Business of Impact gathers corporate impact stakeholders in search of the most effective ways to advance their social impact by strategically leveraging corporate resources. It brings together 200+ corporate impact actors at the intersection of their journeys to purpose.

Conference report

Impact Transformers: How much are corporates committing to social investment?

The team from Impact Europe regularly challenged participants and speakers on why only a few percent of capital is being deployed for impact at a time of growing social inequality in Europe. We discussed the rise of the far right and how addressing inequality was an emergency issue, alongside climate change.

Sophie Fajour, Impact Europe’s corporate market development lead, posited early on: ‘Corporates don’t give anywhere enough. Why? We need to put pressure on and ask “how much are you spending on impact investing?” Nobody asks this,’ she told the room. Claudia Cahalane reports…

Interview

‘What stands out in The Netherlands is that major institutional asset owners are committing to impact investing’

Alonso Ortiz Galan is the director for corporate impact investing at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). Originally from Mexico, he is now based in New York. He has worked to launch initiatives within government, civil society, and academia with different impact goals in areas including fair trade and corporate sustainability. He also previously worked for a nonprofit called New Ventures, which launched Adobe Capital in 2012, Latin America’s first impaczact investing fund. Claudia Cahalane, Alliance‘s investments editor spoke to Ortiz Galan at Impact Europe Impact Transformers event. Read the full inteview…

Reflections from delegates and speakers

Power to the people (who matter most)

How can the impact movement make sure it always acts in the interests of stakeholders and the natural environment? This was the question explored by a group of impact funds and corporate impact actors during a breakout session – “Influencing Power Dynamics” – at Capital Ideas and Business of Impact. Matt Ripley of Impact Frontiers reports…

Breaking the gender echo chamber

Financial systems benefit men and women differently. This is the base case of gender lens investing, a practice that aims to adapt finance to become a tool that can help promote gender equality. It is an important topic – Impact Europe is actively pursuing possibilities of putting it higher on the agenda. The rather modest turnout for the breakout session in The Hague suggests there may still be work to be done. Tom Dinneweth of Impact Europe reports…

Behind the curtain: Corporate social innovation in practice

Since Impact Europe launched its Business of Impact conference series, the space has advanced significantly. Corporate social innovation has moved beyond corporate social responsibility (CSR) to become a business capability that drives impact and business results. Daniel Nowack from the World Economic Forum reports…

News from the conference

New report reveals how corporates engage in impact investing

Impact Europe, have released a report exploring how companies and corporate organisations engage in impact investing as a key part of their sustainability strategy. It offers a comprehensive and diverse picture of impact investing in a corporate setting, culminating in a practical guide to getting started. Read more…