What exactly does a chief impact officer do? We asked a chief impact officer

Prince Harry’s appointment as a “chief impact officer” puts him in a club almost as small as the one he’s just left. “We must be a rare breed,” says Anthony Painter, who fills the same role at the Royal Society of Arts in London. “There can’t be that many of us. My colleagues thought it was hilarious when it was in the news yesterday.”

Painter, who has been in post since December 2019, oversees projects through which the RSA, in its words, finds practical solutions to social challenges.

This is already a more abstract mission statement than, say, “guts fish for a living,” or even “rules a country”. But it is not corporate waffle. A recent example of Painter’s work for the RSA is the Cities of Learning project, in which the society has teamed up with coders and councils to create an app that helps members of the public find learning opportunities that might lead to employment.

That kind of project, which helps individuals improve their circumstances, is in some ways similar to the work of Prince Harry’s new employer. BetterUp, which is said to be worth $1.73 billion, offers personal coaching to people seeking “meaningful, vibrant lives”.

And so Painter’s door is always open to the Duke. “Maybe I could give him some pro tips,” says Painter, chuckling, “maybe a bit of coaching!”

That said, he’s not in a position to invite Prince Harry to the next International Conference of Chief Impact Officers. “I don’t think there are enough of us to fill a coffee shop, let alone a conference centre.”

In case the Duke is reading, here’s how Painter spends his time. About a quarter of it, he says, is devoted to “building and maintaining external relationships, including funding partnerships.” Another quarter goes towards devising strategy – the details of, and vision for, projects such as Cities of Learning.

The rest goes towards his own research and to helping others in the team develop their own ideas. And despite the intriguing job title, Painter is as deeply mired in admin as the rest of us: “There’s lots of bureaucratic furniture in the world you have to navigate.”

Painter, 46, has previously directed the Independent Review of the Police Federation and is the author of books about politics and media. He seems well-qualified for his current role. Is Prince Harry?

“My observation of Harry is that he’s someone who is clearly committed to impacts. I mean, he's behind the Invictus Games and so on. I get a sense that he's got a high degree of emotional intelligence.” Painter sees the Royal family as having strong social consciences, “and I’m sure he carries that with him”.

Whether the Duke can translate his personal qualities into success for BetterUp, says Painter, “remains to be seen. It’s hard and it’s tough. I’m very happy to help him think it through if he wants to get in touch. But other than that, I think he's probably got a lot of what matters to begin with. And I'm sure he can lead on networks of expertise and resources, and so on, to help him make a difference.”

To succeed in the role, Painter says, you need resilience and the ability to find focus in a broad remit. You need the ability to understand perspectives beyond your own expertise, and you need to be able find ways of communicating diplomatically. “Or you have to kick the door down.”

Having a challenging, rewarding job can benefit you outside the professional world as well as within it. “I don’t quite know what his role entails,” Painter says of the prince, “and it’s probably very different to mine. But if, in its ethos, it’s got the same sort of core to it, I think he’s going to find it very interesting and challenging, and he’s not going to have too much time on his hands to be worrying about other distractions in life.”

And perhaps, Painter speculates, the Duke’s new appointment might finally make “chief impact officer” a recognisable term. “Maybe it’s like when you get pop stars who are very popular, like Kylie in the Eighties, and then 10 per cent of girls born in the years that follow are called Kylie. Maybe there will be a proliferation of impact officers, given that Harry’s taken it on.”