Impact Frontiers

Last week in London, Mike McCreless and Matt Ripley led the “Understanding Impact Performance” masterclass for asset owners and allocators, a collaborative effort with everyone in attendance to further develop the Impact Performance Reporting Norms. A big thank you to everyone who participated, our partners at Pensions for Purpose, Lily-Grace Burford for making the event run so smoothly, and EY for hosting it. #ImpactPerformanceReportingNorms #ImpInv #Impact

We’re a global team at Impact Frontiers, so it was wonderful last week for most of us to be able to meet up in person for a team retreat in London – for intensive planning sessions and some seriously good fish and chips. Thank you Better Society Capital for hosting us. There’s a lot we’re excited for in 2025, from the next steps with the Impact Performance Reporting Norms pilot to the cohorts and other impact management training programs we’re planning around the world. 

BlueMark and the Impact Investors Council (IIC) invite you to what promises to be an insightful webinar: “Impact Integrity: The Role of Independent Review & Verification,” on Friday, January 31, 2025, at 2:30 PM IST / 9:00 AM GMT. 💡 Join this powerhouse panel, with moderation by BlueMark’s Paige Nicol, as they discuss how third-party verification strengthens accountability and fosters trust in sustainable finance and impact investing: Impact Frontiers' Matt Ripley: Breaking down the Impact Performance Reporting Norms. British International Investment's Ushnisha G.: Offering a Limited Partner’s perspective on leveraging verification. Omnivore's Sanskriti Kapoor: Presenting a live case study on their verification journey as a Fund Manager. Upaya Social Ventures' Shruti Goel: Sharing Upaya’s experience developing an in-house approach to impact measurement and management, and perspectives on the role of third-party input. This is an opportunity to learn from the best and gain practical, applicable insights for your sustainable and impact investing strategies. Register here: https://bit.ly/3BYWKkG #impactinvesting #sustainablefinance #webinar

Nao Sudo (Iwamoto) (Director, Impact Frontiers) was quoted in a Nikkei Business article last month, commenting on the rise of impact investing in Japan: "There is growing interest in the role of impact investing in addressing global environmental and social issues.... Industry associations and field-building organizations support the trend by issuing standards and guidelines for fair market expansion." https://lnkd.in/ecpZZkB9 #impinv #imm #impact

The Japan Impact-Driven Financing Initiative is an investor community where the top management of financial institutions commit to promoting impact finance. As of December 2024, 85 companies became signatories, and Impact Frontiers is a supporting organization. On January 29, join their event on the topic of engagement and impact. Nao Sudo (Iwamoto) (Director, Impact Frontiers) will be moderating the private asset class panel, joined by impact VCs and startups. More information is available here: https://lnkd.in/ehBtfvRv #impinv #imm #impact

✨ We invite you to join us for an exclusive webinar, “Impact Integrity: The Role of Independent Review & Verification,” hosted by IIC in collaboration with BlueMark, on Friday, January 31, 2025, at 2:30 PM IST. Discover how independent verification enhances impact measurement, ensuring credibility and trust in impact claims. Together, we’ll explore: ➡️ The role of evolving frameworks, principles, and standards in shaping independent verification. ➡️ Hear from Impact Frontiers about key standards and principles, such as the Impact Performance Reporting Norms, that provide the foundation for robust verifications. ➡️ Discuss how British International Investment utilizes key standards and principles, such as the Impact Principles, to drive consistent and credible impact verification from a Limited Partner perspective. ➡️ Gain insights from a live "case study" showcasing Omnivore's experience with the independent verification process. ➡️ How independent verification drives transparency, accountability, and measurable outcomes 🍀Join us to decode the complex world of impact metrics and confidently navigate today’s dynamic sustainable and impact investing market. This is a unique opportunity for asset owners and managers to learn how to strengthen their impact accountability and take their investment strategy to the next level. Don’t miss out! 🖥️Save your spot today: [https://lnkd.in/gZMcjrKu] Matt Ripley, Impact Frontiers || Paige Nicol, BlueMark || Ushnisha G., British International Investment || Sanskriti Kapoor, Omnivore #impactinvesting #sustainablefinance

Great discussions yesterday at the Bundesinitiative Impact Investing's webinar on Impact Reporting hosted by Susanne Bregy and organized by Julian Frede. In the absence of detailed regulatory standards, impact investing is and will continue to be very much driven by market practice and voluntary frameworks. The Impact Frontiers Impact Performance Reporting Norms (https://lnkd.in/gJXq_H_s) presented by Matt Ripley are an important step to standardize and enhance comparability of impact reports. Neither the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (#SFDR) nor the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (#CSRD) adequately cover impact investing. While legal disclosures and reporting need to be made, stand-alone impact reports are currently much better suited to reflect impact strategies and their outcomes. However, the landscape of impact reporting is vast and extremely heterogeneous, as Lisa Knob has found out in her research. Less pretty pictures and more streamlined and verified content could significantly reduce information asymmetries and increase investor trust. Looking forward to continuing the discussion in the industry! #impactinvesting #reporting #standardization

Pensions for Purpose and Impact Frontiers are partnering to deliver an in-person masterclass to provide understanding on how asset owners can use impact reports to inform engagement and allocation decisions. Register your space for 16 January 2025, 10:30-14:00 GMT, including lunch, and hear expert insights on the impact performance reporting norms, (version 1 was released in April 2024). Our guest speakers include Matt Ripley and Mike McCreless of Impact Frontiers, hosted by David Brown of Pensions for Purpose. Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your knowledge and influence the future of impact reporting. #ImpactInvesting #ImpactReporting #PensionsForPurpose https://ow.ly/Snwt50UnhBO

Reminder: Don’t Miss This Insightful Webinar on Impact Reporting! Are you a fund manager seeking to enhance your impact reporting processes? Join AVPA & Impact Frontiers for an engaging session moderated by Matt Ripley. Learn practical strategies to make your reporting efficient and actionable for you and your capital providers. Date: Wednesday, 11th December 2024 Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (EAT) Location: Zoom (Register here: http://bit.ly/4fOjUc7) Key Highlights: 🔹 Current trends in impact reporting 🔹 Introduction to the Impact Performance Reporting Norms (Learn more) 🔹 Real-world examples and lessons learned 🔹 Opportunities to pilot the norms and access resources The Reporting Norms, released earlier this year, represent the first global consensus on how private market asset managers should report impact results. This webinar is your chance to learn how to integrate them into your work and drive strategic decision-making. 🔗 Register now: http://bit.ly/4fOjUc7 Let’s elevate impact reporting together! #ImpactReporting #AVPA #ImpactFrontiers #SustainableFinance

Friday reading: A new report from British International Investment on "Integrating impact in portfolio construction: How to balance impact, risk, return and liquidity considerations in strategic asset allocation." Congratulations to Swetha Balachandran, Martina Castro, and Yasemin Saltuk Lamy on publishing this important work, which shares thoughtful insights into BII's approaches to portfolio construction and the range of factors they take into account which shape that process, aligning with their impact and financial objectives. The full report is available here: https://lnkd.in/ek6MptpW #ImpactManagement #ImpInv #IMM