'His role is to keep pushing pace': Northern Ireland social impact platform appoints leading economist as head of economics
Appointment deepens Thrive’s in-house economics capability and the continued evolution of the Impact Evaluation Standard, Thrive’s independently governed social impact measurement framework
Belfast-headquartered social impact measurement platform Thrive has appointed Dr Daniel Fujiwara as head of economics as the company continues to strengthen the rigour and credibility behind its impact evaluation offering.
Dr Fujiwara will lead Thrive’s in-house economics team, deepening the economic expertise that underpins the company’s Impact Evaluation Standard.
Widely recognised internationally for his pioneering work in social value measurement, Dr Fujiwara authored the chapters on valuation in the HM Treasury Green Book, which guides how the UK Government appraises social outcomes. He also co-authored supplementary guidance on wellbeing analysis and work for the Department for Work and Pensions, and previously founded social value research consultancy Simetrica.
The appointment comes at a time when boards, investors and contracting authorities are demanding greater accountability and robustness in social impact reporting, with organisations increasingly seeking data capable of withstanding audit-level scrutiny.
Neil MacDonald, CEO of Thrive, said: “Social impact is maturing. Boards and investors want the same rigour from social data that they expect from financial accounts. They need numbers that can support investment decisions, not just stories that read well in a report.
"The Impact Evaluation Standard already sets the methodological pace in this market, and Daniel’s appointment further deepens the economic expertise behind it. His role is to keep pushing that pace.”
Thrive’s Economics Team will lead the next phase of development for the Impact Evaluation Standard, the company’s independently governed measurement framework, which is already aligned with the HM Treasury Green Book and the UK Government’s Social Value Model.
The company said its focus over the coming year will be on improving rigour across the social value discipline and developing a clearer understanding of the wellbeing outcomes generated by interventions. Future updates to the standard will also aim to extend its applicability into a wider range of international markets.
Dr Fujiwara added: “Social value measurement is ready to raise the bar on rigour, and on how clearly it captures the wellbeing outcomes that interventions actually deliver.
"Building on the Green Book methodology and rigorous statistical analysis is where the discipline needs to go, and the Impact Evaluation Standard is the right vehicle to take that work to scale.”
The appointment coincides with a significant expansion of Thrive’s consultancy capability, allowing customers to access support ranging from social value strategy to assurance services.
The Economics Team will also support a new economics consultancy offering focused on valuation, methodology design and strengthening the evidence base behind social impact claims.
Thrive said the expansion forms part of its wider ambition to bring the “S” in ESG reporting up to the same level of rigour as the environmental and governance pillars.