Fostering sustainable & inclusive investing while ensuring financial returns

The Impact Seminar Series – Canada is tailored to institutional investors and asset owners based in Canada and the United States. Impact Seminar Series focuses on the opportunities to move beyond ESG to invest with impact while ensuring market-competitive financial returns.

A half-day programme aims to empower investors to move from the theory to the practice of impact investing through in-depth keynote speeches from experienced impact investors and impact practitioners. During the InvestorConnect sessions, investors can explore a select group of impact strategies in public equity, public debt, private equity, private debt and real assets.

 

WHY ATTEND

 

Why going beyond ESG is a critical step for Institutional Investors

 

Fostering sustainable & inclusive investing while ensuring financial returns has the force to shift financial markets. The current pandemic and climate crisis have shown the power of sustainable investments to outperform its traditional peers. Join us on a deep-dive discussion about moving from ESG to investing with impact to yield attractive returns and the relevance of impact measurement harmonisation. Also, what LPs should ask GPs and the extent to which regulations hinder or advocate for impact investing.

 

ADVISORY BOARD 2023:

  • This agenda was created with input from:
    • Gouro Sall-Diagne, Directrice de la Surveillance (Monitoring Director), Authorité des Marchés Financiers
    • Graham Singh, CEO, Trinity Centres Foundation
    • Nicole Leite, Principal, Climate Tech Fund, BDC Capital 
    • Pierre-Laurent Macridis, Investissements Privés Alternatifs & d’Impact (Private alternative & Impact Investments), Fondaction
    • Rosalie Vendette, Directrice (Engagement Manager), Quinn+Partners
    • Simon Veilleux, Analyste Investissement durable (Sustainable Investing Analyst), CDPQ
    • Stéphanie Émond, Directrice de l'impact (Chief Impact Officer), FinDev Canada
    • Wren Laing, Directeur d'Investissement Impact (Investment Director Impact Investing), McConnell Foundation
    •  
    •  

 

SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS 2023:

CAFIID
CAIA
Finance Montréal

OBJECTIVES

 

  • INFORM

    • The Seminar aims to allow institutional investors to share knowledge through discussions about the opportunities and challenges of impact investments in public and private markets.

 

  • CONNECT

    • Investors and fund managers will be able to reconnect with the industry peers, exchange best practices, learn from each other’s experiences, and share ideas on creating innovative and scalable solutions to generate impact in private and public markets.

  • DISCOVER

        • InvestorConnect sessions offer institutional asset owners an efficient way to discover a pre-screened group of scalable impact strategies of institutional quality, across multiple asset classes, impact themes and the SDGs. The dynamic system of 15-minute meetings set a comfortable space to ask relevant questions & create connections along the way.

         

WHO WILL ATTEND

This event is catered for C-Suite, Board Members, Portfolio Managers and ESG/Impact Investing officers of:

● Public and Corporate Pension Funds and their Fiduciary Managers,
● Insurance Companies,
● Sovereign Wealth Funds,
● Family Offices,
● Foundations and Endowments,
● Wealth Managers/Private Banks,
● Development Finance Institutions,
● Faith-based Organisations.

FEATURED SPEAKERS 2023

Eduard van Gelderen

Chief Investment Officer,
PSP Investments

Geneviève Brown

Executive Director,
Global Affairs Canada

Graham Singh

CEO,
Trinity Centres Foundation

Jason Sukhram

Engagement Manager,
Quinn+Partners

Lars Boggild

Impact Investment Manager,
Vancity

Marie-Hélène Lafond

Senior Advisor, Dialogue and Public Affairs,
Fondaction

Narinder Dhami

Board Member,
Community Foundations of Canada
& Executive Lead,
New Power Labs 

Rosalie Vendette

Engagement Manager,
Quinn+Partners

Stéphanie Émond

VP and Chief Impact Officer,
FinDev Canada

Tori Hellrung

Investment Principal, Sustainable and Impact Investments
Fondaction

Wren Laing

Investment Director Impact Investing,
McConnell Foundation

Gemma Roex

Impact Measurement and Management Specialist,
Phenix Capital Group

BOOK YOUR SEAT AMONGST YOUR LOCAL IMPACT INVESTING PEERS!

A LIMITED NUMBER OF COMPLIMENTARY INVITES ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS AND ASSET OWNERS

1-DAY OF ENGAGEMENT & INSPIRATION

AGENDA 2023

 

Download the bilingual agenda here >>

09:00 - 09:30 Registration

09:30 - 10:30

Breakfast Workshop | Creating a Biodiversity Mandate

In this session, Phenix Capital Group’s impact specialist, Gemma Roex, will present how investors can treat biodiversity as a primary theme at the heart of your mandate. She will share the most current data on capital committed to biodiversity and the number of funds available in the market. Marie-Hélène Lafond, Senior Advisor Dialogue and Public Affairs, at Fondaction will present the development of biodiversity indicators for Quebec investors. These indicators are being developed in collaboration with SNAP Québec (Société pour la nature et les parcs), Biodiversité Québec, and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ). Looking at the different asset classes, and both the public and private market, a group discussion will be facilitated to tackle the following question: How do you treat biodiversity as a primary and investible theme?

  • Speakers:
  • Gemma Roex, Impact Measurement and Management Specialist, Phenix Capital Group
  • Marie-Hélène Lafond, Senior Advisor Dialogue and Public Affairs, Fondaction

10:30 -10:55

Interview | The Path to Sustainable Investing, a comparative perspective from Canada, the USA, and the Netherlands 

Native to the Netherlands, Eduard van Gelderen is the Chief Investment Officer at the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments). Prior to this, Eduard van Gelderen was the CIO of Capital Markets and later CEO of APG Asset Management, the Dutch fiduciary manager of large Dutch pension funds. Eduard was also the senior managing director at the office of the chief investment officer of the University of California. In this session, he will share his perspective as a European institutional asset owner and his global journey towards impact investing.

  • Speaker:
  • Eduard van Gelderen, Chief Investment Officer, PSP Investments
  •  
  • Moderator:
  • Tori Hellrung, Investment Principal, Sustainable and Impact Investments, Fondaction

10:55 - 11:10 Coffee Break              

11:10 -11:50

InvestorConnect session

This dynamic session, consisting of short 15-minute speed meetings, is designed to give asset owners an efficient way to learn about a selected group of impact strategies of institutional quality and take an opportunity to enquire for more details, whilst making connections with other asset owners along the way.

11:50 - 12:50 Lunch  

12:50 - 13:05

Keynote Speech | Innovating for Gender Equality and Sustainable Development: The Importance of Gender Lens Investment in Developing Countries

Canada's International Assistance Innovation Program (IAIP)) is a pilot program (2019- 2024) making targeted investments to help mobilize additional private investments in developing countries that will help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This keynote will highlight the benefits of a gender-sensitive approach to investment and the vital role of women in promoting sustainable economic growth and social development. It will highlight the importance of impact in choosing projects and funds, emphasizing the need to consider gender perspectives.

  • Speaker:
      • Geneviève Brown, Executive Director, Global Affairs Canada

13:05 -13:40

Investor Panel | Impact Opportunities in Canada

(This session will be conducted under Chatham House Rules)

What is the state of the impact investing market in Canada? Who are the leading investors driving impact? What are their challenges and focus? And how can we strengthen and grow the ecosystem? The speakers will speak on their experiences as Canadian investors from British Columbia to Québec investing in Canada, touching upon best practices and the nationwide regulations and lack thereof. This session will tackle impact themes like social impact, reconciliation, and nature-based solutions.

  • Speaker:
  • Lars Boggild, CFA, Impact Investment Manager, Vancity 
  • Wren Laing, Investment Director Impact Investing, McConnell Foundation
      •  
    • Moderator:
      • Rosalie Vendette, Director, Engagement Manager, Quinn+Partners

13:40 - 13:55 Coffee Break              

13:55 - 14:30

Fireside Chat | Real Assets: An approach to Place-Based Investing

Place-based impact investing can help real estate investors deliver clear and measurable improvements to deprived areas. There are many components to take into account such as the local neighbourhood and its needs, the measurements framework used for social impact, and finally responsible and profitable exits.

  • Speaker:
    • Graham Singh, CEO, Trinity Centres Foundation
    • Narinder Dhami, Board Member, Community Foundations of Canada & Executive Lead, New Power Labs  
    •  
  • Moderator:
    • Jason Sukhram, Engagement Manager, Quinn+Partners

14:30 - 14:50

Lightning Talk | The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Impact Management Practices

In this dynamic session, Stéphanie Émond will share some reflections on the good, the bad, and the ugly of impact management practices.       

  • Speaker:
  • Stéphanie Émond, VP & Chief Impact Officer, FinDev Canada    

14:50 - 16:00 Closing & Networking                     

 

 

VENUE 2023

 

LE MOUNT STEPHEN  

1440 Rue Drummond,
Montréal, Québec H3G 1V9

   GOOGLE MAPS

JOIN LEADING ORGANISATIONS AS A SPONSOR!

IMPACT FUND MANAGERS ARE WELCOME TO ENQUIRE ABOUT SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 

GET IN THE MOOD TO MEET YOUR INDUSTRY PEERS!

TESTIMONIALS ABOUT OUR EVENTS

WHAT OUR ATTENDEES SAY

WHAT IS IMPACT INVESTING


 

Whereas ESG investing looks to integrate environmental, social and governance factors when subject to an investment’s performance, impact investing goes a step further by seeking investments that contribute to measurable social and/or environmental impact.

 

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF IMPACT INVESTMENTS

  • Intentionality: intent to achieve a social or environmental goal is clearly expressed and the investor identifies outcomes that will be pursued

  • Additionality: thesis or narrative describes how the investor’s actions will help achieve the goal and how the outcome would not have occurred without the investment

  • Measurement: impact measurement framework in place to assess the level of expected impact and monitor progress against the goal

 

SPECTRUM OF CAPITAL

Impact Seminar Series programme is focusing on the financial-first impact investments opportunities, offering experienced impact investors the stage to share best practices with their industry peers. 

Defininf impact investing - Spectrum of capital, Phenix Capital Group

 

 

First published by Bridges Fund Management (2015), the Spectrum of Capital maps out different investment approaches, depending on investors’ desired risk, return and impact profile, and categorizing them in a range from traditional investment to philanthropy.

 

  •  Financial-First Impact Investments: select funds in specific sectors, impact themes, or in alignment to the SDGs. In this approach, there is no trade-off between return and impact, and thus all investments should achieve fully commercial risk-adjusted returns.


  •  Impact-First Impact Investments: funds are selected to maximize impact over returns. These investments may target lower risk-adjusted returns to deliver greater impact.