The Team
|
In this section
Geoeconomics was founded by Mark Hepworth and Sarah Forster in May 2007. It operates from offices in Bath and has close links to the Centre for Applied Economic Geography (CAEG), Birkbeck College University of London. The third director of Geoeconomics is Martin Frost. |
Related
Mark has been appointed a Visiting Professor at Bournemouth University’s new Green Knowledge Economy Centre, the set-up of which was inspired by the work of Geoeconomics. Sarah has been appointed a Director of the Board of South West Screen, the organisation that supports and develops creative media industries in the South West. Sarah is expected to bring her experience of social enterprise and investment to the work of SW Screen. Sarah has been working for the World Bank over the past six months leading the redesign of a microcredit component of a national poverty project in Indonesia so as to support the development of sustainable access to financial services in low-income rural and urban communities. |
|
|
|
||
 |
Sarah ForsterSarah´s role within Geoeconomics is about listening, thinking, evaluating, managing and innovating. She combines an ability to see the bigger picture with a drive to expand the frontiers of what is practically possible in areas such as finance and social enterprise. Sarah has had a long career in economic development and social finance and a strong track record in the design and delivery of investment operations aimed at achieving social good. For nine years to 2001, Sarah was at the World Bank where she led the design and implementation of microfinance apex investment funds that provided finance and capacity-building support to start-up microfinance institutions in post-conflict countries, including Bosnia and Afghanistan. In the UK, Sarah was formerly a Director of the New Economics Foundation (2001-04) responsible for NEF´s work on access to finance, social return on investment, and the Inner City 100 initiative. Currently, Sarah works part of the time as Director of Development for Big Issue Invest, a leading provider of finance to high-performing social enterprises. She has a BA in law from Cambridge University and a masters degree in Economic and Political Development from Columbia University, New York. |
|
|
|
||
|
Martin FrostMartin is the brain behind Geoeconomics´ quantitative methods and empirical analysis. He develops and implements sophisticated geographical analyses to inform policy development and to monitor and evaluate the impacts of that policy. Martin is a specialist in advanced quantitative and spatial analysis applied to public policy and business strategy. Martin has more than thirty years experience of analysing large data sets in research related to spatial economic development, the structure of local labour markets, and their relationships with public policy. He has led many large-scale projects, including the geographical analyses linked to the government´s £20million National Evaluation of Sure Start, and is known for his innovative analysis of geographic information to evaluate or inform public and corporate policy. Martin has a first degree in Geography from the London School of Economics, where he also obtained masters and doctoral degrees in planning and geography. |
|
|
|
||
|
Mark HepworthMark is the creative force in Geoeconomics. His work combines a vision for social change with a mission for both rigour and innovation. Mark is an 'eclectic economist' whose current focus is on the green knowledge economy. Mark has a distinguished career spanning academia (Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, Newcastle University, Public Policy Research Unit, Queen Mary, University of London), private consultancy (Henley Centre, Local Futures) and public policy (UK Government, OECD, European Commission). Mark´s work on the UK knowledge economy has influenced policy at all levels, from the Government´s innovation and skills policies to the economic strategies of regional development agencies, sub-regional partnerships and local authorities. His new analysis on the green knowledge economy is already being used by sub-regional public-private economic partnerships. Mark is a Director of the Thames Innovation Centre. He has a first degree in economics from the University of Warwick and masters and doctoral degrees in planning and geography from the University of Toronto. |
|