B Lab is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.
©Copyright 2012 B Lab. All rights reservedJay Coen Gilbert, Bart Houlahan, and Andrew Kassoy (the "Co-Founders") share passion for creating a better world through business and have been friends for over 20 years. Prior to B Lab, Jay and Bart were Co-Founder and President, respectively, of AND 1, a $250 million basketball footwear and apparel business. Andrew has spent his entire career as a private equity investor; most recently as a Partner at MSD Real Estate Capital, a $1 billion real estate fund controlled by MSD Capital, the investment vehicle for the assets of Michael Dell and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.
B Lab Team
Carolyn Bess, Director of Development
Christina Bianco, Certification
Yola Carlough, Community Development
Gigi Lee Chang, Community Development
Jordan Chazin, Certification
Sue Cori, Certification and Operations
Andy Fyfe, Community Development
Susan Garrigle, Services
Nathan Gilbert, Program Associate
Dermot Hikisch, Director of Community Development
John Hillstrom, Chief Technology Officer
Vale Jokisch, Director of Services
Katie Kerr, Communications
Neha Kumar, Analytics
Olivia Muiru, Certification
Stephanie Nieman, Standards
Beth Richardson, Director of GIIRS
Stephanie Ryan, Community Development
Hardik Savalia, Certification
Erik Trojian, Director of Policy
Heather Van Dusen, Community Development
Flory Wilson, Director International , GIIRS
The Board of Directors
B Lab is governed by a dynamic process of broad, transparent multi-stakeholder engagement. The Board of Directors will establish several Advisory Councils to ensure continuous incorporation of best thinking and practices into B Lab's mission and activities. The Board will have ultimate decision-making authority on recommendations coming from the Advisory Councils.
Members of the Board of Directors will:
• Oversee strategy, budget and operations of B Lab, including oversight of management, compensation, and development
• Play a leadership role in forming the Advisory Councils, provide oversight of their activities, and amend/approve their recommendations
• Assist in identifying and cultivating potential philanthropic donors/investors to ensure funding of B Lab's operations prior to sustainability via licensing income
Debra Dunn, Director, Skoll Foundation, former SVP Corporate Affairs and Global Citizenship Hewlett Packard
Bart Houlahan, Co-founder B Lab, Former CFO, COO and President of AND 1
Lorene Arey, President, The Clara Fund
Dave Chen, Founder and Managing Director, Equilibrium Capital Group LLC
B Lab is a 501(c)3 governed by a process of broad, transparent multi-stakeholder engagement. The Board of Directors has convened two independent Standards Advisory Councils that oversees the certification ratings and auditing requirements for B Corporations and GIIRS-rated companies in both developed and emerging markets. The SAC members are thought leaders, social entrepreneurs, and practitioners with expertise across environmental sustainability to community engagement to responsible governance.
Based on SAC recommendations and feedback gathered from a public beta process, Version 1.0 of the B Ratings System was published October 19, 2007, and Version 2.0 launched in January 2010 with two addenda focused on the green building and financial services industries. Today they are working on Version 3.0 and various industry addenda to be launched in spring 2011.
The Standards Advisory Councils are independent bodies to ensure that the B Rating System is a fair yet rigorous standard for social and environmental performance. B Lab management only occupies one seat on each SAC (Bart Houlahan, Co-Founder on the developed markets SAC and Flory Wilson, Director of International Standards on the emerging markets SAC). Recommendations from the SAC can only be rejected with a 2/3 majority vote by the Board of Directors.