The Impact Seminar Series - UK seminar is tailored to institutional investors and asset owners based in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. It consists of a one-day programme with keynote speeches, investor connect sessions, an investor panel discussion and fireside chat, touching upon the challenges and opportunities within the impact investing universe.
Institutional investors and impact fund managers will be able to 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. 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.
Impact Investing Event for Institutional Investors in the UK
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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.
● 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.
More speakers will be announced soon
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Amir Rizwan
Investor Relations Director,Big Society Capital
Anastasia Guha
Global Head of Sustainable Investment,Redington
Andrew Hall
Senior Investment Manager, Local Investments and Property,Greater Manchester Pension Fund
Anna Thompson
Senior Banker, Sales and Advisory, Debt Mobilisation,The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Becky LeAnstey
Climate Investment Analyst,Environment Agency Pension Fund
Bella Landymore
Policy and Strategy Director,Impact Investing Institute
Carlos Araujo Blanco
Head of Sustainable Investments – ESG & Compliance,Allianz Investment Management France
Carol Tarr
Impact Measurement and Management Lead,Phenix Capital Group
Chantal Hermans
COO,Phenix Capital Group
Charlotte Yonge
Co-Founder & Trustee,Girls Are Investors (GAIN)
Gayle Peterson
Director Impact Investing and Social Finance Programme,Oxford Saïd Business School
Jacqueline Amy Jackson
Head of Responsible Investment,London CIV
Mark Hepworth
Co-founder and PBII Director,The Good Economy
Niki Natarajan
Head of Research,Phenix Capital Group
Sarah Forster
CEO and Co-Founder,The Good Economy
Amir Rizwan
Investor Relations Director,
Big Society Capital
Amir Rizwan is Big Society Capital's Investor Relations Director, leading on its relationships with trusts and foundations, supporting them in their work around mission-led investments as well as how impact can play a role within their endowment investments. He also leads the organisation's work around partnerships and innovation, focusing on the development of early-stage impact funds to tackle UK social issues. Amir has been working in the impact investment sector for eight years and prior to joining Big Society Capital he developed and led the impact investment strategy for a UK foundation and has also worked in the venture philanthropy space. Amir has led and worked on numerous initiatives within the impact investment space aimed at improving equality, diversity and inclusion and currently co-chairs the Diversity Forum (set up to improve diversity, equality and inclusion within the social investment sector) and sits on the impact advisory group for the Growth Impact Fund (an impact investment fund that aims to provide investment for early stage organisations with a focus on organisations with diverse representation at board and leadership level). Amir is also currently on the board of two UK foundations - the Cripplegate Foundation and the Clothworkers' Foundation.
Anastasia Guha
Global Head of Sustainable Investment,
Redington
Anastasia is responsible for leading the firm’s global sustainability strategy. She is a sustainable investment specialist with over 15 years’ experience. She joined Redington in June 2021 where she is responsible for the team helping clients set sustainability objectives, allocate to strategies and managers and to evaluate progress. Previously she worked at the United Nations-supported Principles of Responsible Investment for a decade, where her last role was as Director of Northern Europe Middle East and Africa, leading a team supporting over 200 asset owners in their implementation of ESG criteria in investment strategy, allocations, and stewardship decisions. Prior to the PRI she has worked at Euromoney Institutional Investor and Fidelity. She sits on the advisory board at Pensions for Purpose and is a working group member on the Glasgow Financial Alliance on Net Zero (GFANZ).
Following a career in Corporate Accountancy and 10 years as the Treasury Manager for GMPF, he has been the lead day to day officer for the GMPF Local Investment portfolio since 2014
Anna Thompson
Senior Banker, Sales and Advisory, Debt Mobilisation,
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Anna Thompson is a senior member of EBRD’s Debt Mobilisation team with special focus on FI and Industrial sectors across EBRD’s region. Anna has worked in banking for more than 18 years with focus on corporate banking in the emerging markets including CEE, SEE, CIS and MENA regions.
Prior to joining the Loan Syndications team, Anna was part of the EBRD’s Agribusiness banking team and was in charge of structuring and execution of transactions with corporate borrowers, business development as well as portfolio monitoring and review.
Before joining the EBRD, during 2006-2008 Anna worked at Citi Bulgaria as a relationship manager for large multinational corporates and earlier in her career (2004-2006) at Bear Stearns Municipal bonds Investment Banking department and BNP Paribas New York’s Corporate Banking unit.
Anna holds an M.A. in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University, Massachusetts, USA and a dual B.A. degree in Business Administration and American Studies from the American University in Bulgaria.
Prior to joining the Loan Syndications team, Anna was part of the EBRD’s Agribusiness banking team and was in charge of structuring and execution of transactions with corporate borrowers, business development as well as portfolio monitoring and review.
Before joining the EBRD, during 2006-2008 Anna worked at Citi Bulgaria as a relationship manager for large multinational corporates and earlier in her career (2004-2006) at Bear Stearns Municipal bonds Investment Banking department and BNP Paribas New York’s Corporate Banking unit.
Anna holds an M.A. in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University, Massachusetts, USA and a dual B.A. degree in Business Administration and American Studies from the American University in Bulgaria.
Becky LeAnstey
Climate Investment Analyst,
Environment Agency Pension Fund
Becky leads on climate and nature analysis for the pension fund. She has over 18 years of experience in research at the Environment Agency and joined the Environment Agency Pension Fund in September 2021. Becky has spent most of her career in scientific research, with her last role in the Futures team of the Chief Scientists Group. She now leads on the scientific analysis the pension team does to make sure investment decisions are evidenced based. She undertakes environmental engagement both internally and externally and was part of the working group that helped Global Canopy develop guidance for pension funds to become Deforestation Free.
Bella Landymore
Policy and Strategy Director,
Impact Investing Institute
Bella started working for the Impact Investing Institute as Policy Director at its launch in November 2019. She is currently the Joint Interim Chief Executive and leads several of the Institute’s projects, particularly in the areas of policy, regulation, and pensions. Bella joined the Institute from the UK government’s Inclusive Economy Unit, where she was a Senior Policy Advisor on impact investing. In this role, her projects included the Law Commission’s review of pension funds and social investment, and the subsequent policy and regulatory changes, and the Implementation Taskforce on growing a culture of social impact investing in the UK. Bella started her career in the charity sector before joining UBS Investment Bank, where she worked in New York and London, latterly as an Associate Director for their equities trading businesses.
Carlos Araujo Blanco
Head of Sustainable Investments – ESG & Compliance,
Allianz Investment Management France
Head of Sustainable Investments (ESG & Compliance Team) at Allianz France (Investment Management division). Project Lead on Biodiversity, Impact Investing and the integration of the EU Taxonomy.
Previously Project Manager and Sustainability Consultant for the Sustainable Bonds team at Vigeo Eiris. Holder of a Master in International Economic Policy with concentrations in International Energy and Global Economic Policy from Sciences Po University in Paris. Bachelor in Liberal Arts from Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, Venezuela.
Significant professional experience, both at the national and international level, in the fields of Consulting, Finance, Economics, International Relations, ESG and Sustainability, Trade, Diplomacy and Public Policy.
Previously Project Manager and Sustainability Consultant for the Sustainable Bonds team at Vigeo Eiris. Holder of a Master in International Economic Policy with concentrations in International Energy and Global Economic Policy from Sciences Po University in Paris. Bachelor in Liberal Arts from Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, Venezuela.
Significant professional experience, both at the national and international level, in the fields of Consulting, Finance, Economics, International Relations, ESG and Sustainability, Trade, Diplomacy and Public Policy.
Carol Tarr
Impact Measurement and Management Lead,
Phenix Capital Group
Before joining Phenix as Impact Measurement and Management Lead, Carol was a Portfolio Manager for a VC fund and a lecturer in Research Methodology and Sociology for Nyenrode Business University.
She has a Master’s degree from Harvard University in Religious Studies where she specialized in World Religions with a focus on Ethics. She is from Chicago, USA and lives in Amsterdam.
She has a Master’s degree from Harvard University in Religious Studies where she specialized in World Religions with a focus on Ethics. She is from Chicago, USA and lives in Amsterdam.
Chantal Hermans
COO,
Phenix Capital Group
Chantal Hermans is the head of events & publications at Phenix Capital Group, leading the events & marcomm team. Chantal started her career at Management Events, working with C-level executives across industries. In 2014 she moved to London and started working for financial publisher Euromoney Institutional Investors as an investor relations manager. Here she was responsible for building relationships with the key financial players in the Benelux, UK and Eastern Europe. Next to her IR role, she was also responsible for building the European network for the II conferences. In 2018, Chantal joined EQDerivatives as Executive Director of machineByte. A platform focused on delivering education around machine learning and AI in the investment industry. Her passion for sustainability and building a better world brought her to Phenix Capital Group, where she can fully focus on delivering education on impact investing and helping the industry move forward.
Charlotte Yonge
Co-Founder & Trustee,
Girls Are Investors (GAIN)
Charlotte is an investment manager at Troy Asset Management, where she manages the Trojan Ethical Fund. It’s a job that takes her around the world, meeting companies and learning about new markets.
Before joining the world of work she studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge. Charlotte loves: responsible investing, spinning, gardening and speaking French. Charlotte does not love: gender stereotyping, disregard for punctuality or mosquitos.
Before joining the world of work she studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge. Charlotte loves: responsible investing, spinning, gardening and speaking French. Charlotte does not love: gender stereotyping, disregard for punctuality or mosquitos.
Gayle Peterson
Director Impact Investing and Social Finance Programme,
Oxford Saïd Business School
Gayle is co-founder of an international consultancy offering strategic guidance in leadership development, programme strategy, and impact measures to leading foundations, corporations, impact investors, governments, and intermediaries.
With more than 20 years’ experience as a strategist, philanthropist, and trusted adviser to social investors worldwide, Gayle has managed and assessed more than US$15 billion in philanthropic and impact investments. She has advised social investors in more than 45 countries and has taught social investing classes worldwide.
Career highlights that have helped shaped Gayle’s researching, teaching and consulting include: Programme Director for the Great Lakes Protection Fund, where she created the first bi-national grant-making programme with the Great Lakes Governors and Premiers to promote environmental sustainability, economic development, and multi-sector collaboration. She has also served as Executive Director, Milkweed Editions, a literary press where she created an award-winning children’s literacy programme; and Chief of Staff, Commissioner of the Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, where she advocated for policies to expand employment opportunities for women.
Gayle holds an MA in Social Policy and Law from the University of Chicago and an MSc from the HEC-Paris School of Management and Oxford University. She is a contributor to Alliance Magazine, the Financial Times, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and the Huffington Post.
With more than 20 years’ experience as a strategist, philanthropist, and trusted adviser to social investors worldwide, Gayle has managed and assessed more than US$15 billion in philanthropic and impact investments. She has advised social investors in more than 45 countries and has taught social investing classes worldwide.
Career highlights that have helped shaped Gayle’s researching, teaching and consulting include: Programme Director for the Great Lakes Protection Fund, where she created the first bi-national grant-making programme with the Great Lakes Governors and Premiers to promote environmental sustainability, economic development, and multi-sector collaboration. She has also served as Executive Director, Milkweed Editions, a literary press where she created an award-winning children’s literacy programme; and Chief of Staff, Commissioner of the Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, where she advocated for policies to expand employment opportunities for women.
Gayle holds an MA in Social Policy and Law from the University of Chicago and an MSc from the HEC-Paris School of Management and Oxford University. She is a contributor to Alliance Magazine, the Financial Times, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and the Huffington Post.
Jacqueline Amy Jackson
Head of Responsible Investment,
London CIV
Jacqueline Amy Jackson is the Head of Responsible Investment at the London Pension Collective Investment Vehicle. She leads London CIV’s commitment to sustainable finance by developing and implementing strategies designed to mitigate financial risks arising from environmental and socioeconomic issues.
Jacqueline has experience delivering public speaking on sustainability, podcasts on climate change and other environmental publications. Over the last eighteen years she has advised institutional investors, corporations and governments on how to interpret exposure and impact associated with natural resource constraints to help inform resilience and identify the transformative solutions of tomorrow.
Prior to joining London CIV, Jacqueline worked in creative advertising, founded an ecommerce website and worked in business development for Trucost and S&P Global. She is an award-winning conceptual artist who works with marginalised groups of society and underrepresented artists to increase awareness of global issues and drive change.
Experience spans Kensington + Chelsea Art Week where she recently showcased a new piece called Little Voices. Her work has been featured in the Times, Art World Magazine Modern Art Oxford, Time out and can be seen at The Tate Britain. She was recently nominated for The Creative Green Awards in London, The YICCA Art Prize in Milan and won Rising Star at the LAPF Investment Awards.
Jacqueline read Fine Art at The University of Oxford achieving a 1st in 2008 and returned in 2019 to study Sustainable Finance. She has delivered training at the Institute for Sustainability Leadership at The University of Cambridge, sat on the Board of Waterlow Residents, is a Trustee for several charities and an ambassador of The Diversity Project.
Jacqueline has experience delivering public speaking on sustainability, podcasts on climate change and other environmental publications. Over the last eighteen years she has advised institutional investors, corporations and governments on how to interpret exposure and impact associated with natural resource constraints to help inform resilience and identify the transformative solutions of tomorrow.
Prior to joining London CIV, Jacqueline worked in creative advertising, founded an ecommerce website and worked in business development for Trucost and S&P Global. She is an award-winning conceptual artist who works with marginalised groups of society and underrepresented artists to increase awareness of global issues and drive change.
Experience spans Kensington + Chelsea Art Week where she recently showcased a new piece called Little Voices. Her work has been featured in the Times, Art World Magazine Modern Art Oxford, Time out and can be seen at The Tate Britain. She was recently nominated for The Creative Green Awards in London, The YICCA Art Prize in Milan and won Rising Star at the LAPF Investment Awards.
Jacqueline read Fine Art at The University of Oxford achieving a 1st in 2008 and returned in 2019 to study Sustainable Finance. She has delivered training at the Institute for Sustainability Leadership at The University of Cambridge, sat on the Board of Waterlow Residents, is a Trustee for several charities and an ambassador of The Diversity Project.
Mark Hepworth
Co-founder and PBII Director,
The Good Economy
Mark Hepworth is the co-Founder of The Good Economy and leads the firm’s place-based impact investing work. He is a multidisciplinary economist and entrepreneur whose international career spans academia, public policy and business consulting. Mark’s work over 40 years has focused on innovation and new paradigms for economic development. He also directs The Good Economy's research and policy work on inclusive and sustainable development.
Radical innovation as a driver of economic and social change across cities, regions and countries has been the enduring theme of his work. He set up the UK’s first Knowledge Economy Network focused on technological and policy innovation, which brought ICT companies together with central and local government to develop place-based eBusiness and eGovernment solutions. The Good Economy is now adopting this collaborative approach to its PBII programme of work.
Radical innovation as a driver of economic and social change across cities, regions and countries has been the enduring theme of his work. He set up the UK’s first Knowledge Economy Network focused on technological and policy innovation, which brought ICT companies together with central and local government to develop place-based eBusiness and eGovernment solutions. The Good Economy is now adopting this collaborative approach to its PBII programme of work.
Niki Natarajan
Head of Research,
Phenix Capital Group
After more than 20 years as financial journalist, focusing on asset management, Niki founded In Ink (London), a company specialising in creative content and communication.
An experienced moderator on investor panels, Niki has also presented on communication-related topics at events including the Amsterdam Investor Forum, HedgeNews Africa and AIMA.
Niki continues to write on asset management related topics, including impact investing and the SDGs, both in her own name for publications such as Investments & Pensions Europe and as ghost writer for investment managers.
Prior to setting up In Ink (London) in 2014, Niki was editor and publisher of InvestHedge, specialising in hedge fund investors for more than 12 years. During this time, Niki organised and hosted the InvestHedge Forum, a two-day event held connecting investors with hedge funds, and the InvestHedge Awards, the annual gala dinner rewarding top performing funds of hedgefunds.
Niki also launched the hedge fund and securities finance coverage at Financial News, and between 1994-1998, Niki was the launch editor of Global Fund News; editor of Foreign Exchange Letter; and reporter on Global Money Management, all formerly publications of Institutional Investor.
A qualified NLP coach, Niki graduated in Geography from Durham University.
An experienced moderator on investor panels, Niki has also presented on communication-related topics at events including the Amsterdam Investor Forum, HedgeNews Africa and AIMA.
Niki continues to write on asset management related topics, including impact investing and the SDGs, both in her own name for publications such as Investments & Pensions Europe and as ghost writer for investment managers.
Prior to setting up In Ink (London) in 2014, Niki was editor and publisher of InvestHedge, specialising in hedge fund investors for more than 12 years. During this time, Niki organised and hosted the InvestHedge Forum, a two-day event held connecting investors with hedge funds, and the InvestHedge Awards, the annual gala dinner rewarding top performing funds of hedgefunds.
Niki also launched the hedge fund and securities finance coverage at Financial News, and between 1994-1998, Niki was the launch editor of Global Fund News; editor of Foreign Exchange Letter; and reporter on Global Money Management, all formerly publications of Institutional Investor.
A qualified NLP coach, Niki graduated in Geography from Durham University.
Sarah Forster
CEO and Co-Founder,
The Good Economy
Sarah co-founded The Good Economy in 2015 to enhance the role of business and finance in inclusive and sustainable development. She acts as a trusted advisor to clients across the private, public and social sectors.
From 2007 to 2015, Sarah was Deputy CEO of Big Issue Invest (BII), the social investment arm of The Big Issue. She played a key role in growing BII from start-up to becoming one of the UK's leading and most pioneering social impact investment intermediaries. Prior to this, Sarah worked for the New Economics Foundation, responsible for research and policy work to advance the fields of social investment, community development finance and measuring social returns on investment.
Sarah started her career in international development working for Afghanaid, a charity providing emergency aid and livelihoods support to war-torn communities in Afghanistan, based in Peshawar, Pakistan. From 1992 to 2001, she worked for the World Bank where she had a fast-track career from Young Professional to Senior Economist. She led the design of large-scale poverty alleviation investment projects in Africa, South Asia and the Balkans, with a focus on microfinance, municipal finance and community-led development.
Sarah developed expertise in post-conflict countries and spent four years living in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina working with the team responsible for managing the $5 billion post-war reconstruction and development programme. Achievements included leading the award-winning Local Initiatives Project, which established a national wholesale institution that successfully supported the development of sustainable microfinance institutions providing access to financial services to low-income entrepreneurs at scale. The project design was later replicated in several other countries.
Sarah has a BA from Queen's College, Cambridge University, an MA in Economic and Political Development from the School of Public and International Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University, New York and in 2017, Sarah was recognised as one of the UK's leading Women in Social Enterprise.
From 2007 to 2015, Sarah was Deputy CEO of Big Issue Invest (BII), the social investment arm of The Big Issue. She played a key role in growing BII from start-up to becoming one of the UK's leading and most pioneering social impact investment intermediaries. Prior to this, Sarah worked for the New Economics Foundation, responsible for research and policy work to advance the fields of social investment, community development finance and measuring social returns on investment.
Sarah started her career in international development working for Afghanaid, a charity providing emergency aid and livelihoods support to war-torn communities in Afghanistan, based in Peshawar, Pakistan. From 1992 to 2001, she worked for the World Bank where she had a fast-track career from Young Professional to Senior Economist. She led the design of large-scale poverty alleviation investment projects in Africa, South Asia and the Balkans, with a focus on microfinance, municipal finance and community-led development.
Sarah developed expertise in post-conflict countries and spent four years living in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina working with the team responsible for managing the $5 billion post-war reconstruction and development programme. Achievements included leading the award-winning Local Initiatives Project, which established a national wholesale institution that successfully supported the development of sustainable microfinance institutions providing access to financial services to low-income entrepreneurs at scale. The project design was later replicated in several other countries.
Sarah has a BA from Queen's College, Cambridge University, an MA in Economic and Political Development from the School of Public and International Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University, New York and in 2017, Sarah was recognised as one of the UK's leading Women in Social Enterprise.
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“InvestorConnect is an efficient and well-structured way to get to know a number of managers and learn about their impact strategies. The organization of the meetings with the personal schedule was great. I liked the format, which gave managers flexibility on how to present their funds. The slots were short, but forced everybody to be on point. “
LGT Capital Partners
“An excellent deep dive into the inspirational world of impact investing.”
Baillie Gifford
"The IC sessions were extremely well organised and we found them very useful. 15 minutes is just the right time to get to know each other and can always be followed up by a dedicated meeting. So I would not make any changes to the format from my point of view."
Christian Kleboth, Head of Loan Syndications, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
“It is an excellent venue to meet others interested in the concept of investing with impact, both on the investment side and on the investor side.”
Conservation Resources
“The event plays a vital role in allowing industry stakeholders to get together and discuss how investment capital can address pressing social and environmental challenges. This coming together of minds is important as it allows attendees to share ideas and build networks. It also helps to raise greater awareness about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
This engagement is particularly relevant to me this year, as I recently launched Mobius Capital Partners, a new asset manager with an emphasis on improving governance standards in Emerging and Frontier Market corporations. Listening to some of the other attendees speak, it gave me a fresh take on a wider range of issues affecting developing markets and what we can do as a firm to help.”
This engagement is particularly relevant to me this year, as I recently launched Mobius Capital Partners, a new asset manager with an emphasis on improving governance standards in Emerging and Frontier Market corporations. Listening to some of the other attendees speak, it gave me a fresh take on a wider range of issues affecting developing markets and what we can do as a firm to help.”
Mobius Capital Partners
TESTIMONIALS ABOUT OUR EVENTS
WHAT OUR ATTENDEES SAY
