Last week, UCL School of Management Professor and sustainability expert Paolo Taticchi hosted an event on Level 50 of Canary Wharf’s One Canada Square that delved into the world of Impact Investing. Beginning with a keynote address from ESG Book’s Daniel Klier, the session was then followed by a presentation from Paolo and a panel discussion chaired by the Financial Times’s Andrew Jack.
Initially coined in 2007, the term ‘impact investing’ refers to a form of investment whereby capital is put to work in such a way that it benefits society as a whole. It hopes to reshape the notion of traditional investing, as it aims to look beyond the standard risk-return relationship by generating positive social and environment impact alongside financial return.
The need for impact investing has never been greater, as the increasingly severe societal challenges of today means that shareholders’ capitalism has become obsolete. During the event, UCL School of Management Director Davide Ravasi discussed the need for business schools around the world to bring sustainability to the forefront of their agendas and change the world for the better.
For the panel discussion, we were joined by Diana Copper, Head of Portfolio Management at The Commonwealth, Gianluca Gaggiotti, Research Manager at EVPA, Gila Norich, Head of Knowledge Development at The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, and Envoy Partnership’s Oliver Kempton. Our panellists touched on a number of issues facing the world of impact investing, such as the importance of impact assurance, the need for data that measures the social impact of impact investing, and the ways in which impact investing can become more accessible to investors and enterprises.
