New board member Corinne Proske for The Difference Incubator

The Difference Incubator has appointed impact investment thought leader and practitioner Corinne Proske to its board.

Proske has 20 years experience in social responsibility and sustainability consulting and was most recently NAB’s head of community finance and development and Victorian head of government, education and not for profit business banking.

Prior to joining NAB, Proske had more than 10 years experience with EY and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Her major fields of work have included developing and auditing environmental management systems, greenhouse emissions verification and environmental compliance audits. She was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2009.

Proske said she shared TDi’s approach to building the impact investment market by focusing on growing the capacity on the demand side of the equation.

“While there is a lot of demand from investors for more ethical options, many social enterprises have yet to reach the point where they stack up as a serious investment,” said Proske.

“I am passionate about joining TDi, an organisation that has a track record of supporting socially focused organisations and delivering scale and impact through financially sustainable business models,” Proske said.

“It is important to bring such rigour to the sector if we want to solve some of society’s wicked challenges.”

TDi co-founder and CEO Bessi Graham said Proske had been a key partner of TDi for many years through her ground-breaking work in building the microfinance and impact investment offerings at NAB.

“I have nothing but respect for Corinne and her amazing contributions to this market over many years. Her skill, knowledge, grace and pragmatism are a rare combination,” Graham said.

“I look forward to working with Corinne more formally in her new role as a member of our board. She will be a perfect addition to help TDi in this next phase of growth and development.”