AGENDA
BE INSPIRED BY THE IMPACT & SUSTAINABILITY PIONEERS!
Impact Summit America invites global leaders, pioneers and experts of the impact investing universe to share their knowledge and inspiration. Our programme focuses on the impact investments, offering experienced impact investors the stage to share best practices & know-how with their industry peers.
This is no longer about a call to action, it is about embodying the values organisations champion and continuing the flow of capital towards solutions with even bolder ambition. This demands a shift from performative gestures to genuine, sustained engagement. This new era requires investors who are not only visionaries but also stewards of the principles they uphold, creating environments where these values flourish and have a measurable impact on the world.
Navigating Polarization
In an increasingly polarized world, political dynamics can pose significant challenges for investors seeking to uphold principles of equity and fairness. This subtheme explores strategies for navigating polarization and its implications for long-term investment decision-making. Discussions may cover geopolitical risks, regulatory uncertainties, and the impact of ideological divides on market dynamics.
Standardizing Impact Metrics
Definitions are set, the industry is now coming together to define norms, standards, and benchmarks for all the market players involved. Impact Summit America will share with the audience latest best practices, the role of industry collaborations in setting standards, and the high level of professionalism that has increased greatly in the recent years.
Addressing Social Equity
Social issues such as inequality, discrimination and access to basic services profoundly impact economic opportunities and investment outcomes. The conference will explore the intersection of finance and social equity, highlighting the role of investors in addressing systemic barriers and promoting inclusive prosperity. Through case studies and panel discussions, participants will explore innovative approaches to tackling social challenges while generating positive financial returns and societal impact.
OUR 2024 ADVISORY BOARD
We are proudly collaborating with impact thought leaders as our agenda advisory board to identify current challenges, opportunities and forward-looking topics in the impact investing universe to build a beneficial & thought-provoking programme.
- Mike McCreless, Executive Director, Impact Frontiers
- Pedro Henriques da Silva, Director, Shifting Trillions, Sierra Club Foundation
- Ryan Malloy, Research Analyst, Sustainable Investing, Fiduciary Trust
- Tom Achoki, M.D., Ph.D., FACHE, Senior Director of Strategy and Impact, AB INBEV FOUNDATION
- Tyler Blickhan, CFA, CAIA, Associate Director of Investments, Ascension Investment Management
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
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Intentionality: intent to achieve a social or environmental goal is clearly expressed and the investor identifies outcomes that will be pursued
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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
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Measurement: impact measurement framework in place to assess the level of expected impact and monitor progress against the goal
SPECTRUM OF CAPITAL
Impact Summit America programme is focusing on the financial-first impact investment opportunities, offering experienced impact investors the stage to share best practices with their industry peers.
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.
INTERESTED IN A SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT?
For more information on speaking engagements, please get in touch with
Prachi Modi: prachimodi@phenixcapitalgroup.com
MEET YOUR IMPACT
INVESTING PEERS!
A LIMITED NUMBER OF COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS IS
AVAILABLE FOR ASSET OWNERS & INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS!
IN THE COMPANY OF THOUGHT LEADERS
Anita Bhatia
Former Assistant Secretary - General & Deputy Executive Director,
UN Women
Before that, Ms. Bhatia served since 2014 as the Director for Development Partner Relations at the World Bank Group. Previously, she held the position of Director of Partnerships and Advisory Services Operations (2011–2014) and Global Head of Knowledge at the International Finance Corporation (2010-2011).
Ms. Bhatia also served as Head of IFC’s Latin America Advisory Operations. In addition to Latin America, she has worked in Africa, Europe, Central Asia, and South and East Asia. Ms. Anita Bhatia brings extensive experience in the area of strategic partnerships, resource mobilization, and management. During her time at the IFC, she developed and expanded innovative partnerships with public and private sector partners to support its strategy in key areas, including fragile and conflict-affected states, gender equality, financial inclusion, support to women-owned businesses, and other priorities critical for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ms. Bhatia holds a BA in History from Calcutta University, an MA in Political Science from Yale University, and a Juris Doctor in Law from Georgetown University.
Sir Ronald Cohen
Chair,
The Global Steering Group (GSG)
Ndileka, having more than 15 years’ experience in the medical field, leads the Thembekile Mandela Foundation, which focuses on health, education and youth development in South Africa's rural villages. She recently participated in a panel at COP28 entitled "Strategies in Climate Financing; Empowering Sustainable Development in Africa", where she called for an end to "climate apartheid".
Ndileka's philanthropic ethos also shines through her involvement with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital. Beyond her contributions to healthcare, Ndileka's leadership extends to impactful community projects, including the transformation of Clarkebury High School. She is also a council member for the Nelson Mandela Museum and a Global Fund Champion for HIV, TB, and malaria.
Through her memoir, "I am Ndileka," she shares her remarkable journey, inspiring others to embrace their own potential for change.
Matt Damon
Co-founder,
WaterEquity and Water.org
Inspired during international travel with his family throughout Mexico and Guatemala as a youth, Matt has long been devoted to environmental and social issues. Learning about the immense challenges of accessing safe water and sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa, Matt decided to create the H20 Africa Foundation. In 2009, he teamed up with Gary White to join their organizations and launch Water.org.
For his work as Co-founder of Water.org, Matt, along with fellow Water.org Co-founder Gary, was recognized as one of the TIME 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 and received the Environmental Media Award from The Environmental Media Association in 2013. In 2014, the World Economic Forum named Matt as the Crystal Award winner for his work through Water.org. Matt’s active participation in his organization’s work, including site visits to multiple countries, strategy development, advocacy, and high-level meetings with institutions like the World Bank and the World Economic Forum over the past decade, has positioned him as one of the world’s experts on water and sanitation issues.
Scilla Elworthy
Peace Builder, Three-time Nobel Prize Nominee
Eva Halvarsson
CEO,
AP2
Eduard van Gelderen
Chief Investment Officer,
PSP Investments
Prior to joining PSP Investments, Eduard was senior managing director at the office of the chief investment officer of the University of California. As a member of the executive team, his primary responsibilities included overseeing the University’s retirement plan, heading up equity and real assets activities, and handling strategic partnerships in Europe. He also served as CEO of the Dutch financial service provider APG Asset Management and as deputy CIO of ING Investment Management.
Eduard is a certified financial risk manager and a chartered financial analyst and has served on several investment advisory boards. He holds a master’s degree in quantitative finance from Erasmus University Rotterdam and a post-graduate degree in asset liability management from Maastricht University in Limburg. He is currently a PhD candidate at the International School of Management in Paris. Eduard began his career as an investment banker in London and Amsterdam.
Amit Bouri
CEO & Co-founder,
The GIIN
Fran Seegull
President,
U.S. Impact Investing Alliance
Fran was the Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director of Investments at ImpactAssets where she headed investment management for The Giving Fund—an impact investing donor advised fund. She also oversaw product development for and managed the Global Sustainable Agriculture and Microfinance Plus Notes.
Prior to joining ImpactAssets, Fran was Managing Director at Funk Ventures, an early-stage impact venture capital and acceleration firm. She also served as Vice President of Business Development at Novica, an online retailer of products made by artisans in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Fran has consulted to National Geographic and NPR West as well as a number of family foundations and offices.
Fran has a BS in Economics from Barnard College at Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She serves on the Investment Committee of Align Impact. Previously, Fran taught a graduate-level course on impact investing at USC’s Marshall School of Business and served on the Investment Committee of the Goldhirsh Foundation and on the G7 Social Impact Investment Task Force Working Group on Asset Allocation. She tweets on impact investing at @franseegull.
Hazel Henderson D.Sc.Hon., FRSA, founder of Ethical Markets Media, Certified B Corporation. She is a world-renowned futurist, active environmentalist, syndicated columnist, and author of award-winning Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy (2006); Mapping the Global Transition to the Solar Age (2014), and other books in 800 libraries, in 20 languages, including “Planetary Citizenship “co-authored by Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda. Ethical Markets is the publisher of Henderson’s forthcoming textbook, “Mapping the Global Green Transition: 2009-2020“.
She is the producer of the global TV series “Transforming Finance“ and the Ethical Markets TV series. She created in 2004 the EthicMark® Awards for Communications Uplifting the Human Spirit & Society, showcasing positive messages to raise the ethical bar on global advertising and in 2009 the annual Green Transition Scoreboard®.
She launched the EthicMarkGEMS®.com, the first global standard certifying only gems NOT mined from Mother Earth, to phase out unnecessary global gem mining, now chemically- identical gems are cheaply available worldwide and also co-created Ethical Biomimicry Finance®. Henderson served as a cabinet-level science policy advisor to the US Office of Technology Assessment, the National Science Foundation, and the National Academy of Engineering.
Her over 400 articles appear in Harvard Business Review, New York Times, LeMonde Diplomatique, and journals in Japan, Britain, Venezuela, China, France, Australia. Honorary Member of the Club of Rome, Fellow of Britain’s Royal Society for Arts and of The World Academy of Art & Science, Henderson shared the 1996 Global Citizen Award with Argentinian Nobelist Pérez Esquivel. She has many honorary degrees.
Jennifer Morris
CEO,
The Nature Conservancy