Celebrating Our New Level 3: Advanced Practitioners!
We’re proud to celebrate five outstanding professionals who have recently achieved Level 3: Advanced Practitioner status, SVI’s highest level of individual assurance.
Congratulations to:
Mathew Lewis (Social Value Cymru)
Tuba Bozaykut Bük (Social Value Turkiye)
Gizem Elgün (Social Value Turkiye)
Khadija Boukhobza (Social Value US)
Amber Liu (Social Value Taiwan)
“It’s great being a part of a global network of practitioners who share the same goals of changing how we view value in society.”
Why they embarked on the Pathway
Each joined the SVI Professional Pathway with a shared commitment to meaningful, evidence-based change.While their motivations varied, a common thread was the desire to strengthen their practice and better serve their stakeholders.
For Mathew, the Pathway marked a natural progression in his development as a practitioner “It has been a goal of mine to reach advanced practitioner status since I started working at Mantell Gwynedd in 2020. Now I have been able to accomplish my goal through undertaking the rigorous assurance process; I believed it has helped increased my self-confidence in my abilities as a social value practitioner”
Tuba approached the process as a way to harness social value as a tool for meaningful change, improving decision-making for the communities and organisations she supports. “Becoming an Advanced Practitioner is an important milestone for me and it makes me feel more confident and motivated to keep improving and sharing my work. Also, being part of a global community that inspires me to keep learning and doing more for positive change means a lot. I appreciate any effort that contributes to a more fair and sustainable world and I am happy to be a part of a community that works for that!”
Gizem sought a more structured and principle-led framework that could move her work beyond good intentions and support long-term, stakeholder-focused thinking. “Through this journey, I have been able to broaden my perspective, learning to see value cannot be calculated only in financial terms. It has helped me internalize the Social Value Principles in a way that goes beyond project work. I now find myself applying this lens to every decision I make.”
Amber, a sustainability communications consultant in Taiwan, wanted to bring more rigour and credibility to her work in Asia. “The sustainability communication landscape in Taiwan and across Asia is rapidly evolving. However, many agencies, including PR firms, event organizers, and ad agencies, still lack concrete mechanisms for verifying outcomes. The SVI pathway allows me to establish a results-based model for sustainability communication and use SROI to support both internal and external communication by project owners, helping them demonstrate the value of their initiatives.
Khadija joined the pathway to increase her expertise and strengthen impact practice in NGO and humanitarian settings, drawing from recent work in Guinea. “I wanted to go beyond financial metrics and focus on the change created for stakeholders. We focused on real outcomes, not just outputs. I am interested in ensuring our programs created real change.”
Learning through the Assessment
The assurance process offered more than validation. It was a structured opportunity to deepen understanding, sharpen application of the Social Value Principles, and challenge assumptions in real-world settings.
"Although we adhere to the principles in our reports, the structured criteria helped strengthen how they’re applied." – Mathew
"The process helped me realise how critical it is to apply every single principle with full transparency." - Tuba
"It’s a framework for critical thinking, not just compliance." – Gizem
"The Chain of Change was especially helpful—it gave me a structured way to evaluate whether communications really drive outcomes." – Amber
"Applying the principles to a real project made the difference. It wasn’t theoretical—it changed how we worked." - Khadija
Real-world impact and embedding the practice
For these practitioners, learning didn’t stop at assessment. They’ve actively embedded their skills into diverse contexts, shaping policy, strengthening communications, and building evidence-based cultures across sectors.
"I have seen the development of social value in the past 10 years and it’s great to be a part of a global team of practitioners. Also, from a personal point of view, it's great to see that we have a legislative in framework in Wales which supports this agenda, and I hope I can be a small part of shaping the way people think of social value here in Wales over the coming years" - Mathew
" I believe I can contribute to the social value movement by bringing perspectives from Türkiye, where there is growing interest in impact management. I now integrate the principles into all my consulting, training, and evaluation work. The community also helps me maintain quality." - Tuba
"I’m using the learning in social responsibility projects, including collaborative initiatives with the Ministry of Education. I am actively involved in the design and implementation of social responsibility projects and I see my newly acquired Level 3 Advanced Practitioner skills as a valuable asset in enhancing the effectiveness of this work." – Gizem
"We’ve introduced SROI to evaluate projects like nutrition education for disadvantaged children and care strategies for the elderly. It helps us turn storytelling into evidence-based narratives." - Amber
"Our data revealed a 1:12 SROI ratio in Guinea — more than we expected. It also led to new training programs, stronger funder relationships, and the launch of an IMM framework that now spans multiple countries." – Khadija
More than a professional milestone
For each practitioner, achieving Level 3 marked a personal and professional transformation, reinforcing their purpose, voice, and long-term commitment to stakeholder-led change.
"Achieving Level 3 has helped increase my confidence and allows me to support others on their journey." - Mathew
"This milestone makes me feel more motivated to contribute to a fairer world and strengthen stakeholder-led change." - Tuba
"This accreditation is not just a credential, it’s a commitment to lead with purpose, empathy, and accountability." - Gizem
"It is both a professional affirmation and a new starting point. With this qualification, I can help clients build trustworthy and traceable systems for social value assessment, avoiding greenwashing and social-washing." – Amber
"The mindset shift is just as valuable as the technical process. Social value thinking becomes embedded in everything I do." - Khadija
Congratulations once again to Mathew, Tuba, Gizem, Khadija, and Amber. Their reflections are a powerful reminder that social value is a mindset that can strengthen purpose, improve accountability, and create more meaningful outcomes across sectors and borders.
Interested in becoming a Level 3: Advanced Practitioner?
Learn more about the SVI Professional Pathway.