Big Issue Invest appoints ex-CEO of Standard Bank as new Chair

Big Issue Invest has today (Wednesday 14 January) announced the appointment of Jenny Knott as its new Chair.

Knott joins the Big Issue Group’s social investment arm with a wealth of senior leadership experience, including as CEO of Standard Bank from 2010 to 2015. She has also held a number of non-executive director roles at organisations including the British Business Bank, Simplyhealth and Camco.

She replaces outgoing Chair Mark Porter, who departs after two years as Chair of Big Issue Invest. Porter oversaw a strong period for the social investor, in which it celebrated its 20^th anniversary and welcomed a new Managing Director, Holger Westphely, in August 2025.

In last year’s annual report, Big Issue Invest reported a significant increase in year-on-year deployment, investing a collective total of £9.4 million in 50 British organisations in the past year – more than three times the investment made in 2023/24 (£2.7 million in 13 businesses).

139 social businesses and charities now sit in Big Issue Invest’s portfolio of investees, with a total of nearly 1.9 million people across the length of the UK being supported by their services and programmes.

Knott said: “I’m delighted to be joining Big Issue Invest as its new Chair. At a time when social inequality remains stubbornly high, I’ve been impressed by the range of innovative social businesses being backed by Big Issue Invest. It has a proven track record of unlocking life-changing opportunities at scale and demonstrating social impact doesn’t need to come at the expense of financial return.

“I look forward to working with Holger and the team to build on this momentum and extend our reach further still.”

Holger Westphely, Managing Director of Big Issue Invest, added: “I am delighted to welcome Jenny as our new Chair. Her wealth of professional and non-executive experience will be invaluable as we continue to grow and look for new opportunities to expand our impact.

“I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Mark Porter for the exceptional work he’s done over the past two years. Under his guidance, we have strengthened the business and deepened our impact with hundreds of brilliant changemaking organisations working across the UK. We’re truly grateful for all he’s achieved and wish him the very best for the future.”