“It has been a privilege to work in IFU and very meaningful to be able to contribute to improving the living conditions of people in developing countries, who do not have the same possibilities as we do. I am also proud that I, together with IFU’s employees, board of directors, owners and private investors have been able to develop IFU into an internationally recognised commercial impact investor, which, based on a strong mandate and a solid capital base, can provide a significant contribution to realising the Sustainable Development Goals,” Torben Huss says. He continues:
“It is of course sad to say goodbye, but I look forward to engaging in other interests and having more time with my family.”
Torben Huss has been employed with IFU for more than 30 years. He started as director of IFU’s regional office in Latin America, and from 2002 – 2009 he headed IFU’s investment department. For the past 15 years, Torben has been part of IFU’s executive management, first as deputy CEO, and since 2019 as CEO.
“Torben has had a significant impact on IFU’s development, and on behalf of IFU’s board I would like to thank him for his professional management and great effort and dedication to IFU for the past 30 years. Significant results have been achieved in terms of IFU’s commercial development and the enhanced development effects from the fund’s investments,” says Michael Rasmussen, chairman of IFU’s Board.
As CEO, Torben Huss has been in charge of developing IFU into an internationally recognised commercial impact investor with focus on contributing to the green transition and creating more equal and inclusive societies in the developing countries. At the same time, annual investments have increased significantly, and capital under management has quadrupled over the past ten years to more than DKK 15bn.
The growth has not least been achieved through the establishment of public-private partnerships with Danish institutional investors, which is a groundbreaking approach to international development finance. A good example is the Danish SDG Investment Fund of almost DKK 5 billion, which was established in 2018 and will be fully invested this year.
Formally, Torben Huss will step down end of the year, however, he has indicated that he will continue in IFU until a proper handover to a new CEO has been completed and a continued fulfilment of the investment mandate is secured.
“Torben has announced well in advance that he wishes to end his operational career in IFU, and I am pleased that he will continue in IFU until a proper and professional handover to a new CEO has been completed,” says Michael Rasmussen.