To mark International Women’s Day, we have compiled some of our recent coverage of female voices in the impact investing sector, featuring interviews, expert insights, and news about the organisations they lead.
Borski Fund reaches final close with commitments from M&G Investments
Borski Fund, the Amsterdam-based gender lens fund, has reached final close at just under €50m with commitments of more than €9m from M&G Investments.
The fund has an investment thesis based on a triple diversity lens. It is managed by a predominantly female fund management team investing into female-led tech start-ups or into companies offering products and services for women with a positive impact on women, as director and partner Simone Brummelhuis told Impact Investor.
The 3 minute interview, Charlotte O’Leary, Pensions for Purpose
The CEO of Pensions for Purpose talks to Impact Investor about key trends and themes, the bifurcation of investors who are doing a little and those who are doing a lot, and the need for greater innovation in the impact industry.
“It is very encouraging that, despite the significant changes in the geopolitical environment, pension investors appear committed to their sustainability and impact goals, with many looking to add to their allocations,” she says.
Viewpoint: Unlocking LGPS capital – a new era for local impact investment
As the UK government moves forward with reforms in the local government pensions sector, Anna Shiel, chief investment officer at Better Society Capital, explores the challenges and opportunities of leveraging impact investing to drive local growth.
Since Rachel Reeves took office as the UK’s first female Chancellor in July last year, the horizon for the UK’s Local Government Pension Schemes (LGPS) has become clearer. Her landmark Mansion House speech in November outlined decisive reforms for LGPS pools and initiated the Pensions Investment Review, including local investments. This is where impact investment can and should come in, Shiel writes.
Impact Investing Institute’s co-CEOs on shared leadership and scaling up the sector
The Impact Investing Institute, the UK’s national partner of GSG Impact, has recently announced a change in its leadership, appointing Bella Landymore and Sarah Teacher as co-CEOs.
The new leadership will steer the Institute’s ambitious five-year plan to mobilise £1trn (€1.1trn) in investments benefiting people and planet.
Bridges strengthens commitment to UK social impact with new investment vehicle
London-based Bridges Fund Management has launched a fund to invest in social impact-driven companies in the UK, which has been seeded with assets transitioned from its Bridges Evergreen fund.
The new vehicle, the Bridges Inclusive Growth Fund, aims to “address gaps in the market” by supporting businesses with strong growth potential that can also deliver measurable social outcomes for vulnerable groups, according to Emma Thorne, a partner at Bridges and manager of the fund, in an exclusive interview with Impact Investor.
Pakistan’s Kashf Foundation on empowering women and building a sustainable future
Kashf Foundation is working in a holistic way to do more than just deliver microfinance solutions. It wants to change mindsets, says its founder and managing director, Roshaneh Zafar.
“The first thing we needed to navigate was not microfinance. The real challenge was around changing mindsets. How do you unravel the patriarchy, and how do you ensure that a woman can use her loan effectively and that she has control over the income that she earns?”
Barclays, Aviva among backers of £255m female founders pool
The Invest in Women Taskforce secured £255m (€306m) in funding to support female entrepreneurs, exceeding its initial fundraising goal of £250m, which it had set out when it was founded in March last year.
M&G, British Business Bank and Aviva have each committed £50m, with BGF and Morgan Stanley contributing £25m, and Visa Foundation £5m.
2X Certification launches to assess and recognise gender inclusion in investments
2X Global, the global industry body promoting gender lens investing, has launched a new certification programme – 2X Certification, at its annual summit for members, which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, last year.
2X Certification builds on the organisation’s 2X Criteria that has since become a recognised global standard for gender-lens investing in both developing and developed markets and have been widely adopted by investors, financial intermediaries and companies as well as by international organisations.
