Big Issue Impact Advisory appoints Sasha Afanasieva as new MD

The impact advisory business of the Big Issue has appointed Sasha Afanasieva as its new Managing Director. 

Big Issue Group launched Big Issue Impact in 2024, a standalone advisory service that helps corporate clients measure their impact around ESG and sustainability thinking.  

The service harnesses the Big Issue’s three decades of trailblazing social impact measurement, most notably through its world-famous street magazine, which has been sold on UK high streets since 1991. 

Klara Kozlov departs the role of Managing Director after a successful launch and establishment period and will take up a new position as a Senior Advisor to Big Issue Group. She will be replaced by Sasha Afanasieva, who moves up into the role after serving as Chief Strategy Officer of Big Issue’s social investment arm Big Issue Invest. 

Afanasieva joined Big Issue Invest in 2022. An impact management specialist with a background in finance, she previously advised over 50 organisations on impact strategy and measurement. She also founded the award-winning social enterprise Blubel and is a fellow of the On Purpose social enterprise leadership programme.  

Since joining the social investor, Afanasieva has led the development of Big Issue Invest’s impact strategy and approach, working closely with the Big Issue Group’s public market partners to develop impact funds and serving on the Social Advisory Committee for Columbia Threadneedle UK Social Bond Fund. 

In addition to her responsibilities with Big Issue Impact Advisory, Afanasieva will join the senior leadership team of the wider Big Issue Group. The social enterprise works with thousands of people each year, offering earning and learning opportunities for people living in extreme poverty. 

Sasha Afanasieva, the new Managing Director of Big Issue Impact Advisory, said: “I’m excited to lead our impact work together across the Group, building on the Impact team’s great expertise of working with BII investment managers, funders as well as social businesses. We’ll be focused on refining our impact approach and reporting, to deliver high-quality impact work, both internally and to our clients and partners.” 

Paul Cheal, CEO of the Big Issue Group, added: “Big Issue has been a trailblazer in delivering social impact for nearly 35 years. That’s why last year we launched Big Issue Impact, a standalone advisory service that, since its inception, has been helping to shape a fast-changing ESG and impact investment landscape. 

“I’d like to thank Klara for helping us bring this fantastic business to life and I’m excited to welcome Sasha to build on our current momentum. As firms continue to recalibrate their ESG and impact, we are now even better placed to respond and deliver on their strategies.” 

Big Issue Impact Advisory has worked with businesses across multiple sectors to create credible, multi-stakeholder impact solutions that align with their broader business strategy. To find out more, email impactadvisory@bigissue.com.