Launching our five-year strategy under an evolved leadership
It can often cause jitters when the impressive Head of an organisation (@Sarah Gordon) steps down from their post and a tragedy when the new incumbent is announced and felt to be a little disappointing. Not so for the always impressive Impact Investing Institute. The tenure of newly elevated Kieron Boyle is off to an excellent start with the launch of their new 5 year strategy. Ambitious, relevant & timely. Bring it on @Kieron & team!
16th May 2024
This post was authored by the Impact Investing Institute.
Over the past six months, the Board and team at the Institute have developed an exciting and ambitious five-year strategy, which works towards mobilising £1 trillion of impact capital to investments that benefit people and the planet.
Delivering our ambitious strategy
Today we are announcing an evolution of our leadership to deliver this strategy, optimising the distribution of our expertise and providing for continuity and thoughtful succession.
To deliver the Institute’s ambitious plans and continue our long-term mission to accelerate the impact investing field in the UK and globally, the Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Kieron Boyle as the Institute’s new Chair. Kieron is one of the UK’s leading voices on impact investment and will guide the organisation through this next phase of growth and take up a new complementary executive role in the wider impact ecosystem.
The Board is also pleased to announce that, after nine years of exceptional leadership of the Institute and its predecessor initiatives, our current Chair, Dame Elizabeth Corley, will remain with the Institute in the newly created role of Chair Emerita. In this Board role, Elizabeth will continue to act as a guiding light for the Institute’s work through her vision, insight, and rich experience in impact investing.
Evolution of our leadership
Finally, the Board is pleased to appoint Bella Landymore and Sarah Teacher as co-CEOs of the Institute. They are currently the Institute’s Executive Directors and bring huge understanding, experience, energy, and expertise to the role.
Bella’s career has spanned the private, public, and social sectors. Having helped establish the Institute in 2019, she currently leads our programmes and our work on policy and regulation. Bella joined the Institute from the UK government’s Inclusive Economy Unit and, prior to that, worked at both UBS Investment Bank and in the charity sector.
Sarah’s career has focused on the intersection of social impact, sustainability, and private capital. She joined the Institute in 2021 and currently leads our relationships with external funders and our work with endowments and family offices. Previously, Sarah worked at Lendlease Europe, Sancroft International, and the Institute for Philanthropy. She serves as the Chair of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Europe.
Kieron will continue to lead the implementation of the Institute’s strategy as CEO until October 2024 when these new arrangements will come into effect. This reconfiguration of our leadership will provide the continuity, experience, and skills needed as we work together to achieve the Institute’s vision of capital markets that drive a fairer, greener, more resilient future.
Working towards our long-term mission
Over the next five years, the Institute aims to see £500 billion allocated through a just transition lens, which advances climate and environmental action, improves socio-economic distribution and equity, and increases community voice. As part of our newly formed Challenge Lab, we will work with investors to mobilise £3 billion for fresh, real-world solutions in areas such as preventative health and place-based impact investing that drive inclusive growth.
At the same time, the Institute will expand its work around growing the impact investing field by building expertise and scaling engagement across financial markets. We will do this by sharing insights and know-how in the rapidly changing field of impact investing through applied research and influencing key decision-makers to create an environment in which impact investing can thrive in the UK and around the world.
For anyone who doesn’t know what III means by a just transition, here’s a quick guide……
Mobilising institutional capital for a transition to net zero where no-one is left behind
We work with global financial institutions to mobilise public and private capital at scale so that the move to a net zero carbon global economy is fair and inclusive to all
Just Transition Finance Challenge
Based on our work as co-leaders of the G7 Impact Taskforce in 2021, we launched our Just Transition Finance Challenge. This community of practice brings together more than 25 global financial institutions with over £5 trillion of assets, or assets under management, that are committed to financing a just transition in the UK and emerging markets.
Together, we have developed the Just Transition Criteria, which which fund managers can use to design and structure investment products that deliver the three critical elements of a just transition:
Advancing climate and environmental action – for example, greenhouse gas emission mitigation, reduction and removal
Improving socio-economic distribution and equity – for example, inclusive opportunities for decent jobs
Increasing community voice – through, for example, engagement and dialogue with affected communities that are often excluded and marginalised
The Challenge helps asset managers and asset owners respond to growing demand for investment products that deliver social and environmental benefits. It also support the development of products that genuinely look to advance a just transition to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
Catalytic capital for a global just transition
Our guide, Bridging divides: A guide on using catalytic capital for a global just transition provides a roadmap for achieving a fair and inclusive transition – a just transition – to net zero in emerging and frontier markets.
The guide is a comprehensive resource for catalytic capital providers, including development finance institutions, governments, philanthropic organisations, private investors, and corporations. It offers insights on how to unlock private capital investments for a net-zero transition that integrate climate action with social justice and local development needs.
The guide pays particular attention to how catalytic capital providers can partner with local actors, such as fund managers, investees, and communities, based in emerging and frontier markets. It also looks at the use of catalytic instruments in funds and financing vehicles that are well-suited to mobilise private capital at the scale needed for a global just transition.
