R. Paul Herman is a Research Fellow at the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity, and founder and CEO of HIP Investor. He is a globally recognized leader and author in sustainable finance, impact, ESG, and SDG measurement — and investing to pursue positive impact and profit. HIP (Human Impact + Profit) Investor produces and licenses 130,000 impact investment ratings of 10,000 global equities, 119,000 muni bonds, and 1,000 mutual funds and ETFs, including for 401(k) plans. HIP also manages diversified, fossil-fuel-free portfolios for investors. Herman is the author of The HIP Investor book (Wiley, 2010) and co-editor and co-author of the Global Handbook of Impact Investing (Wiley, 2021), both available in print and e-book, and both dedicated to the strong women of the world.
Herman is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, advised Boards and executives while with McKinsey and Company, found and funded social entrepreneurs at Ashoka.org, and shaped and measured impact investments at eBay founder Pierre Omidyar’s Network. Herman is an advisor to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), Net Impact and Sustainable Brands.
HIP Investor Ratings measure the future risk, return potential and net impact (ESG) of 10,000 global equities, 119,000+ bond issuers, and 1,000+ funds for investors, family offices, family foundations, fiduciaries, wealth advisors, fund managers, hedge funds, and retirement plans, including 401(k)s. HIP Ratings are integrated into the Peter Drucker Management 250 Index published annually in the Wall Street Journal, and several years of the annual Newsweek Green Rankings.
HIP’s ESG Strategies and ESG Portfolios allocate across sustainable equities, REITs, and funds/ETFs to thematically invest in “great places to work,” “sustainable real estate,” and fossil-fuel-free approaches to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targeted impact goals.
Herman’s 2010 textbook, ebook, and audiobook — The HIP Investor; Make Bigger Profits by Building a Better World, published by John Wiley & Sons — is included in 28 university, MBA and MPA curricula worldwide on finance, capital markets and impact investing, including Stanford University. Herman is the co-editor of a 2021 textbook and e-book, Global Handbook of Impact Investing, comprising 30 chapters from 50 authors, published in by John Wiley & Sons and available around the world in print and online.
Herman’s and HIP’s insights have been published in Barron’s, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, BusinessWeek, CNN, Reuters, and CNBC.
Herman founded HIP Investor 15 years ago to show that investments across all asset classes can solve human, social and environmental problems — and can be more profitable and less risky than being extractive of people, planet, and trust.
