Karp brings 25 years of experience from across the finance industry now aimed at harnessing the collective potential of Finance Leaders Fellows to create a more regenerative and inclusive global economy.
Contact: Clarke Fox
Finance Leaders Fellowship
Clarke.Fox@aspeninstitute.org
Washington, DC, January 18, 2024 — The Aspen Institute announced today that Erika Karp has joined the Institute as the new Executive Director of the Aspen Finance Leaders Fellowship (FLF). As Executive Director, Karp will expand the Fellowship’s global community of values-based finance leaders and harness its collective potential in pursuit of a more regenerative and inclusive global economy.
“We are delighted to welcome Erika Karp as she embarks on the next chapter of her wide-ranging career advancing sustainable economic growth and transparency in the capital markets,” said Dan Porterfield, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute. “Not only will Erika inspire the FLF community to make even bigger differences for the world both collectively and as individuals, building on our tradition of igniting values-based leaders, but she will be a critical partner in helping to link and leverage the Institute’s unique constellation of assets to accelerate our collective impact.”
Over the course of Karp’s 25-plus years in finance and capital markets, with leadership roles spanning sustainable and impact investing, investment banking, asset management, and wealth advising, she has established herself as a values-based practitioner and staunch advocate throughout the finance industry. Whether in leading global sector research at UBS Investment Bank, or in founding and scaling an impact investment advisory with more than $1 billion assets under management, Karp has been steadfast in her mission to bring the disciplines of finance, economics, and sustainability to bear in pursuit of a form of capitalism that supports widespread access and human flourishing.
“The complex and daunting challenges of the 21st century demand nothing less than the greatest mobilization of financial capital in human history,” said Erika Karp. “Achieving such an imperative will require a new social contract in capital markets based on transparency and good faith collaboration, a regulatory infrastructure which supports that transparency and collaboration, and—most critically—the force of will among leaders to take decisive action as stewards of a more regenerative and inclusive global economy. The Aspen Institute and Finance Leaders Fellowship are proven incubators of selfless and bold leadership, and I am thrilled to lead FLF into new frontiers of impact as Executive Director.”
Karp speaks on matters of sustainable investing and finance at venues around the world, including the UN Global Compact, the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, the Clinton Global Initiative, the Wharton School, the New York Stock Exchange, the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development, the White House, the Vatican, and many others. She holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia University and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School. Karp lives in New York, NY with her wife and three daughters.
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The Finance Leaders Fellowship is a global community of values-based senior finance leaders driving industry change to power societal progress, now with 126 Fellows across 22 countries. Using the Aspen Institute method of text-based dialogue, and building upon the Institute’s commitment to values-based, action-oriented leadership, the program encourages selected Finance Fellows to consider values and perspectives necessary for effective leadership in finance and in society at-large. The Finance Leaders Fellowship was co-founded in 2016 by Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow, Ranji Nagaswami, and Aspen Institute Trustee, Chris Varelas.
The Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN) is a growing, worldwide community of more than 3,500 high-integrity, entrepreneurial leaders from over 60 countries who share a commitment to enlightened leadership and to using their creativity, energy, and resources to tackle the foremost societal challenges of our times. Because of their demonstrated accomplishments and abilities, they have been selected to join one of 13 geographic or sector-specific AGLN Fellowships around the world. For more information, visit http://www.aspeninstitute.org/agln.
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit aspeninstitute.org.