Who we are

Global social impact and philanthropy experts dedicated to driving impact 

Our vision and mission

Our vision is connecting philanthropists and impact investors with impactful organizations and social entrepreneurs, globally and locally.

Our mission is for the UBS Optimus Foundation network to drive systemic and catalytic impact for marginalized communities, especially children and young people around the world.

Established 25 years ago

130+ impact and philanthropy experts in 9 locations

370 projects vetted and ready for investment

Over 10,000 UBS clients engaged in philanthropy

Euromoney Best philanthropic advice globally 2017-2022

The UBS Optimus Foundation is a global network of social impact and  philanthropic foundations that connects you with inspiring philanthropy programs that, backed up by data and through sustainable impact investing, are making a measurable, long-term difference to the most serious and enduring social and environmental problems. 

Part of UBS Social Impact and Philanthropy group and at the heart of the company’s social impact strategy, the UBS Optimus Foundation is funded by UBS, our clients and employees, as well as private and public partners. Our collective mission is to make your contributions to our philanthropic foundations go further. 

We are recognized globally as a philanthropic thought-leader focusing on

  • incubating global impact ventures
  • scaling global social impact through philanthropic partnerships and policy change
  • achieving impact transparency

The UBS Optimus Foundation's evidence-based programs have the potential to be transformative, scalable and sustainable and focus on health, education and climate and the environment.

Our impact

Focusing on programs and global impact ventures that have the potential to be transformative, sustainable, and scalable.

6.7 million individuals reached directly, including:

  • 2 million children and 3.4 million adults
  • 10% male and 90% female
  • 85,000 professionals trained

Additional reach through:

  • 286 health facilities
  • 1,200 educational facilities
  • 2,300 families

75% grantees or investees with >50% women in leadership positions reached

A group of people walking on a beach

2.6 million hectares conserved, restored and/or sustainably managed

500,000 tons of CO2 emissions avoided/sequestered

> USD 1.5 billion to be disbursed in health, education, climate and environment by 2024 since UBS Optimus creation

8 incubators/accelerators supported to drive a pipeline of investible social enterprises

59 impact ventures supported in health, education, climate and environment

Catalytic funding

  • 60 organizations able to attract more funding due to UBS Optimus Foundation support
  • Blended finance: SDG Outcomes Fund made its first 9 investments

* Data reflects metrics and outcomes for 2023 as measured by our foundation through metric tools and surveys.

The UBS Optimus Foundation annual reviews

Read our annual reviews from the UBS Optimus Foundation to learn how your investment makes a difference, curated here for you to easily access. 

2023

Annual review 2023

Our experts

The UBS Optimus Foundation consists of a highly experienced and multidisciplinary team that has been working together for several years. Our broad and deep networks in social impact investing, health, education and in the environment sector allows us to leverage our abilities for strategic insight, pipeline building, and supporting partners in their growth.

Management team

Portrait of Tom Hall

Tom Hall

CEO, UBS Optimus Foundation network and Head of Social Impact and Philanthropy, UBS

With nearly 20 years' experience working in impact and philanthropy, Tom leads the UBS Social Impact team of over 150 professionals across the globe to help clients and UBS employees to maximize their impact locally and globally. Tom has personally advised over 2,500 clients and their families during his time at UBS and is passionate about finding ways to catalyze scalable solutions to the pressing social and environmental problems the world is facing. A regular speaker at conferences globally, Tom believes that through partnerships we can build an Impact Economy that values people and planet in all investment decisions and builds a world that is profitable for all.

Prior to joining UBS in 2013, Tom spent his career in the non-profit sector. As Director of Philanthropy and Social Investment at the Disability Charity Scope, he pioneered the use of social investment structures, including the Scope Bond which was the first listed bond issued by an operational charity in the UK. Tom also worked with the cabinet office on the development of the new Social Investment Tax Relief.

Earlier in his career, Tom was the first UK employee of the Microloan Foundation securing the investment for the charity to expand into sustainable microfinance, with over 50,000 customers in Malawi.

Tom, is a father of four children, a keen runner and has a Politics degree from Exeter University as well as professional qualifications in marketing (CIM), fundraising management, financial planning and is a Green and Sustainable Finance professional. Tom is also proud to be #madebydyslexia and to be an advocate for personalized education to help every child achieve their full potential.

Portrait of Dhun Davar

Dhun Davar

Head of Social Finance

Dhun Davar joined UBS in 2017 as Program Director, Education and Early Childhood Development. Since 2020, she leads the Optimus Foundation’s work in social finance across the thematic areas of education, health, climate and environment and a range of innovative finance products and field-building initiatives. She also leads Social Impact and Philanthropy in the Middle East, Africa and India for UBS.

During her time at UBS, Dhun has made significant contributions in social finance, collective philanthropy, and growing the Optimus foundation network. She has spearheaded the world’s largest development impact bonds in education and health, led on investment pipeline for the first global blended finance fund for outcomes contracts, been instrumental in building the social investments portfolio and investment team at Optimus and UBS’ first philanthropic collectives. She has also driven a first-of-its’ kind collaborative model at UBS bringing together strategic grant-making, client services and corporate philanthropy in India, a model that has been replicated globally across the firm.

Prior to joining UBS, Dhun was CEO at Apnalaya, COO at Hand in Hand Switzerland and also worked for GuideStar India, Voluntary Services Overseas and GiveIndia on strategy & planning, program management and impact measurement.

Nalini Tarakeshwar

Head of Programs and Impact Transparency

Nalini joined the UBS Optimus Foundation in January 2019 and is the Head of Programs and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning. She primarily oversees the strategies, philanthropic grant making and impact measurement of the Foundation’s programs in Child Protection, Climate and Environment, Education and Health. Nalini started her career as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University and has since gained almost 20 years of experience in international development. She briefly worked for the Global Health Institute at Duke University and for the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, where she established the Evidence, Measurement and Evaluation team. In addition, Nalini worked for Big Win Philanthropy, where she developed their strategy and established their programs team.

Our network's board members

Australia

Peter Mason (Chair, External expert)
Jo Avellano (UBS)
Anthony Sweetman (UBS)
Alison Telfer (UBS)
Clinton Wong (UBS)

Europe

Christine Novakovic (Chair, UBS)
Mischa Eckart (UBS)
Lars Kloster (UBS)
Giovanni Ronca (UBS)
Cherstin Seybold (UBS)
Alejandro Velez (UBS)
Maya Ziswiler (External expert)

Hong Kong

Amy Lo (Chair, UBS)
Gaetano Bassolino (UBS)
Ka Kit Lee (External expert)
Tim Wannenmacher  (UBS)

India

Anubhav Agarwal (UBS)
Dhun Davar (UBS)
Cyrus Rastomjee (UBS)
Nalini Tarakeshwar (UBS)

Singapore

Patricia Quek (Chair, UBS)
Benjamin Cavalli (UBS)
Hock Yong Chew (External expert)
Thomas Kaegi (UBS)
Chi Chiu Tan (External expert)
Nalini Tarakeshwar (UBS)

Switzerland

Beatriz Martin (Chair, UBS)
Michael Ambühl (External expert)
Michael Dargan (UBS)
Christopher A. Holder (External expert)
Brian Hull (UBS)
Robert Karofsky (UBS)
Iqbal Khan (UBS)
Amy Lo (UBS)
Lilian Macharia (External expert)
Suzanne Siskel (External expert)
Theodosia Adjorkor Sowa (External expert)
Jeffrey R. Williams (External expert)

United Kingdom

Eva Lindholm (Chair, UBS)
Vineet Bewtra (External expert)
Pilar Rocafort (UBS)
Edoardo Rulli (UBS)
Dominic Vail (External expert)