As a Senior Solutions Consultant at Social Value Portal, Gabriela Palma Ho brings a global perspective to Social Value, shaped by her cross-border experience in sustainable business, public policy, and ESG.
In this interview, she shares how her journey from the US to Europe led her to the Social Value TOM System™, why robust measurement is transforming the impact conversation, and how organisations can balance global ambitions with local needs.
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What first drew you to a career in Social Value?
Coming from the US, when I graduated from business school, I wanted to focus on sustainable business. I also specialised in public policy analysis and business economics, but from a global lens—incorporating sustainability at the core of business strategy. Much of it involved international human rights and business, as well as urban sustainable design and development.
When I was looking for jobs, I didn’t find anything entry level in the US at the time, which is what brought me to Europe. The general idea of ESG and sustainability as part of business strategy wasn’t mature in the US then – and still isn’t, though it has improved in recent years.
In Europe, I saw a massive amount of legislation driving not only the Social Value agenda in the UK, but also ESG in general. We have CSRD, EU requirements, and a lot of global progress in Social Value and ESG is driven by European legislative requirements.
What drew me to Social Value in particular – beyond ESG, CSR, and social impact – was that it was the first time I had seen something adjacent to social impact being measured in a robust, consistent way across industries. It was also the first time I saw a quantifiable language for impact.
That’s what interested me in Social Value Portal (SVP), because SVP is the leader in this space. The TOM System is at the forefront of the global conversation on how to measure impact and Social Value – something I hadn’t seen anywhere else in my global work.
In my previous role as Global Head of Social Impact Advisory for an ESG consultancy, I often got questions about how to measure impact, and SVP was the first time I saw a robust answer. Now, we’re expanding globally, which is exciting.
💡 Read: Social Value vs ESG – What’s the difference?
How does the UK compare to the rest of the world when it comes to Social Value?
I mentor a lot of US students, and I often explain that “Social Value” is a term derived from UK legislation. Elsewhere, you hear more about “impact.” Definitions of value versus impact vary across organisations and countries, similar to how environmental issues are discussed in ESG and sustainability.
The UK Government pushes far more from a legislative perspective than any other country I’ve seen. The question isn’t if we should do it, it’s how to do it well.
Globally, I’ve seen that European and UK requirements influence companies in other countries. Even in the current US political climate, where there’s some pullback on sustainability conversations, the business case is still there and global standards still matter because European counterparts require them. The UK is definitely leading the way, and globalisation is pulling many global businesses in that direction.
Have you worked on any projects that stand out as big success stories?
My background is in the private sector, so I’m particularly interested in progress made outside of public sector influence. Some organisations not directly motivated by legislation are still making great strides.
One example is a large London venue I’ve worked with. They’ve won awards for their environmental impact, accessibility, and other initiatives, but still ask how they can do better for their visitors, employees, and communities. They’ve engaged in Local Needs Analysis to focus their already strong initiatives. This goes beyond requirements – it’s about acknowledging their role in the community.
How can global organisations make their Social Value delivery relevant to a local context?
I recently joined our research team’s away day to discuss the Global TOM System and our approach to Social Value. The challenge is taking something hyper-local and creating a standardised framework that works across different contexts, cultures, languages, and priorities.
Even within the UK, Local Needs Analyses show huge differences between areas. At a global scale, it’s even more complex. The main thing is building understanding and culture within the organisation. Our approach with global clients is to have a core set of Global TOM System Measures that we adapt at the national level.
For example, in Australia we use the core set but also consider the native population. Thinking about who makes up the communities we aim to impact is incredibly nuanced. Even within the US, each state, and regions within states, has different priorities and policy contexts.
Having a framework in place is really important, but also having people on the ground who understand the community and can tailor strategies to real local needs.
I’m excited that Social Value is giving organisations a business language to understand and measure societal impact. This will evolve as our understanding of communities and impact changes. It will never be perfect – we’re dealing with people, conflict, and concepts like additionality and proportionality.
What’s exciting is that we’ve reached a point where there’s global agreement on the importance of having this conversation, and we’re well on our way compared to five years ago.
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