Asset owners, industry experts and market practitioners came together this week at Impact Investor’s annual conference to discuss the most critical issues surrounding the 2030 deadline for the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The third Impact Investor Conference returned to The Hague on 13 November 2024, where delegates heard from industry leaders and experts on the most pressing impact issues of the day.
The annual conference took place under the title ‘Accelerating Impact: Investment pathways to 2030’, with conversations revolving around critical issues surrounding the 2030 deadline for the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the widening funding gaps to achieve them.
Through keynote speeches and panel debates, guests tackled some of the most pressing areas of impact investing with a particular focus this year on biodiversity, climate action and investments targeting social impact in different sectors, including healthcare.
Impact Investor’s co-editor Paula Garrido opened the conference with a welcome address that focused on the growth of the impact space, and the need for investors to maintain and intensify their focus on impact investing.
She was followed by keynote speaker Ruben Timmerman, founding funder and operations director at The School for Moral Ambition. Talking about the importance of aligning professional paths with purpose, Timmerman reminded people that they have a short time on the planet, in which to make a difference. “We all know that, but it’s something to keep in mind, especially when thinking about how much time you have left before you go.”
Held as COP29 talks take place in Azerbaijan, the room of delegates were encouraged by speakers to look beyond the gloom of geopolitical and economic risks and focus on what has and can be done to achieve the fast-approaching 2030 climate and SDG goals.
Biodiversity and natural capital
One theme of the day was biodiversity and natural capital. A panel discussion chaired by Impact Investor co-editor Maha Khan Phillips focused on the critical role of biodiversity and natural capital in investment landscapes, emphasising the need for urgent action.
Panellists Anita de Horde, co-founding executive director of Finance for Biodiversity Foundation, Jacqueline Duiker, senior manager at VBDO, Nick Moss, head of nature-based solutions at Nuveen Natural Capital and Anne Gram, board member of Planetary Responsibility Foundation and numerous pension funds, shared their experiences in investing to prevent further biodiversity loss.
The discussion also covered the challenges of measuring biodiversity impact, with a focus on engaging with companies and developing metrics to assess and improve biodiversity performance.
Speaking on the role and engagement of pension funds within biodiversity, Gram said that while pension funds typically take their time before investing in new thematic strategies, there is an increasing interest in biodiversity and nature-focused funds.
“Pension funds can be scared to take decisions that are not completely approved and measured. Looking at both climate and biodiversity, I think the backward-looking risk metrics which we have relied on as a financial sector are not sufficient, so we need to develop new, forward-looking metrics,” said Gram.
However, Gram added that the positive news is the increased realisation of the huge risk posed by biodiversity loss, adding that she believes people want to take action in this area.
Healthcare innovation and equity
Conversations also focused on the role of impact investing within the healthcare space. In a powerful fireside chat with Garrido, Sarah de Lagarde, global head of corporate affairs at Janus Henderson Investors, made the impact case for investing in healthtech.
Having survived a life-altering accident on the London Underground in 2022 which resulted in her losing her right arm and leg, de Lagarde detailed her extensive medical recovery, including the use of advanced prosthetics and AI technology to aid her rehabilitation.
Addressing the crowd of delegates, she passionately outlined the need for better infrastructure and accessibility for people with disabilities, stressing the importance of mobility solutions for ageing populations.
“The one thing we all have in common here in this group is that 100% of us are going to age, and with age comes a decrease in mobility,” de Lagarde said.
“We are an ageing demographic, which makes finding solutions to preserve the mobility of people all the more critical,” she argued.
The session was followed for a panel discussion on healthcare innovation and equity which we’ll cover in more detail next week.
Collaboration
A panel moderated by Garrido explored collaboration between GSG Impact’s national partners and Impact Europe to build a robust impact investing ecosystem. Panellists included Laure Wessemius-Chibrac, managing director of the Netherlands Advisory Board for Impact Investing, Steven Serneels, chair of Impact Finance Belgium and Jana Bour, head of policy and EU partnerships at Impact Europe.
Next week we will be publishing more in-depth coverage of the key topics at discussion during the different sessions.
