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Karim Harji

Associate Fellow


Saïd Business School
University of Oxford
Park End Street
Oxford
OX1 1HP

Profile

Karim is a practitioner, educator, and researcher in impact measurement and impact investing.

Karim has worked with prominent private, public, and social sector organisations on evaluating the impacts of grant-making and impact investment strategies of individual programmes, complex portfolios and ecosystem-level initiatives in developed and emerging markets.

He was the Co-Chair of the Impact Measurement Task Force convened by the Government of Ontario, and a member of the Impact Measurement Working Group of the G8 Social Impact Investment Task Force. Karim was previously Advisor to the Rockefeller Foundation on social impact measurement, and he co-founded the Topical Interest Group on Social Impact Measurement at the American Evaluation Association.

Karim also brings substantive experience as a practitioner in impact investing. He was a co-founder of Purpose Capital (now Rally Assets), the leading impact investment advisory firm in Canada, where he established and led its Impact Advisory practice. He advised investors on the design and implementation of impact investment strategies, and authored widely-cited reports on the trends, challenges, and opportunities in this field. 

In addition to his roles at Oxford, Karim is a senior fellow with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, leading capacity development programming for nonprofits and charities on impact measurement.

He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Carleton University, and a BA Honours in Economics from McMaster University.

You can find out more about Karim on his personal website.

Research

Karim is a DPhil candidate at Kellogg College, University of Oxford, with a research focus on impact measurement for impact investing. In this research, situated in the field of social accounting, he examines how impact investors set impact expectations, select measurement approaches, and use results for decision-making.

Karim co-authored the strategic assessment of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Impact Investing Initiative, which evaluated the $40 million global programme to catalyse the field of impact investing. He also co-authored the comprehensive market review, 'Accelerating Impact: Achievements, Challenges and What’s Next in Building the Impact Investing Industry'.

For details, please see Karim's ResearchGate page.

Teaching

Karim is the founding Programme Director of the Oxford Impact Measurement Programme, which he developed with Professor Alex Nicholls. He also teaches on the Oxford Impact Investing Programme and Social Finance Programme.

Karim has also co-led an executive programme on Impact Measurement and Management for Investors at the University of Cape Town, and delivered executive training on impact measurement and impact investing in Ghana, South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Canada, and the US.