Alice Allan
Co-Director, Business Fights Poverty Institute, and Director, Collaboration
Co-Director, Business Fights Poverty Institute, and Director, Collaboration
Business Fights Poverty
The Business Fights Poverty Institute aims to advance knowledge and foster peer learning to ignite business innovation and drive actionable, cross-sector collaboration for a more equitable and resilient world.
Launched at the Business Fights Poverty Global Equity Summit on 7 March 2024 at Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge, the Institute is the culmination of nearly 20 years of Business Fights Poverty’s community-driven approach to peer learning and collaboration. Through the Institute, we create cutting-edge thought leadership reports and toolkits that drive forward thinking and, importantly, bridge the gap between academic research and business action.
Latest Publications
Corporate foundations stand at a pivotal moment in global development. As abrupt cuts to government aid flows create life-threatening gaps, this new report explores how corporate foundations can help shape a more financially sustainable approach to tackling poverty and inequality worldwide. Drawing on the latest data, global financing trends and insights from the development community, it highlights the scale of the challenge, rising needs, falling ODA, shrinking FDI and escalating debt, and the profound human impacts these shifts are already causing. With Standard Chartered Foundation and the Business Fights Poverty Institute.
Micro-retailers are the backbone of Southeast Asia’s economies — yet they are on the frontlines of climate disruption. This new report, supported by Mastercard Strive, explores how digital financial services can help micro-retailers fortify, navigate and recover from climate shocks, unlocking greater stability, resilience and long-term opportunity. Drawing on research and practitioner insights, it highlights emerging innovations, practical frameworks, and a call to action for financial service providers to embed climate resilience at the heart of inclusive finance. Download the report to learn more.
This report argues that companies should harness their core operations to create inclusive, resilient livelihoods by 2045, responding to today’s intertwined geopolitical, economic, and climate disruptions. It sets out a five-bridge framework—with practical priorities and cases—for: integrating social impact into core functions, aligning environmental and social agendas for a just transition, evolving governance and incentives, connecting decision-makers to those closest to the issues, and scaling cross-sector collaboration. With the Business Fights Poverty Institute.
This action brief explores how living wages can tackle working poverty, strengthen business resilience, and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. Drawing on peer-reviewed research and interviews with 31 experts from business, academia, NGOs, and international organisations, it examines the discourses that shape progress on living wages. The brief highlights actions companies can take to frame living wages as investments in well-being and productivity, harness collective agency across value chains, and advocate for supportive regulation. A practical resource for business leaders, policymakers, and civil society actors seeking to accelerate the adoption of living wages through evidence, collaboration, and systemic change. With the Business Fights Poverty Institute and the University of Cambridge.
This report provides insights on building partnerships for green and inclusive growth, showcasing how collaboration between businesses, governments, and civil society can address global challenges of poverty, inequality, and climate change. By aligning social and environmental goals, harnessing core business strengths, and engaging local communities, the report offers a practical framework for creating scalable, impactful partnerships. Case studies include companies like Anglo American, Visa, GSK, Primark, Cemex, and the Clean Cooking Alliance. This report is a valuable tool for organizations looking to drive sustainable change through innovative, collaborative efforts. With the FCDO and Business Fights Poverty.
Senior Fellows
At the heart of the Business Fights Poverty Institute is a Faculty of Senior Fellows, leaders from academia and business.
Alice Allan
Co-Director, Business Fights Poverty Institute, and Director, Collaboration
Co-Director, Business Fights Poverty Institute, and Director, Collaboration
Business Fights Poverty
Anna Barford
Co-Director, Business Fights Poverty Institute and Principal Research Associate, Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics
Co-Director, Business Fights Poverty Institute and Principal Research Associate, Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics
University of Cambridge
Annabel Beales
Collaboration Lead
Collaboration Lead
Business Fights Poverty
Anouk Heilen
Head of Social Sustainability
Head of Social Sustainability
Unilever
Lindsey Block
Head of Social Impact
Head of Social Impact
Primark
Isabella Bunn
Research Fellow in Governance and Global Ethics, Regent's Park College
Research Fellow in Governance and Global Ethics, Regent's Park College
University of Oxford
Payal Dalal
EVP, Executive Vice President, Global Programs, Center for Inclusive Growth
EVP, Executive Vice President, Global Programs, Center for Inclusive Growth
Mastercard
Olayinka David-West
Associate Dean and Professor of Information Systems
Associate Dean and Professor of Information Systems
Lagos Business School
Catalina Garcia
Global Director, Corporate Affairs
Global Director, Corporate Affairs
AB InBev
Amanda Gardiner
Head of ESG
Head of ESG
Meta
David Grayson CBE
Professor Emeritus of Corporate Responsibility
Professor Emeritus of Corporate Responsibility
Cranfield University School of Management
Katie Hyson
Director, Thought Leaderships and COO
Director, Thought Leaderships and COO
Business Fights Poverty
Mary Johnstone-Louis
Senior Fellow in Management Practice, Saïd Business School
Senior Fellow in Management Practice, Saïd Business School
University of Oxford
Drew Keller
Director, Institute for the Study of Business in Global Society
Director, Institute for the Study of Business in Global Society
Harvard Business School
Natasha Kwakwa
Global Head, Community Impact
Global Head, Community Impact
Standard Chartered Bank
Jane Nelson
Founding Director, Corporate Responsibility Initiative
Founding Director, Corporate Responsibility Initiative
Harvard Kennedy School
Jane Pillinger
Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Department of Social Policy and Criminology
Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Department of Social Policy and Criminology
Open University
Ravi Shankar Chaturvedi
Managing Director, Digital Planet, The Fletcher School
Managing Director, Digital Planet, The Fletcher School
Tufts University
Myriam Sidibe
Founder and Chief Mission Officer
Founder and Chief Mission Officer
Brands on a Mission
Edward Tay
Associate Professor (Practice) in Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Institute for Training and Research & Adjunct Associate Professor, Asian Institute of Digital Finance
Associate Professor (Practice) in Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Institute for Training and Research & Adjunct Associate Professor, Asian Institute of Digital Finance
National University of Singapore
Zahid Torres-Rahman OBE
Co-Founder and CEO
Co-Founder and CEO
Business Fights Poverty
The six pillars
The Business Fights Poverty Institute is built on a unique combination of 6 pillars for a fresh approach to tackling the world’s biggest social challenges.
At the heart of the Institute is a faculty of Senior Fellows who are each pioneers in their fields, from academia and business, including from Business Fights Poverty partner companies and beyond.
The Institute is rooted in solving the real-world challenges of business practitioners. That understanding is underpinned by the companies that sit at the centre of Business Fights Poverty.
The Institute supports genuine peer learning. This is underpinned by the Business Fights Poverty Peer Club, a network of 150+ employees working on the front lines of sustainability in global companies.
Original knowledge and insights are informed by Business Fights Poverty’s global network of Impact Partners, including international NGOs and think tanks, ensuring we combine global learning and local action.
The Institute’s insights are co-created with and disseminated across the Business Fights Poverty community of 30,000 practitioners from business, civil society and government.
The Institute is human- centred, AI- enabled and impact-focused. We use the latest technology to distil insights from across our community and deliver them in multiple formats and in multiple languages.
