Investors for Purpose: the investment ecosystem

Place-based investing is one of the six Ecosystem Themes we structure our work around at Investors for Purpose.  It looks at how we can invest in a way that supports and engages with local communities, improving their ‘places’, while still making an appropriate financial risk-adjusted return.  In this episode of the Investors for Purpose podcast, we are joined by our Founder and Chair, Karen Shack...

Investors often have multiple goals when it comes to what they invest their money in. On the one hand, they have clear financial goals to target a certain level of risk-adjusted returns, but they often also have additional goals on top of that, depending on their circumstances, goals around getting capital to where it is needed in the real economy. In this episode of the Investors for Purpose Podc...

People are at the heart of everything we do in the investment industry. Our long-term goals are all about supporting people, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of pension schemes, insurance companies or foundations. Our economy can only function because of the work that people deliver. The way we value people is therefore crucial to the success of our long-term investments.  In this episode of the...

Investors are increasingly recognising their intersection with the systems around them, whether that’s the financial system, political and regulatory system, or even the social and environmental system we all exist within. This is particularly true for large, long-term investors, often deemed to be ‘universal owners’. For these investors, systemic risks pose some of the biggest challenges to their...

Geopolitical turmoil in Iran has highlighted so many issues to us on both a human and an investor level, particularly around topics like humanity, safety and compassion. The conflict has also highlighted another important issue: energy security and our reliance on overseas energy.  The conversation around clean energy transition is now not just happening in the context of sustainability and climat...

There are many challenges we face in today’s world that pose serious challenges to the future of our economy – issues like climate change, biodiversity loss and social inequality.  Given the scale of these challenges, governments and philanthropy cannot solve them alone – private investors need to be part of the solution too. In this episode of the Investors for Purpose podcast, we speak to Sir Ro...

The landscape around sustainable investing is rapidly changing. While some investors, especially in the US, are rolling back their commitments, European and UK investors remain just as committed to tackling sustainability issues, such as climate change. The real question for these investors is – what actions can they take to drive forward real-world outcomes?  In this episode of the Investors for...

The UK punches above its weight when it comes to unicorns, startup companies valued at over $1 billion. Many of these companies are doing exciting and important work needed to drive forward climate transition. Although there are a number of overseas institutional investors which allocate to this kind of venture capital, a very small number of UK pension funds are currently investing in UK clean te...

Following on from the last episode, which features the first part of their conversation, Charlotte and Rich cover many pertinent topics in this second instalment. They discuss the benefits of how we can integrate AI into nature conservation, the misconceptions which exist around 'voluntary' carbon credits and what the concept of leadership means to them. Rich also talks about some of the...

How we think defines who we are. Charlotte and Rich begin the episode by diving deeply into how their thought patterns shape their leadership practices and behaviours, and how this in turn impacts systems thinking and communication. In this, the first part of our special double episode, Charlotte and Rich go on to speak about a plethora of topics, including the intrinsic interconnection between pe...

Biodiversity and Natural Capital is one of our six key Ecosystem Themes at Pensions for Purpose. Nature underpins most of our economy and is a critical to ensuring a sustainable future for beneficiaries to retire into. In this episode of the Pensions for Purpose Podcast, we sit down with Martin Belcher from Palladium, our Ecosystem Partner for our Biodiversity and Natural Capital work. We discuss...

To kick off Season 3 of the Pensions for Purpose podcast with a bang, we sit down with industry veteran, Sally Bridgeland, to talk all about the purpose of finance and pensions. We discuss quality of life in retirement and how finance can help support this – both through financial planning for individuals, but also more generally, through the impact we can have via what our investments are financi...

 As we come to the end of 2025, and the end of season 2 of the Pensions for Purpose podcast, we get together with the other Pensions for Purpose directors to reflect on the year gone by.  2025 has been a mammoth year for pensions policy and there have been lots of initiatives we’ve been part of to help drive forward outcomes for people, planet and pensions.  It has also  been a year of ESG backlas...

Fixed income makes up a huge part of investors’ portfolios, especially in the world of pensions. As such, its crucial we focus on sustainability and impact within the world of fixed income.  In this episode of the Pensions for Purpose podcast we are joined by Bruno Bamberger and Aida Hemery from AXA to get into this important topic.  We discuss labels, regulation, engagement and we address some co...

How important is COP 30 to investors? In this episode of the Pensions for Purpose podcast we sit down with Michael Schlup and Johnny Brom from SAIL Investments to talk all about COP and the other key events around this.   We hear about how COP has evolved, the role of investors and the other events and announcements that we should look out for.  We also dive into the significance of COP 30 being h...

When we talk about the Energy Transition a lot of discussion is around renewable energy and grid infrastructure.  But to successfully transition, there is so much more we need to think about – from the way we build our houses, to our heating systems and the cars we drive.  All of this will need capital and could pose an exciting opportunity for investors – if structured suitably.  In this episode...

Financial inclusion is key to meeting global sustainability goals, with a huge number of people around the world still lacking access to mainstream financial systems.  Improving financial inclusion is linked to improved human and economic development.   In this episode of the Pensions for Purpose Podcast we speak to Lorna Logan from Stewart Investors about just how important financial inclusion is...

The energy transition poses one of the greatest opportunities of our lifetimes – from both an economic and impact perspective.  But in times of such geopolitical uncertainty, it can be unclear exactly what the future looks like.  In this episode we are joined by Hilkka Komulainen, Quinbrook’s Global Head of Sustainability and Impac,t to dive into this subject.  We discuss how the cost of action co...

A significant amount of money is concentrated across a small handful of bulk annuity insurers – and this pot is only growing as more Defined Benefit Pension Schemes go to buyout.   These insurers are long-term asset owners and so are significantly exposed to sustainability-related risks and opportunities.   In this episode we are joined by Tatiana Von Petersdorff and Matt Foley from EY to find out...

The world around us feels quite scary – whether it’s the rollback of sustainability practices, the rise in hate speech and oppression, or the ongoing wars - there are many things that can leave us in despair. As sustainability professionals who are looking to tackle these issues, this landscape can be very challenging to navigating, often leading to burnout.   In this episode, we have an open and...

Laasya Shekaran and Richard Giles welcome Geneviève Morin of Fondaction, to the Podcast to discuss how purpose drives their investment approach.     Imagine taking a challenging point in a country’s history – a time where there was severe recession, bankruptcies and high unemployment levels – and turning it into a new financial idea: a labour-sponsored fund set up by the people, for the people.  W...

n addition to its net zero by 2050 target, the UK Government has also set an ambitious target to decarbonise the electricity system by 2035.  In order to reach this target, many different sectors will have to come together – from governments, to corporates, to civil society and, of course, investors.  In this episode of the Pensions for Purpose podcast, our hosts Laasya Shekaran and Charlotte O’Le...

Laasya Shekaran welcomes Lindsay Hooper of the University of Cambridge, to the Podcast to discuss why sustainable finance hasn’t delivered the progress needed. Sustainable Finance has been around for a while, but we still haven’t seen enough progress to tackle the immense systemic issues we face. If we do not address these problems directly, we risk witnessing environmental and social destruction,...

Laasya Shekaran and David Brown welcome Judith Mackenzie of Downing, to the Podcast to discuss investing in the UK. Initiatives like the Mansion House Compact II and an increased focus on place-based investing all point to one clear government objective – channelling more pension capital into investments supporting UK growth. But what does that actually look like in practice? How can pension schem...

‘ESG’ has become increasingly politicised as a concept, and investors have seen a backlash towards this term.  This has been particularly strong in the US, given recent political developments, which has led investors to ask how they should be engaging with this part of the market.   In this episode, our hosts Laasya Shekaran and Richard Giles are joined by Will Pomroy, Head of Impact Engagement Eq...