Overcoming the 3 Myths of Social Impact

Marianna Lemus Boskovitch is a senior impact measurement specialist with over 10 years of experience developed across the UK not-for-profit and private sector. Her expertise spans across the planning, design, commissioning and reporting of policies, programmes and strategies in different domains, in the UK, EU and US.

Committed to contributing to evidence-based planning, Marianna’s expertise stems from assessing data availability and constraints in order to develop proportionate impact measurement approaches helping clients making informed decision-making.

Before joining Purpose Impact Action, Marianna was Senior Consultant at BOP Consulting – a UK-based leading consulting practice for culture and the creative economy. In that role, she helped various UK government departments and museums evaluate the effectiveness of their work, focusing on social impact, and bringing about systems-level change.

Marianna also worked at RSM UK and Ipsos MORI Policy and Evaluation Unit where she led the Economic Consulting team on the development of theory-based evaluation frameworks, responsible for overseeing the robustness of the research work underpinning impact studies.

Prior to working in the private sector, Marianna was the Research and Evaluation Manager at Young Enterprise – the UK leading financial and enterprise education provider – where she set up the evaluation practice, and oversaw the charity’s expanding impact measurement expertise.

Marianna graduated with an MSc in Development Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London, and a BSc (hons) in Economics with Economic History from Queen Mary University of London. She is also a Senior Associate at BOP Consulting, a member of the European Evaluation Society and a Social Return on Investment Practitioner Training (Social Value UK).

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

I hope to see NGOs and businesses prioritising evidence and impact measurement in all social policies, interventions and/or programmes.

I believe that focused monitoring and evaluation is a critical step that can change lives. To secure better outcomes for society, it is critical that the full power of impact measurement is realised by NGOs and businesses.

Implementing social impact strategies for evaluation can lead to continuous improvement in decision-making, greater impact, and will reinforce public trust and foster a culture of continuous learning.

Katherine brings over 25 years of professional experience, with a multi-sector career spanning private banking, offshore wealth management, UK Government and international nonprofit. Katherine is passionate about real estate, sustainable development and poverty alleviation. She has been involved with the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong since 2019, is a member of the Real Estate Committee and Vice Chair of the ESG Committee.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

I would like to see the private sector and the Government of the HKSAR working together to advance the city’s progress towards sustainability and achieving the UN SDGs

Pia is a seasoned social impact strategist with 25+ years of experience in cross-sector partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and impact measurement. Her career began in leadership roles at Weber Shandwick Shanghai and Synovate (Ipsos) APAC before shifting her focus to scaling social impact in Hong Kong in 2006.

Driven by a commitment to systemic change, Pia has spearheaded initiatives in literacy and education during her 12-year tenure as Executive Director of Bring Me A Book Hong Kong. As Co-Founder of Voice for Social Good, Pia is also a huge advocate of operational funding for nonprofits to strengthen sector resilience and deliver on impact – as their viral “Bake a Difference” campaign demonstrates.

Earlier this year, through Purpose Impact Action, Pia led Hong Kong’s first ever impact measurement research. This groundbreaking initiative addressed critical gaps in nonprofit effectiveness while responding to the growing imperative for SMEs to demonstrate their social impact and sustainability commitments to remain competitive.

By transforming complex data into actionable insights, Pia empowers organizations to demonstrate and scale their social value with clarity and confidence.

Pia holds a BA (Hons) from University College London and a Business Sustainability Management Certificate from the University of Cambridge (2022).

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

My 2025 sustainability goals are focused on advancing social impact measurement in Hong Kong through two strategic priorities:

1. Shifting mindsets: Through advocating a long-term approach to sustainability by encouraging funders and investors to commit to multi-year grants or investments. This enables mission-driven organizations to generate robust, evidence-based outcomes over time. In parallel, nonprofits and social enterprises must confidently champion their impact measurement needs to secure the necessary resources and visibility.
2. Pooling Resources and Expertise: Drive sector-wide collaboration by developing localized, shared impact measurement frameworks. Aligning on common outcomes and key indicators will enhance data comparability, reduce duplication, and streamline impact reporting — ultimately strengthening the ecosystem’s ability to demonstrate collective progress.