R. PAUL HERMAN, HIP INVESTOR INC.
CEO + Founder, Chief Investment Officer
Wealth Manager * Portfolio Manager * Investment Adviser
An internationally recognized expert in impact investing, Paul invented “HIP = Human Impact + Profit” in 2004 to show that the best portfolios and leading companies in profit and shareholder value source their competitive advantage and bottom-line benefits from human, social and environmental impacts.
Paul and the HIP Investor team manage wealth for families, family offices and foundations, advise investors on how their portfolios can be more HIP, and manage the HIP Portfolios – including the HIP 100, the HIP Global Dividends, HIP Sustainable Real Estate and HIP Preferred Stock portfolios.
The HIP Scorecard methodology rates investments across all asset classes – cash, fixed income, public equity, private equity, real estate, hedge funds and commodities — on quantifiable metrics of sustainability and how they drive financial performance.
HIP’s industry rankings have been featured in Fast Company in 2007, 2008 and 2010. HIP has also advised corporate clients, like Walmart and NIKE, on how to be more HIP.
Paul’s landmark book, The HIP Investor: Make Bigger Profits by Building a Better World is published by John Wiley & Sons, and swiftly became a top 20 business book bestseller in April 2010 for Inc. magazine / 800ceoRead.com.
Paul’s financial expertise began with his Wharton School finance degree and corporate advising at McKinsey & Co. developing incentive regulation for energy companies and regulators. Paul’s strategic advisory and implementation leadership for Fortune 500 corporate clients and government continued at CSC Index. At eBay founder Pierre Omidyar’s Network, Paul designed investment strategy that also enabled high human impact, including venture-backed growth companies. Paul led Ashoka.org’s fundraising and partnerships as Chief Development Officer globally, expanding its donations and entrepreneurial networks.
Paul’s first pioneering venture reached 30,000 customers by creating a permission-based online debit card and financial system for families, teens and kids, a $200 billion market that including shopping, saving, investing and donating.
Paul’s own HIP investing – besides the HIP Portfolios – includes microfinance, organic food and consumer products, renewable energy, affordable health care, and B2B systems. Paul is an Investment Committee member of the Patient Capital fund and an advisor to Net Impact.
Paul is also an adjunct professor teaching MBAs at Thammasat Business School in Bangkok, Thailand, and a visiting lecturer for MBAs, including the Presidio MBA Graduate School in S.F. Paul’s wife Gayle Keck is an expert travel and food writer, and they live in San Francisco.
* For information on scheduling Paul for a speaking engagement, CLICK HERE. To learn more about HIP’s advisory services, click on the “For Investors” tab above.
* Also, for information on thought leadership Research and Publishing requests, CLICK HERE.
AVARY KENT, Impact Investment Analyst, M.B.A.
Avary started her career as a genetic engineer for George Washington University Labs, honing her analytical skills, Avary has also founded a profitable enterprise dealing in antiquities in Virginia. Her human impact experience includes teaching animal care at an inner city education non-profit, and managing endangered species ecology for the National Parks System. In 2009 Avary obtained her MBA in Sustainable Enterprise from Dominican University of California where she has worked with clients ranging from Webcor Builders Inc, Gigantic-Idea Studio, and the Association of Bay Area Governments. Her expertise includes social media, social marketing, business analysis, and client development.
R.M. ‘AUROS’ HARMAN, Portfolio Analyst, M.B.A.
Auros leads the design, collection and analysis of quantifiable sustainability metrics and sourcing; he also manages compliance and accounting. Auros has a polymathic background, including degrees from the Johns Hopkins University in Computer and Cognitive Sciences, and experience in software design, teaching and tutoring a wide range of subjects, technical and persuasive writing, and marketing and political communications. In 2007, after six years working on statistical linguistics at Motorola, Auros quit his first career to pursue an MBA at the Presidio School of Management. In 2008, he worked as a student consultant at Intuit, where he helped develop and market a free tool that lets small businesses turn purchasing data into information that helps them understand and manage their environmental impacts, and create marketing materials focused on their progress or their performance relative to peers. In May of 2009, Auros and his colleagues’ final project, a financial business model that aimed to accelerate the deployment of mid-scale clean energy co-generation assets, was selected as one of the top three projects from the graduating class, and presented at the Presidio Venture Fair.
SHILPA ANDALKAR, Client Performance and Operations Analyst
Shilpa leads the design, operation and evolution of HIP Investor’s impact, risk and reporting methodology — which uses HIP Scorecard(SM) ratings and rankings to quantify portfolio impact alongside performance for HIP clients. Shilpa graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a B.S. in Economics. She brings data systems expertise, as well as team collaboration and project management experience from the political environmental firm, California League of Conservation Voters. She also completed a culinary apprenticeship at Berkeley’s Three Stone Hearth kitchen, which works to re-discover food processing systems on a local community scale. Shilpa is excited that HIP Investor clients and teammates appreciate and enable more local food and a sustainable environment through impact investing.
NICK GOWER, Corporate Advisory Analyst
Nick manages HIP’s corporate and private venture evaluations and related consulting, client development and market research, and industry-wide awareness-building. He also spends a substantial amount of time in business development, marketing, and publishing. Prior to HIP, Nick has consulted to other angel investing and social venture facilitators (including Investors’ Circle & SVN). He has also consulted to traditional financial services companies around asset management, business development, and fund creation. Nick’s focus on human impact has been inspired by his volunteering as a trail worker for the Golden Gate National Parks. Nick studied Economics and Psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and has conducted social psychology and behavior economics research at both UNC and UCal-Berkeley.
JESSICA MARGOLIN, Impact Investing Analyst, M.B.A.
Ms. Margolin has over 15 years experience helping communities and organizations align with their long-term sustainability and developmental goals. Formerly a research affiliate at the Institute for the Future, where she published Intangible Finance, a Perspective within the 2007 Ten-Year Forecast, Ms. Margolin monitors the evolution of corporate sustainability and community performance indicators. Her professional experience also includes roles in marketing strategy, organizational design, financial analysis, and business development, and she has also been involved in educational philanthropy and operating non-profits since 2000. She occasionally blogs on social capital and educational topics on her blog, Solvation. Jessica holds an MBA in Strategic Management and Organization and an MS in Materials Science in the area of nanotechnology, both from the University of Minnesota; and a BA from UC Berkeley.
TOM BOWMER, Corporate Financial Analyst, M.B.A.
Tom’s responsibilities at HIP Investor include analyzing securities and ranking them according to their performance on financial and quantifiable sustainability metrics. He works with the portfolio analyst to create new investment products that utilize the HIP methodology, and with the CEO to construct an approach that serves to incorporate the value of intangible, human assets into financial valuation and accounting processes. He graduated with high honors from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA in Psychology (Phi Beta Kappa), and at the top of his class at San Francisco State University with an MBA in Finance (Graduate Hood Recipient).
LUCIA MARTEL-DOW, Legal and Compliance Analyst
Lucia works closely with the Chief Compliance Officer to ensure the highest ethical and legal standards within HIP. Lucia co-monitors the compliance program, co-manages document retention, and maintains appropriate review and archiving standards for social media activity and HIP communications. Lucia worked as a Program Manager for Operations Access, a San Francisco based non-profit that provides donated medical care for the uninsured. She previously lived in Madrid, Spain, and worked as an international consultant. At the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lucia worked on assignments focused in human rights, education, and development for three years. Lucia is pursuing an LL.M. degree at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, and holds a Law degree from Venezuela.
RASHIDA RICHARDSON, Compliance Analyst, J.D.
Rashida co-manages and maintains HIP’s internal archiving, document retention and regulatory compliance programs. Prior to joining HIP, Rashida worked in User Information Privacy Compliance at Facebook. She graduated with honors from Wesleyan University with a BA in the College of Social Studies and received her JD from Northeastern University School of Law. While attending law school, Rashida served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Judge Charles R. Breyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California as well as legal intern for Cowan, DeBeats, Abrahams and Sheppard, the Legal Aid Society- Employment Law Center and Dyax Corp.
MAXIMILIAN LICHTENHELD, Research Analyst
Born in Germany, Maximilian Lichtenheld has lived in over five countries including Austria, Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom. Currently, he is studying Accounting & Finance at the London School of Economics and works part-time as an Analyst at the HIP Investor Inc. Among other positions, he is the Founder and President of LSE’s M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions) Society, President of LSE’s Swiss Society and Vice-President of the Austrian Society.
DANA ROYTENBERG, HIP Associate (part-time)
Dana graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, was a brand management coordinator in New York City for clients such as Ford Motor and Andy Warhol. During school, Dana conducted research at Georgetown’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, and worked at the State Department at the American Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine.
CLIENT-SERVICE PARTNERS of HIP INVESTOR
TANYA SHAW STEINHOFER, CFA, CFP (R), Redwood Grove Wealth Management, M.B.A.
Tanya Shaw Steinhofer is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP ®) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with more than a decade of diverse investment industry experience, including an expertise in real assets and impact investing. She is the founding principal of Redwood Grove Wealth Management, an independent, fee-only financial planning firm focused on women and families with young children. Her prior experience includes several years as a senior research analyst and investment adviser at a local independent wealth management firm. She began her investment career as an equity research analyst covering real estate investment trusts (REITs) at Goldman Sachs in New York and later for Lend Lease Rosen in Berkeley, California. In addition to her professional experience, she is an active non-profit volunteer, with an emphasis on financial literacy. She is a member of the Financial Planning Association, the CFA Society of San Francisco and the Haas Alumni Network. Her education includes both a BA and an MBA from UC Berkeley.
JESSICA M. SKYLAR, Series 65 Investment Adviser Representative, M.A.
Prior to HIP, Jessica consulted to top international non-profits at the Center for Development Communication, advanced the USA Fellowship and Development teams at Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, and led marketing and fundraising at Ashoka Fellow Springboard Forward (a Social Capitalist Awardee of Fast Company). Jessica also created youth programs and a human-rights task force in her hometown of Los Angeles. Jessica has a B.A. in International Development and an M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution.
ERIC STEINHOFER, Client Development,
Series 65 Investment Adviser Representative, M.B.A.
Eric Steinhofer is an experienced financial services professional and impact investing expert. Prior to HIP Investor, Eric led Financial Fitness and Stakeholder Strategy at Charles Schwab and Company where he was responsible for managing the team that developed a Financial Fitness Institute, Financial Fitness Index and corporate sustainability business case. Eric introduced the poverty alleviation business case and worked on the team that launched the Schwab Charitable Microfinance Guarantee. Eric honed his impact investing expertise working as a research analyst for Paul Hawken’s socially responsible investment initiative, Highwater Capital. Eric also consulted for Tendris and worked in a role evaluating the ability to launch the world’s first carbon neutral loyalty program for a credit card, Visa Greencard, in the U.S. Eric has volunteered time helping the California Clean Tech Open, Calvert Foundation and as a board member for the University of San Francisco MBA Alumni Society. Eric resides in Mill Valley, California with his wife, Tanya, and two children where he feels fortunate to be able to enjoy family time hiking and cycling on Mt. Tamalpais. Eric received his BA in Economics from UCLA and his MBA from the University of San Francisco.
THERA N. KALMIJN, SureGround Solutions, M.B.A.
Thera is an expert in operational processes and strategies with more than 20 years experience. Thera is focused on the issues of corporate social sustainability and how it drives profitability. Her passion includes engaging corporations in profitable programs and partnerships to solve global environmental and social challenges. Thera is the Founder and CEO of SureGround Solutions, a consultancy providing social and sustainable solutions. Her previous experience includes Deloitte and the American Red Cross. She has an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and an undergraduate degree in Slavic Languages and Literature, also from UC-Berkeley. Thera enjoys swimming, hiking, yoga and walks in the park or at the beach with her two children.
SYLVIA VENTURA, Marketing, Media and Community
Sylvia, a native Parisian, has focused her career on developing and executing marketing launch and branding strategies for life sciences and environmental enterprises. Her career includes marketing executive roles at Omnicom, Euro RSCG, Interpublic and Foote Cone & Belding, where she launched dozens of top tier pharmaceutical product launches. In 2003 she launched Aperio Life, a marketing and brand strategy firm to work with early stage lean-budget ventures. In 2007 Sylvia decided to put her energies and training in areas she believes have a true positive impact on life. She became an environmental advocate, and sustainable business practices became the focus of her work. Early in 2007 she launched Solar4SF.org, a consumer advocacy group to promote the use of renewable solar energy in San Francisco. Soon after she founded 1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG.org) the nation’s largest community based purchasing group for residential solar power. 1BOG was acquired by Virgance, Inc. in 2008.
