Expert in using the power of sustainable finance to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges
NEW YORK | March 15, 2022—The Rockefeller Foundation is pleased to announce that Afsaneh Mashayekhi Beschloss, founder and CEO of RockCreek, one of the world’s largest diverse-owned investment firms, will serve on its Board of Trustees. An economist and leader in the private, public, and multilateral sector, Ms. Beschloss has focused her three-decade career on using the power of sustainable finance to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.
“Afsaneh is a true pioneer in climate policy and investments,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “Her expertise and leadership on our Board of Trustees will help us leverage what we call ‘the RF difference’ to ensure that opportunity becomes more universal and sustainable by making access to capital, advances in data, science, and innovation more equitable.”
Prior to founding RockCreek, which invests in sustainability, climate, affordable housing, health, education, and diverse communities, in 2003, Ms. Beschloss held senior positions in both the private and public sectors in the United Kingdom and United States. This includes serving as Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer of the World Bank, where she led the Bank’s energy investments and policy work on sustainable investing, renewable energy, power, and infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions, along with pioneering investments in wind and solar energy. In this role, she also advised governments, central banks, and regulatory agencies on global public policy and financial policy, as well as energy policy.
“Without a doubt, the widespread destruction and loss of opportunity caused by climate change is one of the gravest challenges we face. When you combine it with catastrophic stresses that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing on a global system that was built in the 1950s, on global economic stability, and on a growing energy crisis that has serious consequences on green energy transitions in rich and poor countries alike, I sure am grateful to gain such a strong champion of sustainable solutions on our team,” said James Stavridis, retired four-star U.S. Navy Admiral and Chair of The Rockefeller Foundation Board of Trustees.
In addition, Ms. Beschloss serves as Chair of the PBS Foundation and Trustee of the Institute for the Advanced Study in Princeton and serves on boards of the World Resources Institute, Council on Foreign Relations, GAVI Vaccine Alliance, Georgetown University, Center for Global Development, and the Bretton Woods Committee, where she co-chairs the Future of Finance Working Group.
Born in Iran, Ms. Beschloss came to the United States as an exchange student and later settled with her family in Washington, DC in the 1980s. She graduated with an MPhil in economics from the University of Oxford, where she taught international trade and economic development. She is coauthor of The Economics of Natural Gas: Pricing, Planning and Policy (1990) and has published numerous articles on innovations in finance for multilateral and international financial institutions and energy economics, as well as renewable energy and impact investing.
“We know that access to creative capital fuels growth and spurs job opportunities in underserved and under-resourced communities globally, and at the same time, we know that the market won’t deliver everywhere and for everyone,” said Ms. Beschloss. “This is why I am thrilled to work alongside this incredible Board of Trustees at The Rockefeller Foundation, which is a true leader in using its philanthropic capital, convening power, and innovative partnerships to overcome those market barriers and reach communities all over the world and right here in the United States.”
About The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation to enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal. Our focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to healthy and nutritious food. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @RockefellerFdn.
Media Contact
Ashley Chang
The Rockefeller Foundation
achang@rockfound.org
(212) 852-0000