Press Release: A new era for EVPA

Brussels, 10 September 2020 – The 1st of September marked the beginning of a new era for the European Venture Philanthropy Association. After 2.5 years and a highly successful spell, Steven Serneels stepped down as EVPA Chief Executive Officer and replaces Prof. Filipe Santos as Chair of the EVPA Board with Prof. Santos continuing as Board Member.

At the same time, Roberta Bosurgi became EVPA’s first female CEO, facing the challenging responsibility to lead the organization amidst the ongoing pandemic turmoil and into a brighter future. Roberta was a senior executive at Novartis and has had leading roles at the Novartis Foundation. She also brings several years of international experience in management consultancy where she focused her work on large scale change management programs and business transformations.

Prof. Santos, outgoing Chair of the Board: “I feel honored for the opportunity I was given to steward this growing community of investors for impact over the last 18 months. The pandemic in 2020 did not slow our momentum, on the contrary, it made EVPA an even more essential organization to nurture this important ecosystem in Europe and beyond. It was a great pleasure to work with my Board colleagues, with Steven as CEO, and with the very dedicated EVPA team. Under Steven’s leadership, EVPA grew its membership by nearly 30% to 300 members, published the Charter of Investors for Impact, strengthened our multi-year strategic partnership with the European Commission, organized the most impactful annual conference ever in 2019 and developed new initiatives as well as partnerships with other membership organizations. I am delighted to now transition the Chair role to Steven, as we support our incoming CEO, Roberta Bosurgi. EVPA has put together critical assets to address the challenges ahead, grow the ecosystem of investors for impact and continue creating societal impact with our members”.

For Steven Serneels who led EVPA for the past 2.5 years as CEO and now assumes the role of Chair of the Board, it is the beginning of a new, exciting era. “It is with great confidence and pleasure that I invite you to join me in welcoming our new CEO, Roberta Bosurgi. I realize it is a luxury to have Roberta on board in these exciting and challenging times. Her dedication towards the social cause, her inclusive approach and strong background, are all great assets to ensure EVPA’s success in the years to come.”

Roberta Bosurgi EVPA’s new CEO, believes we are at an inflection point, where striving for inclusive growth is no longer a matter of interest for few committed philanthropists but an inevitable movement for the broader business community.
“I would like to thank Steven, Filipe and the Board for trusting me to lead EVPA on this next phase of the journey. I have been impressed with the progress made by this vibrant and committed community and, while we all recognize the challenges of operating in the current environment, I am excited by the opportunities ahead: the unprecedented digital technology revolution, the collaboration and solidarity bringing to the ecosystem a new set of stakeholders, as well as the opportunity to join forces and scale impact with private sector and public actors. Let’s keep going, no time to lose!”