Irina Ivan-van der Kwaak

Irina leads the development of Van Leer’s impact investing portfolio across multiple asset classes. She joined the Foundation in 2018 to help manage partnerships and projects related to scaling early childhood development programmes. Prior to joining the Foundation, Irina was a Senior Strategy & Learning Officer at the Porticus Foundation in the Netherlands and UK. Irina started her career in 2007 in investment banking at Lehman Brothers and then Evercore Partners. Originally from Romania, she holds a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Kenyon College (USA) and an EMPA from the London School of Economics (UK).

Thought pieces from Irina:

• Good housing can make parenting less lonely – Early Childhood Matters
• What Makes Housing Good for Young Children and Caregivers? – Urban95 Academy | Podcast on Spotify
• A journey to reconcile the two identities of Van Leer Foundation: who we are as investors with who are we as philanthropists
• The Developer – Caregivers and young children rarely consulted in community engagement despite representing a third of the population