Impact Investing Conference - Summary

Summary of the First Conference on Impact Investing

The following post summarizes the speeches that were presented and reflects the ideas that came up during the first conference on Impact Investing regarding the topic Impact Investing - What for?

 

Conference on Impact Investing in Sao Paulo

On 5 December 2012, the HSG Hub Office in Sao Paulo held the first of a series of conferences about Impact Investing together with Insper and in partnership with the Sustainability Committee of the Swiss-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.

This first conference subject was Impact Investing – What for? and aimed at bringing professionals of the field together for sharing experiences, networking, and even for the identification of joint pilot projects or match-making between entrepreneurs and investors.

In total 70 people attended the conference, among them impact investing ventures, Alumni members, representatives from different family offices’ CSR foundations, professors from different institutions and the students in exchange.

Along the conference, there was a balanced approach towards concept and practical cases. It also brought the different perspectives of the key stakeholders involved in Impact Investing: socio-environmental entrepreneurs, financial institutions and think-tanks.

The first presentation with the topic Impact Investing – What for? was presented by Ernst von Kimakowitz and opened the discussion with some conceptual, but fundamental thoughts on Impact Investing. The need for Impact Investing consists mainly in the fact that today’s challenges cannot be solved solely with publicly available funds. It will be necessary to tap in private wealth to solve today’s challenges and Impact Investing might be one of the answers. As stated by Ernst: the approach should be business as unusual, and therefore the crucial importance of the entrepreneurial motivation.

The investors perspective – the case of Credit Suisse, was presented by Heiko Specking who brought an overview on how the institution understands where impact investing positions in relation to traditional Philanthropy and Corporate Social Responsibility; as well as the sort of advisory services available to their customers aiming at defining or reviewing their strategies on how to positively contribute to current socio-environmental issues.

Impact Investing for Education, was the first of the two presented cases. In it, Prof. Sergio Lazzarini, from Insper, shared a proposal based on the Social Impact Bond Model, taking the cases of ISMART (Social Institute to Motivate, Support and Recognize Talents) and Instituto Embraer, and with three possible scenarios. The main idea behind this project is to tackle the educational issues of Brazil, by providing a consortium formed by donators, investors, private schools and an evaluation center.

A business case of Biomass in Brazil, was the second business case and aimed at showing initiatives and projects which already bring a positive environmental impact by addressing sources of renewable energy and agricultural waste destination. The case was introduced by Ernesto Moeri, from Ecogeo, a Swiss-Brazilian entrepreneur and a reference when it comes to environmental businesses and alternative energy in Brazil.

In the sequence, Angelica Rotondaro and Fabian Oppenheimer, from the HSG Hub office, introduced and launched the Impact Investing Research Platform. In it, students and researchers play a central role by developing case studies, while at the same time writing their theses. The insights and gained knowledge return to the platform, as a knowledge center, and help to support future projects. There are four topics in impact investing, focused by the platform: sustainable agriculture; renewable energy; social housing and education. The platform operates through the development of pilot projects and research; the organization of public conferences; training modules; and publications.

In Innovative Models for Traditional Businesses, Peter Probst, a HSG Alumnus, brought up insights of how ‘old’ problems, like the high demand for housing, in Brazil, could and should be approached by impact investors. He showed some examples of low-cost construction technologies that have high productivity and scalability, and that could be developed and implemented through the creation of a fund for BOP-Housing.

The last and closing presentation was held by Peter Sester, about the Regulatory Aspects in Impact Investing. His remarks included that regulation shall not be seen exclusively as a restriction, but also as a facilitator. While restrictive regulations can contain requirements for admissions, facilitative restriction can contribute to trust building or the comparability of products. Peter Sester also mentioned the role of tax reduction as a compensation for the below the market impact investing return rates.

At the end of conference, attendants and lecturers were invited for a networking session.

For further information on

• The HSG Hub Office in Sao Paulo

• Insper

• The Swiss Chamber of Commerce

 

Impact Investing Conference - The Speakers

Summary of the First Conference on Impact Investing

The following post summarizes the background information on the speakers that were presenting at the first conference on Impact Investing regarding the topic Impact Investing - What for?

The Speakers

 

Angelica Rotondaro PhD

Angelica Rotondaro has wide experience in communications, branding, public relations and international commercial relations, acquired at multinational companies in Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Switzerland. Based at the Headquarter of a Swiss company, she worked as Brand Senior Consultant for Latam countries and Spain. Her experience with foundations and the third sector includes establishing and implementing a foundation for grass-root research in Brazil, elected a “best practice” by UN Global Compact; and developing and managing the HSG CooperativeLab Program, a match-making platform for students and SMEs in South America, which aims to promote entrepreneurial conduct beyond the classroom. She is also a lecturer in intercultural commercial relations and personal branding. Angelica holds a PhD in Organizational Studies from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland, and is managing director of the University’s hub office for South America.

 

Prof Sergio G. Lazzarini PhD

Sergio G. Lazzarini (PhD 2002, Washington University in St. Louis) is Professor of Organization and Strategy at Insper Institute of Education and Research (former Ibmec São Paulo), a private business school in Brazil. He does research on strategic management, putting a particular emphasis on how emerging market contexts affect business strategy and on the organization of public-private cooperation projects. He has published articles in academic journals including Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, Journal of Management Studies, and Public Choice. He has received several awards for his research, including the Glueck Best Paper Award from the BPS Division of the Academy of Management (2003), Best Paper Prize at the Iberoamerican Academy of Management conference (2003), Best Paper Prize from the strategy division of the Brazilian Academy of Management (ANPAD, 2005), and Best Presentation Prize from the Strategic Management Society’s Rio Special Conference (2011). He has been both quoted and interviewed by prestigious news sources such as The Economist, New York Times, Financial Times, BBC, and Bloomberg. Sergio gives undergraduate, executive MBA, and masters courses in Strategic Management, Competitive Strategy, Corporate Strategy, and Business Strategy in Emerging Markets.

Ernst von Kimakowitz PhD

Ernst von Kimakowitz is director and co-founder of the Humanistic Management Center in Sitzerland. His work focuses on advancing the Center by developing thought leadership, engaging in higher education activities and providing advisory services on impactful business conduct to private and public sector organizations. Ernst is Lecturer in Leadership Skills at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland where he gives courses on the management of stakeholder dialogues. He is also a frequent speaker at universities and conferences around the world. Ernst is a series editor of the Humanism in Business series published by Palgrave Macmillan. He holds a M.Sc. from the London School of Economics (LSE), and he has also studied at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany, and at the Universidad de los Andes, Merida, Venezuela. Following his Master’s Degree, he worked in strategy consulting with a leading management consulting firm based in London. Subsequently he went to the University of St Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland, where he presented an award-winning PhD to the University’s Institute for Business Ethics.

Heiko Specking

Heiko Specking is the Head of Philanthropy and Sustainable Responsible Investment Advisory at Credit Suisse Solution Partners. Heiko has been engaged in sustainable investment, corporate social responsibility consulting and research on specific environmental, social and governance issues for more than 16 years. He was Head of Charity Services for a multi-family office. With broad knowledge in the field of philanthropy and Impact Investing in Europe, he has extensive experience working together with philanthropist and managing charitable structures for international families.

Ernesto Moeri PhD

Ernesto Moeri is Chairman and CEO of ECOGEO, the holding company which controls GEOKLOCK (environmental consulting and engineering), BIOSOL (assembly and operation of remediation systems), BIOLATINA and ECOGENESYS (energy generation from renewable, non-food based biofuels), and BACHEMA (soil and water analysis). ECOGEO had around 180 employees and generated a turnover of USD 25 million in 2008. After receiving his PhD in geology from the University of Berne, Switzerland (1975), he began his professional career as an exploration geologist, working in the USA, Greenland, Bolivia and Brazil. In 1980 he founded GEOKLOCK, which is now a leading consultancy in environmental technology. Ernesto Moeri was President of the Swiss-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce from 2000 to 2006, and has been President of the INSTITUTO EKOS BRASIL since 1999.

Fabian Oppenheimer

Fabian Oppenheimer is currently living and studying in São Paulo for one year as a participant in the Double Degree Program (DM2-Program) jointly organized by the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland and Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV-EAESP). In addition to his studies, he is working as the coordinator of the Impact Investing Research Platform and as a research assistant at the CooperativeLab of the University of St. Gallen’s Hub Office in São Paulo. True to his international background, Fabian has gained wide academic and practical experience in various countries. He spent an exchange semester studying at Singapore Management University (SMU), where for four months he was also assigned to a consulting project with a German multinational, aiming to expand its activities to the Philippine market. In that context he was responsible for conducting a market analysis in Manila, the Philippines. Fabian has also gained valuable experience in the world of business during an internship at one of the Big Four audit firms in Zurich, Switzerland.

Peter Probst

Peter Probst has studied business administration and economics and holds a Master in Economics from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Peter has 27 years experience in Latin America, Europe and United States, of which he has spent 18 years in Brazil. Peter Probst has worked as Controller and Regional CFO for renowned multinational groups. He has expertise in the sectors of agribusiness, manufacturing, engineering/industrial construction and renewable energy markets. He has also managed corporate restructuring and M&A projects. Peter Probst is currently working as an advisor for corporate reorganization and impact investing in Brazil. 

 

Prof Peter Sester PhD PhD 

Peter Sester is Professor of European and International Business Law and Director of the Institute for Information and Business Law at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Peter Sester holds a PhD in economics (magna cum laude) from the Humboldt University of Berlin, and a PhD in law (magna cum laude) from the University of Heidelberg, both in Germany. Currently, he is a guest professor of law and economics at Insper, São Paulo.