Investing for Impact

In this post‑COP30 debrief, BII’s Amal‑Lee Amin is joined by two leading voices in climate finance - Nick Mabey, CEO of E3G and founder of London Climate Action Week, and Rhian‑Mari Thomas, CEO of the Green Finance Institute, to share their reflections on what the summit delivered and how progress can be accelerated. Together, they discuss the key outcomes from COP30, examine the funding gaps that...

In this episode, we explore intersection between gender equity and climate resilience in emerging markets. Recorded during London Climate Action Week, this fireside chat features Lori Kerr, CEO of FinDev Canada, and Leslie Maasdorp, CEO of British International Investment, in conversation at our London office. Together, they discuss how integrated investments in gender and climate are already driv...

Across North America and Europe, international development budgets are being slashed. Development Finance Institutions need to ensure that every dollar invested delivers maximum possible impact.  Blended finance - where concessionary capital provided by DFIs and others - is used to attract private capital to address acute climate and development needs, is becoming an increasingly important vehicle...

For this special International Women’s Day episode, we are joined by Cherie Blair, CBE KC, a distinguished barrister and human rights lawyer. A passionate advocate for women’s rights, Cherie is a true champion for gender equality. In this episode we discuss with her the impactful work of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, which she founded in 2008. The Foundation empowers women entrepreneurs i...

In this special episode of the Impact = podcast, we reflect on 10 years of pioneering catalytic capital through BII’s Catalyst portfolio. Since its launch in 2014, Catalyst has committed $1.6 billion to high-impact investments, supporting over 108,000 jobs, enabling 100% renewable power production, and reaching 7.7 million farmers. We held an event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Catalyst...

Worldwide, gender inequality is deeply ingrained in systems and institutions. And women’s economic participation is limited by the discrimination and unequal opportunities they face. Despite progress, the world isn’t on track to achieve gender equality by the end of this decade. At British International Investment (BII), we are committed to making our investments work for women and, in 2018, we la...

Mohamed Nasheed , the former President of Maldives - a prominent climate activist and distinguished politician joins us for this episode of the IMPACT= Podcast.  He is Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) , an international partnership of countries highly vulnerable to climate change that advocates for stronger global climate action. The CVF works to amplify the voices of the most affected...

In this episode of the IMPACT= Podcast, we talk to Tom Hall , Head of Social Impact and Philanthropy at UBS, one of the world’s leading wealth managers. With nearly 20 years' experience working in impact and philanthropy, Tom is passionate about finding ways to catalyse scalable solutions to the pressing social and environmental problems the world is facing. In this conversation, Tom shares his ex...

In this episode of the IMPACT= Podcast, we talk to Manfred Schepers , the founder and CEO of ILX Management, the Amsterdam-based manager of emerging market-focused private credit fund, ILX Fund . He believes that not only are development finance institutions among the best emerging market investors in the world, but pension funds should be looking to commit capital alongside them. ILX provides ins...

In this episode of the IMPACT= Podcast, we talk to Jane Goodland, Group Head of Sustainability at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) - a cornerstone of global finance, providing a platform for businesses and economies to access capital, manage risk, and create jobs. In this role, Jane leads a team who work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders across the business and externally, to...

The climate emergency is having a devastating impact on emerging economies. Without decisive action, this will only become more severe as global temperatures rise and as countries transition toward net zero. Emerging economies are among the nations most exposed to and the least prepared for the effects of climate change. This is particularly the case across Africa, South and South-East Asia, and t...

In this episode of the IMPACT= podcast, we talk to Vineet Rai , Founder and Chairman of the Aavishkaar Group – an impact investment platform that “exists to bridge the opportunity gap for the emerging three billion”. Founded in 2001 by Vineet, the group comprises of Aavishkaar Capital – the groundbreaking impact investment fund manager, Arohan – a microfinance institution, IntelleGrow – a venture...

In this episode of the IMPACT = podcast, we talk to Jessica Espinoza , Chief Executive Officer of 2X Global – the leading organisation championing the growth of gender lens investment. 2X Global works together with the full spectrum of investors, capital providers, mobilisers, and influencers, with the aim to transform international finance systems through the deployment of gender-smart capital ac...

In this episode of the IMPACT = podcast, we talk to Kieron Boyle , Chief Executive of the Impact Investing Institute - an independent, non-profit organisation with a vision of transforming capital markets for a sustainable future, where impact investing is an effective tool for deploying capital. Kieron joined the Institute following seven years as Chief Executive of Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundat...

In this episode of the IMPACT = podcast, we talk to Sapna Shah , a partner at Novastar Ventures , one of the first and largest VC firms in Africa that focuses on entrepreneurs building transformative businesses in Africa. Originally from Kenya, Sapna started her career in London in international banking, initially at Lloyds TSB and later at HSBC, working with entrepreneurs and SMEs at various stag...

In our next episode of the IMPACT = podcast, we talk to Jacqueline Novogratz , impact investment pioneer and Founder and CEO of Acumen . Jacqueline shares her inspiring journey of creating Acumen in 2001, with a vision of changing the way the world tackles poverty by providing patient capital to support businesses and entrepreneurs. She also talks about some of the early successes and failures of...

In this IMPACT = podcast episode, we talk to our Chief Executive Officer, Nick O'Donohoe. Nick joined BII as its Chief Executive in June 2017 and is also a member of the Board. Prior to joining BII, he co-founded Big Society Capital with impact investing pioneer Sir Ronald Cohen. Nick served as its Chief Executive Officer from 2011 to December 2015. BSC is an independent financial institution esta...

In our next episode, we talk to Faheen Allibhoy, Managing Director of the J.P. Morgan Development Finance Institution.  The J.P. Morgan Development Finance Institution (JPM DFI) was launched in January 2020 to spur investment supporting economic development in emerging markets. The JPM DFI aims to increase the origination and distribution of assets with development impact to meet the Sustainable D...

In our next episode of the IMPACT = podcast, we speak to Dr Frank Aswani , Chief Executive Officer of the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA). AVPA is a pan-African network of investors who are collaborating to increase the flow of capital into social investments across the continent, ensuring it is deployed for maximum social Impact. Frank has extensive experience in both the private and...

In our next episode of the IMPACT = podcast, we talk to Amit Bouri, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) Amit Bouri co-founded of the GIIN in 2009 and today it is the largest global community of impact investors dedicated to increasing the scale and effectiveness of impact investing. Today, Amit dedicates his work to engaging industry leaders, institutional investo...

IMPACT = has been founded as a platform to share impact expertise – through an open dialogue with leaders in the industry and a collaborative exchange of ideas, lessons and examples. In our first IMPACT = podcast, we talk to Andy Kuper, Chief Executive Officer of LeapFrog Investments .   Andy Kuper is a world-renowned responsible investment leader, who founded LeapFrog in 2007. Driven by its “Prof...

Research shows that women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change and in diverse ways - from peace and security, to education, health and livelihood.  It is therefore critical that women are included in the decision-making process to ensure that climate action is effective and equitable for all. Listen as Evelyne Batamuliza (Gender and Poverty Advisor at UNDP), Musonda Kapena (...

This podcast is part of The African Climate Conversation, a platform which brings together leading African voices on the climate emergency – to discuss, evaluate and debate the greatest challenge facing the continent. In this episode, Tshepidi Moremong, Chief Operating Officer of Africa50 speaks to BII’s Head of UK media, Andrew Murray-Watson about financing infrastructure in Africa and perspectiv...

The climate emergency is having a significant impact on communities all around the world, especially those living in Africa and Asia. A recent report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that 40 per cent of the world’s population is now ‘highly vulnerable’ and predicts that future climate risks are even more severe than previously thought. While these statistics pain...

In the run-up to COP27, there is an expectation that there will be a renewed call for Africa to be able to exploit its abundant gas reserves. On this podcast, BII’s Andrew Murray-Watson talks to James Mwangi, founder of Climate Action Platform for Africa and Executive Director of the Dalberg Group, about Africa’s energy challenges and opportunities.  Their discussion delves into the ongoing debate...