Global Burgeoning Investment Phenomenon Comes to Sydney: The Impact Investment Summit

Leading investment advisors will descend upon Doltone House in Sydney from 26 to 28 October for the Impact Investment Summit – Asia Pacific.  

Following much acclaim from last year’s inaugural event, the summit lineup of international keynote speakers will be thought provoking and action focused.

A new way of doing business is taking hold, one that harnesses the power of capital markets to deliver social and environmental change. Impact investment is an established, sizeable and global financial market hungry for knowledge sharing, know how, innovation and expertise.

Fast catching the attention of the world’s leading economies, the market for impact investing is estimated to reach US$500 billion (A$660 billion) to $1 trillion (A$1.32 billion) globally, over the next decade.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural summit, this year will focus on Deals, Deep Dives and Dynamics. Bringing together world leaders in impact investing, the conference will feature sessions across all aspects of impact investing.

Exciting and thought-provoking sessions include:

• Here is the Deal: six presentations, each lasting five minutes, followed by five minutes of Q and A. This is an interactive, deal-making session. You will get to know a range of impact deals that are currently live and open for investment.
• Deal Deep Dive: including the ins and outs of the Murray Darling Basin Balanced Water Fund. The fund, established earlier this year, counts as the first Australian impact investment for conservation. The panelists will cover topics such as how environmental outcomes are monitored to how the fund generates returns for unit holders.
• Three years after the first social impact bonds (SIBs) in NSW were launched, representatives of several states will come together to discuss the future of government as an enabler of social outcomes. From what lessons can be learned from cooperation between government, the private sector and the public sector to why investors should engage in such deals, this session will cover everything you need to know about SIBs.

The stellar lineup of international speakers include:

• Amit Bhatia, CEO of Impact Investors Council (IND), is the Indian representative on the Global Social Impact Investment Steering Group, and is an award-winning social entrepreneur. IIC is the industry association of all Impact Investors in India, who have cumulatively invested US$2.5 billion (A$3.3 billion) in 350-plus social enterprises across financial inclusion, clean energy, healthcare, education, water, sanitation, livelihoods, agriculture and housing.
• Amit Bouri, CEO  and co-founder Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) (US). GIIN brings together organisations interested in deepening their engagement in impact investing and joining a community of likeminded peers. It is a global leader in convening the impact investment community.
• Abigail Noble, CEO of The ImPact (US), a Not for Profit network of families who commit to make more impact investments, more effectively. Prior to this, Noble was head of Impact Investing Initiatives at the World Economic Forum and head of Africa and Latin America for The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
• Wolfgang Hafenmayer (CH), head of Societal Impact Advisory for Trusted Family. Trusted Family is a high-profile growth business founded on the belief that families can create greater value through increased cohesion between their members.
• Ben Thornley, co-founder and managing partner at Tideline (US), a strategic advisory firm in impact investing. He co-leads the firm’s client work, with a focus on research design, business planning, program development, impact evaluation, and thought leadership.
• David Wood, director of the Initiative for Responsible Investment (IRI) at the Hauser Institute for Civil Society at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

 This summit’s Program Advisory Panel is being curated by a number of influential leaders in the investment community.

• Daniel Madhavan – CEO, Impact Investing Australia
• Jessica Roth – founder and director of Social Impact Hub
• Kylie Charlton – chief investment officer, Australian Impact Investments co-founder and managing director, Unitus Capital
• Adam Milgrom – venture partner, Giant Leap Fund
• Danny Almagor – co-founder and CEO of Small Giants
• Ian Learmonth – head of Impact Investment, Social Ventures Australia
• Dr John McKinnon – philanthropist and co-founder, Australian office of Grantham Mayo van Otterloo LLC
• Josephine Toral – senior investment analyst – Unlisted Assets, HESTA
• James Waddell – director, Capital Financing group, National Australia Bank

Registration is now open, with early bird discount available until 12 September. Book here.