Biography
Meredith Sumpter
Director, Harvard University & New America Justice, Health & Democracy Impact Initiative
Meredith Sumpter is an executive leader and builder of organizations and movements that make capitalism work. She is focused on creating value that scales at a time of growing climate and inequality risks and opportunities.
Meredith’s expertise is in translating enterprise energies into material value for shareholders and stakeholders alike. Previously, she was CEO & President of the Board of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism, a global community of CEOs committing their organizations to actions that demonstrate the business value of sustainable and inclusive models. The Council launched and expanded from 25 to 570+ corporate and investor CEOs during Meredith’s tenure, taking 780+ measurable actions tied to the UN SDGs. She was also CEO of the separate Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism, which successfully convened leaders across private, public, and civic sectors to launch market-relevant reforms for more dynamic economic growth outcomes.
Meredith has a track record of leading multi-stakeholder initiatives at executive levels with market impact. This includes the Just Transition Framework for Company Action, the first private-sector guide for companies, investors and policymakers on advancing environmental and social goals with transition tied to market indicators. She also guided the Pension Fund Coalition’s work to develop the first long-term value creation templates for use by asset owners and asset managers in public equity and private markets investment contracts.
Bringing people together to pragmatically solve problems and expand opportunity is a central theme in Meredith’s work. She holds an advisory position at New America along with Harvard University, where Meredith convenes public sector leaders with national research experts on innovative reforms to advance democratic resilience. In this role, she has brought leaders together around innovative solutions for AI and governance, health equity, social justice, and economic opportunity.
Formerly, Meredith was Head of Research & Strategy at Eurasia Group, a global geopolitical risk advisory firm. She oversaw the firm’s research platform and advised industry leaders and investors on global politics and 21st century drivers of trade, disruption, and growth. Meredith has led business strategy for Fortune 500 firms. She also worked in the US Senate and as a US diplomat in Beijing, where she advised two US ambassadors and analyzed politics, economics, and security issues for policymakers.
An honors graduate of both the London School of Economics & Political Science and the University of Washington, Meredith has appeared on major networks including Bloomberg, CNBC, MSNBC, BBC, Fox, PBS and CNN. An advisor to boards, she values engaging people and regularly speaks at industry and global conferences. Originally from rural Alaska, Meredith enjoys a rich life parenting four children with her husband Ryan
