In a world marked by complexity and rapid change, resilience and adaptability aren’t optional, it’s essential. Under this year’s theme Eye on the Future we invite institutional investors and asset owners to explore how we adapt, lead, and invest with long-term purpose in mind. 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 to fully serve their fiduciary duty. Some of the key themes on the agenda:

AGENDA 2025 WAS SHAPED WITH THE INPUT FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTS

ADVISING COMMITTEE

10:40 – 10:50

Keynote speech I A call for collective action

This keynote explores how enduring climate progress requires a bold alliance across technology, business, community activism, and culture; each offering a unique path to change. In a time of political volatility and rising division, it calls for solutions that transcend election cycles and touch every part of society. By honouring innovation, justice, and imagination, the keynote underscores that we fight for the planet not only out of urgency, but because of the possibility we believe the future holds

14:30-15:20

Breakout session B3

Interactive discussion I Myth busting LP-GP reporting standards

As impact investing matures, LPs are demanding clearer, more consistent reporting to assess whether funds are truly delivering on their stated impact goals. In session we cover certain myths from surveyed LPs & GPs around reporting challenges to unpack the root causes of these discrepancies. We’ll explore how both sides can align expectations, improve data transparency, and co-create more effective, decision-useful impact reporting.

14:30-15:20

Breakout session B4

Panel discussion I Shareholder engagement in a new era of private wealth

We are entering a new era of investor influence where rising legal scrutiny intersects with rising generational values. As governance norms shift and ESG pushback grows louder, shareholder engagement is under the microscope. At the same time, a historic wealth transfer is underway, with younger generations and underrepresented communities are bringing a deeper commitment to social equity, climate justice, and long-term stewardship.

This panel will focus on the rise of shareholder activism among next-gen and values-driven investors and how are private wealth holders use their capital and their voice to push for accountability? What happens when values-driven advocacy

15:40-16:40

Panel discussion | Public-Private collaboration in impact investing: navigating challenges and opportunities

In this panel, we explore how governments, private investors, and non-profit organizations can work together to enhance the effectiveness of social & environmental investment initiatives in the Americas. The discussion focuses on innovative financing mechanisms, policy frameworks, and strategies for overcoming coordination barriers at local, regional, and national levels.

A LOOKBACK AGENDA 2024
The 5th edition of Impact Summit America brought together a highly curated audience and some of the brightest minds in impact investing for another year of thought-provoking, meaningful discussions. Held on October 30, 2024, in New York City, this pivotal event convened institutional investors and asset owners, impact fund managers, experts, and industry specialists to advance the field of impact investing.

UPHOLDING AGAINST HEADWINDS

The Summit’s theme was a resounding call to action, encouraging financial players to build resilience amid a constantly evolving landscape. Participants explored how to embody the values they champion while driving capital toward transformative solutions with even greater ambition. This new era of investing demands visionaries who also act as stewards, fostering environments where values thrive and deliver measurable global impact. The Summit’s agenda focused on three areas: Navigating Polarization, Standardizing Impact Metrics, Addressing Social Equity.

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

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

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.

Impact Summit America - Fran Seegull President, U.S. Impact Investing Alliance - Impact investing conference for institutional investors

FEATURED SPEAKERS FROM OUR PAST EVENTS

IN THE COMPANY OF THOUGHT LEADERS

Sir Ronald Cohen

Chair,
The Global Steering Group (GSG)

Connect UK Keynote

Sir Ronald Cohen is a pioneering philanthropist, venture capitalist, private equity investor, and social innovator, who is driving forward the global Impact Revolution. For nearly two decades, his ground-breaking initiatives have catalyzed global efforts to drive private capital to serve social and environmental good. He serves as Chairman of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment and The Portland Trust. He is a co-founder of Social Finance UK, USA, and Israel; and co-founder Chair of Bridges Fund Management and Big Society Capital. He chaired the G8 Social Impact Investment Taskforce (2013-2015), the UK Social Investment Task Force (2000-2010) and the UK’s Commission on Unclaimed Assets (2005-2007). In 2012 he received the Rockefeller Foundation’s Innovation Award for Social Finance. He was a co-founder and Executive Chairman of Apax Partners Worldwide LLP (1972-2005), a global private equity firm. He was a co-founder and Chairman of the British Venture Capital Association and a co-founder of the European Venture Capital Association. He is a member of the Board of Dean’s Advisors at Harvard Business School; a former director of the Harvard Management Company; and formerly a member of the Harvard University Board of Overseers and the University of Oxford Investment Committee. He graduated from Oxford University, where he was President of the Oxford Union. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School to which he was awarded a Henry Fellowship. Sir Ronald was born in Egypt and left as a refugee at the age of 11, when his family came to the UK.

Scilla Elworthy

Peace Builder, Three-time Nobel Prize Nominee

Connect UK Keynote

Dr Scilla Elworthy turns vision into action. Today her full attention is on developing Business Plan for Peace, resulting from her 2017 book: The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War. She has been three times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for developing effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policymakers worldwide and their critics, with the Oxford Research Group she founded in 1982. Peace Direct, voted ‘Best New Charity’ in 2005, goes from strength to strength under brilliant young leadership, founded by Scilla in 2002 to fund, promote and learn from local peace-builders in conflict areas. Scilla was adviser to Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Sir Richard Branson in setting up ‘The Elders’, and was Awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003. She co-founded Rising Women Rising World in 2013, and FemmeQ in 2016 to establish the qualities of feminine intelligence - for men as for women - as essential for building a safer world. Her TED talk on non-violence has been viewed by over 1,400,000 people on TED and YouTube. Her book Pioneering the Possible: awakened leadership for a world that works (North Atlantic Books, 2014) continues to receive critical acclaim from experts in the field. She’s Ambassador for Peace Direct, a Councillor of the World Future Council and patron of Oxford Research Group; adviser to the Syria Campaign and the Institute for Economics and Peace. She advises the leadership of selected international corporations as well as young social entrepreneurs. Scilla is a mother, stepmother, and grandmother and loves messing about in her garden near Oxford in the UK.

Eva Halvarsson

CEO,
AP2

Connect Greater Gothenburg Metropolitan Area, Sweden Keynote

Since 2006, Eva Halvarsson has acted as the CEO of the Second Swedish National Pension Fund -- AP2. She heads up an organization with more than SEK 345 billion (approx. USD 43 billion) under management in virtually every asset class, and one that is active in all parts of the world; AP2 is one of northern Europe's largest pension funds.Ms. Halvarsson began her career as an accountant, progressing to the point that before joining AP2, she spent ten years working for the Swedish Government where she was responsible for the governance and management of the large and extensive portfolio of state owned companies. Eva Halvarsson has had a distinguished and varied leadership career. She took part in the working group that put into effect the Swedish Corporate Governance Code in 2004. She also spent several years, serving on the Swedish Corporate Governance Board. Eva has been a board member of several large companies and has chaired the nomination committees of some of Sweden’s largest listed companies. She recently left after serving for ten years as the Deputy Chairperson of the board of the University of Gothenburg.Presently, she is board member of the UN-PRI (the United Nation´s Principles for Responsible Investments), Vasakronan (the largest real estate company in Sweden), The Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development and The Royal Swedish Opera. In addition, she serves on the advisory board of the Women Entrepreneur´s Opportunity Facility, the first-ever global finance facility dedicated exclusively to women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises.Eva Halvarsson was born in 1962 and holds an MSc in Business and Economics from the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg.

Fran Seegull

President,
U.S. Impact Investing Alliance

Connect New York, USA Keynote Speaker

Fran Seegull is the Executive Director of the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance which works to increase awareness of impact investing in the United States, foster deployment of and demand for impact capital across asset classes globally, and partner with stakeholders, including government, to build the impact investing ecosystem. The Alliance is being accelerated by the Ford Foundation and supported by a range of philanthropies and individuals.

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, Ethical Markets Media,
Certified B Corporation

United Kingdom Keynote

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.

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.

Complimentary for asset owners/LPs, please apply for invitation.

INTERESTED TO CONTRIBUTE SHAPING 2025 AGENDA?

NAVIGATING POLARIZED ENVIRONMENT

COLLABORATIVE STEWARDSHIP IN AN ERA OF COMPLEXITY

REDEFINING FIDUCIARY DUTY

We explore how fiduciary duty is being reinterpreted in a time of transition and what does it mean to act in the "best interests" of beneficiaries in a world shaped by systemic risks? We discuss on going topics on how do legal frameworks, investor expectations, and real-world outcomes intersect.

SCENARIO ANALYSIS AS A STRATEGIC COMPASS

How can forward-looking, scenario-based analysis move from a compliance tool to a strategic driver? We'll explore methodologies and how they can inform real-world decision-making across sectors.

ADVISING COMMITTEE

PRELIMINARY AGENDA 2025

JOIN YOUR IMPACT INVESTING PEERS!

A LOOKBACK AGENDA 2024

UPHOLDING AGAINST HEADWINDS

We are delighted to have the leading organisations within the impact ecosystem supporting our mission and contributing to the growth of the industry with their research, knowledge and advocacy.

IN THE COMPANY OF THOUGHT LEADERS

MEET YOUR IMPACT

INVESTING PEERS!

A LIMITED NUMBER OF COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS IS

AVAILABLE FOR ASSET OWNERS & INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS!

BE INSPIRED BY THE IMPACT & SUSTAINABILITY PIONEERS!

INTERESTED TO CONTRIBUTE SHAPING 2025 AGENDA?

NAVIGATING POLARIZED ENVIRONMENT

COLLABORATIVE STEWARDSHIP IN AN ERA OF COMPLEXITY

REDEFINING FIDUCIARY DUTY

We explore how fiduciary duty is being reinterpreted in a time of transition and what does it mean to act in the "best interests" of beneficiaries in a world shaped by systemic risks? We discuss on going topics on how do legal frameworks, investor expectations, and real-world outcomes intersect.

SCENARIO ANALYSIS AS A STRATEGIC COMPASS

How can forward-looking, scenario-based analysis move from a compliance tool to a strategic driver? We'll explore methodologies and how they can inform real-world decision-making across sectors.

ADVISING COMMITTEE

Bhavika Vyas Vincent

Kavita Vijayan

Keren Raz

Laura Weeks

Mike McCreless

Ryan Malloy

PRELIMINARY AGENDA 2025

JOIN YOUR IMPACT INVESTING PEERS!

A LOOKBACK AGENDA 2024

UPHOLDING AGAINST HEADWINDS

We are delighted to have the leading organisations within the impact ecosystem supporting our mission and contributing to the growth of the industry with their research, knowledge and advocacy.

IN THE COMPANY OF THOUGHT LEADERS

Al Gore

Anita Bhatia

Sir Ronald Cohen

Ndileka Mandela

Matt Damon

Scilla Elworthy

Mark Mobius

Eva Halvarsson

Eduard van Gelderen

Anna Snider

Amit Bouri

Fran Seegull

Roger Havenith

Hazel Henderson D.Sc.Hon., FRSA,

Hartwig Liersch

Jennifer Morris

MEET YOUR IMPACT

INVESTING PEERS!

A LIMITED NUMBER OF COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS IS

AVAILABLE FOR ASSET OWNERS & INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS!

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