Jasper J. van Brakel

As president and CEO of RSF Social Finance, Jasper van Brakel sees firsthand the energy that mission-aligned, catalytic capital sparks. He guides RSF in revolutionizing how people relate to and work with money, leading a talented team that develops innovative giving, investing, and lending programs to address the significant social, environmental, and economic challenges of our time. Prior to joining RSF in March 2018, van Brakel was a partner at Newpark Capital, a private equity firm for impact-driven companies. He served as an operating partner with Armonia, an impact investor and regenerative field builder, where he initiated collaborative partnerships and provided strategic leadership support to several portfolio companies, both as an adviser and as a board member. Born and raised in the Netherlands, van Brakel worked for 14 years with the Weleda Group, advancing from sales positions in Germany to leading global strategy, branding, and marketing initiatives. He moved to the U.S. in 2008 to lead Weleda North America as president and CEO in New York, a position he held for 7 years. As chair and interim CEO for Weleda’s Dutch and Belgian subsidiaries from 2013 to 2014, van Brakel restructured the company and positioned it for growth while maintaining the culture of the venerable natural, organic, and biodynamic consumer product company. A graduate of Harvard Business School’s general management program, van Brakel also holds a master’s degree in economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. He chairs the board of Gaia Herbs in Brevard, North Carolina and sits on the advisory board of Flock, an accelerator focused on regenerative and natural food. Jasper lives in San Rafael, California with his wife Marieke and their four children.