$500B in the next decade (according to JP Morgan), it will be increasingly critical to build relationships with large scale financial institutions that want to do good and Rich knows how to do this.
Ben is committed to unleashing the power of entrepreneurs in the developing world as a force for good. He has created a holistic impact investing model at Agora Partnerships that combines human potential and financial capital to produce positive social and economic impact in Central America. Agora is a real innovator and I especially like how they have engaged foreign and domestic business school students to support their mission – I think it is a great way to attract talent into the impact investing sector.
What blogs or websites do you read on a daily basis?
Hmm…my blog/website repertoire is a bit thin but here are a few for starters: Social Edge, Next Billion, TED, CNN, WSJ. I’m mostly old fashioned though (I prefer books/magazines). On the magazine side, I read the Economist, Mental Floss, Entrepreneur, and Powder Magazine. Last two books I read were Social Business by Muhammad Yunus and the Ledge by Jim Davidson.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported that 82% of nonprofit CEOs are white. What does this mean to you and other people of color who aspire to leadership roles in the future?
I think lack of diversity at the senior executive level of non-profits is certainly concerning. I’ve read about some of the issues regarding the disconnect between expressed value of diversity in the sector and action to attract it. I think non-profit leaders need to realize there is real urgency to improve hiring processes and professional development efforts that attract a diverse population or they will miss out on a lot of great talent.
Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 years?
5 years – Still exploring the world!
10 years – Founding my own global social enterprise and starting a family
20 years – Hopefully by this point a serial social entrepreneur, teacher, mentor
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role?
Aureleon Decroux – World Champion freeride skier.
If your friends and enemies had to describe you in three words, what would they be?
Optimistic/energetic, down to earth, and thankful
If you won $20 million dollars in the lottery and had to donate it to a social organization – which one would it be, and why?
Calvert Foundation, they are rethinking the way foundations create positive social change all over the world. Earning a financial return for investors while lifting families out of poverty is a pretty cool thing.
What are you some of the myths surrounding working in the nonprofit sector that have been debunked by your experience?
Myth 1: Business and social good can’t coexist. Every day, we see socially minded businesses doing great things for society and non-profits acting like social businesses.
Myth 2: Non-profits don’t like to make money. I’ve learned how important it is to create positive financial returns to ensure sustainability.
Myth 3: Non-profits just staff volunteers – The non-profits I have had the fortune of working with have all been extremely professional with fairly generous pay structures.
What is your dream career if money was not an option?
Professional backcountry/free ride skier.
Where do you hang out in the D (DC), M (Maryland) and V (Virginia)?
I just moved to the area two months ago so still finding the hot spots, but definitely spend most of my time around Logan Circle and downtown.
What book are you reading right now or what is your favorite book?
My favorite books are Miracle in the Andes and Life Entrepreneurs. Regarding the former, I love incredible stories of survival. When people are pushed to the brink, you see their true, unconquerable human spirit, which I find inspiring. Regarding the latter, Life Entrepreneurs was written by one of my closest mentors, Christopher Gergen. It is an incredible book that shows how people can use the principles of entrepreneurship to lead lives full of purpose and meaning. I’ve probably read it half a dozen times and learn something new with each read.
Where else have you lived?
US: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Durham
Abroad: Granada, Spain; Santiago, Chile; Zurich, Switzerland