• duncan@danaasia.org

Duncan Power

CEO

A Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Duncan Power has more than 30 years’ experience working in the not-for-profit and social enterprise worlds in both a financial and advisory capacity. 

Duncan joined British registered bank, Mercury Provident (now known as Triodos Bank) in 1989 as Chief Executive Officer, following a successful career in accountancy in New Zealand. The bank specialised in authorising loans to organisations seeking funding for projects that were not only financially viable but also delivered measurable, tangible benefits to their local communities. During Duncan’s five years at the helm, Mercury Provident’s balance sheet grew by more than 600%.

Background

After five years in the role, during which time he oversaw Mercury Provident’s successful merger with Triodos, Duncan was appointed by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in London as Manager, where he was solely responsible for establishing a social investment loan fund dedicated to assisting charities. Nowadays registered as a bank in its own right (Charity Bank), the fund grew quickly, following its unprecedented success in being paid back 99.5 of the very first 100 loans granted, despite being unsecured and considered as ‘unbankable’ deals by the wider UK banking community.

After three years in the role, Duncan yearned to relocate to the Southern Hemisphere and put forward a business development plan to establish CAF in Australia, while also obtaining the necessary matched funding for CAF in the UK to throw its backing behind the innovative venture. In the 10 years that Duncan served as CEO, CAF in Australia facilitated grant-making to not-for-profit organisations throughout Australia and Asia Pacific worth more than AU$120 million. Annual donations facilitated in Australia amounted to nearly 1% of total Australian tax deductible donations by 2009.

Duncan also headed-up CAF’s South East Asian operation that offered grants to developing world projects, influencing more than one million people’s lives in its first three years of operation.

During his time with CAF, he advised several global companies in their CSR activity, encouraging them to create much greater impact in their community investment programs, while at the same time increasing corporate visibility to stakeholders, from their triple bottom-line activities.

Duncan left CAF to found Dana Asia in 2011. He now dedicates his life to making a dramatic social impact in Asia Pacific using the Muhammad Yunus inspired Social Business model to achieve life-changing, sustainable outcomes.

A passionate cyclist, hiker and sailor, Duncan delights in striving to make a big difference in helping the disadvantaged to stand up and take charge of their lives. He has one son who is a marine biologist and lost two daughters to muscular dystrophy.

Certificates & Awards