-
-
Robert Eccles | Chairman, Arabesque Partners
-
George Serafeim of HBS and Jem Hudson of Breckinridge Capital will open the Summit with a discussion of the past, present and future of sustainability in finance. Why do materiality and sustainability measurement matter in finance? How can investors and big businesses lead a shift to a more sustainable economy? And how can students and professionals participate?
Jem Hudson (Moderator) | Director of Engagement, Breckinridge Capital Advisors
George Serafeim | Jakurski Family Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
-
While investors are increasingly interested in sustainability and companies are adopting and publishing CSR strategies at record rates, the availability of high quality sustainability data remains inconsistent. In this context, the three panelists will discuss current applications and processes for incorporating sustainability data in research and investing, as well as the challenges inherent in accessing neutral and reliable information to inform smart investment decisions.
Joshua Kazdin | Vice President, Scientific Active Equity, Black Rock
Mike McCreless | Senior Director of Strategy and Impact, Root Capital
Sarah Smith | Director, Institutional Relations (North America), Sustainalytics
Jake Cohen | Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Master’s Programs, MIT Sloan School of Management
-
-
Sustainable energy solutions often struggle to access both growth-stage capital and the institutional investors needed for large-scale, capital market financings. The long-term nature of infrastructure investments, notoriously difficult technological hurdles, and unpredictable regulatory environment create a harsh climate for venture capital seeking near-term, high-IRR payoffs, and continue to make participation difficult for institutional investors seeking predictable, low-cost, liquid cash flows. This panel will focus on the novel approaches, partnerships and structures bridging such funding gaps. Which investment vehicles will succeed in funding a sustainable energy future, and who gets to decide?
Jim Miller | Vice President of Worldwide Operations, Google
Dennis Costello | Managing Partner, Braemar Energy Ventures
Tibor Toth | Managing Director of Investments, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
David Miller | Founder and Executive Managing Director, Clean Energy Group (CEVG)
-
In recent years, the private sector’s interest in sustainable investments and the development of projects with positive social and environmental impact has grown exponentially. Because such projects impact industries with historically strong public intervention, public-private partnerships are helping to create and to scale innovative investment products, to diversify risks and to better allocate resources. This panel’s speakers represent organizations that are bridging public/private divides to change the landscape of sustainable finance. How are such partnerships ensuring a more efficient and impactful use of resources?
Barbara Humpton | President & Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Government Technologies, Inc.
Shu Dar Yao | Director of Capital Formation and Investor Relations, Social Finance
Mike Reynolds | Director, Ultra Capital
Bernardo Weaver | Senior PPP Consultant, World Bank Group
-
-
In today’s rapidly evolving global context, sustainability is driving a restructuring of major world systems. Generation Investment Management has been and continues to be a leader in building sustainable investment strategies that are adapted to a modern global economy, support a sustainable future, and generate traditional market-rate returns. Tammie Arnold will discuss Generation’s investment strategy and market outlook, and how that impacts the broader investment landscape today and in the future.
Tammie Arnold | Partner & Head of Global Client Team, Generation
-
-
Private investor participation in water rights and water management has accelerated. Correspondingly, consumers, investors and municipalities are grappling with the merits and considerations of such private sector involvement. Panelists representing private investment firms, policy organizations and academia will evaluate the state of water rights and private capital today and what to consider looking ahead. How can private investors meet financial interests, collaborate with diverse stakeholders and help protect an increasingly scarce resource and those who depend on it?
Adam Schempp | Senior Attorney and Director of the Western Water Program, Environmental Law Institute
Doug Kenney | Director of Western Water Policy Program, University of Colorado Law School Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment
Marc Robert | Chief Operating Officer, Water Asset Management LLC
Julian Koelbel | Post-Doctoral Fellow, MIT Sloan
-
Heidi Pickett and Liesel Pritzker Simmons will explore how individuals and family offices are leading impact investing — and as a result generating ESG impact, building the business case for integrating impact in investments across asset classes and mobilizing others around the tools and the purpose needed to foster lasting change. Specifically, this panel will speak to Blue Haven Initiative’s motivation, experience and accomplishments.
Liesel Pritzker Simmons | Co-founder and Principal, Blue Haven Initiative
Heidi Pickett | Director, MIT Sloan Master of Finance Program
-
The companies and organizations that drive our labor market and workforce look to investors as key stakeholders. On this panel, investors will explore the premise that in creating ‘good’ jobs, employers create value for themselves, customers, and investors. How do they think about investing in the context of labor, and how and why should companies think about investing in ‘good’ jobs?
Barbara Dyer (Moderator) | Senior Lecturer and Executive, MIT Sloan Good Companies, Good Jobs Initiative
Nancy Pfund | Founder and Managing Partner, DBL Partners
Jason Britton | Founder & CIO, Good Companies Investment Strategy
Sarah Kalloch | Executive Director, Good Jobs Initiatives
-
A discussion of Funding the Future would be incomplete without mention of the children who will inherit this future. Investing in education systems and models presents opportunities for long-term, wide-scale impact. Panelists will speak to a wide array of potential investments -- from venture capital and edtech to charter schools and public school management. How can investors play a role in developing the models and producing the data that will support high-quality capital allocation and results? And how should we think about measuring outcomes in a way that supports future investment decisions?
Victor Reinoso | Chief Operating Officer, Independent Sector
Robbin Chapman | Associate Provost and Academic Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Wellesley College
Parag Pathak | Professor of Microeconomics, MIT
Camille Terrier | Post-Doctoral Fellow, School Effectiveness & Inequality Initiative
-
China’s increasingly vocal position on the importance of renewable energy and the global response to climate change includes a commitment to national quotas for greenhouse gases. Susan Zhu is actively involved in this transition as an innovator in leveraging blockchain for China’s energy and carbon management. Join this presentation on the value of such a platform, expectations for the technology in the near-term and the far reaching, long-term applications.
Susan Zhu | Chairman and CEO, Shanghai Treasure Carbon New Energy Environment Protection Technology Co., Ltd.
-
Technology and digitization are changing the way financial products and services are offered to individuals and businesses around the world. In developed and developing markets, the financial sector is expected to become more efficient and affordable for consumers, but simultaneously to challenge traditional business models. Panelists will explore the scalability of such solutions and the related hypotheses of leading investors and entrepreneurs. How are these panelists catalyzing innovation and what predictions do they hold for the future?
Alan Martinez | VP of Global Delivery, EFL
Jamieson Odell | Co-Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager, Caravel EMS Fund
Tavneet Suri | Associate Professor, Applied Economics, MIT Sloan School of Management
Deborah Drake | VP, Investing in Inclusive Finance, Accion’s Center for Financial Inclusion
-
-
For some, sustainability is an obvious and necessary part of investment research; for others, it is a threat to traditional finance objectives. Sustainability advocates often meet hostility or indifference, and can find themselves marginalized in the broader investment conversations. Championing sustainability in finance requires dedication, perseverance, and a sincere understanding of organizational change.
The closing keynote panel will feature three finance and sustainability experts who have successfully “championed” sustainability at their respective organizations. They will discuss the approaches to organizational change and decisionmaking that yielded positive results, and their expected paths forward in supporting sustainable finance.
Beth Lowery | Senior Director for Sustainability and ESG, TPG Capital
Jason Jay | Senior Lecturer and Director, Sustainability Initiative, MIT Sloan School of Management
Carol Geremia | President MFS Institutional Advisors, Inc.
Jackie VanderBrug | Managing Director and Investment Strategist, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management
-