When we are asked what we do at IIX and Shujog, our standard reply is “we create social capital markets”. The truth is that, all of us in the impact investing space are, in one way or the other redefining capital markets to make it do societal and environmental good.In effect, we are all redefining growth as we know it. It is not only about creating economic growth but it is about inclusive growth that includes the voices, concerns, and well-being of the people and the planet. Thus, the first step in redefining growth is to reshape our minds, followed by the reshaping of our political and financial systems, and to embrace all the possibilities that come with those tasks.With that in mind, this quarter’s edition of our newsletter is focused on various topics that redefine how we need to perceive growth to make it more inclusive. You will find articles ranging from the impact of climate change on sustainability, the role of DFIs in reshaping the social finance space, the role of women in agricultural reforms (or lack of it), to effective portfolio management as an impact investor.I look forward to seeing you at our Impact Forum on June 13-14 to discuss your efforts in redefining inclusive growth.
Warm wishes from a very hot and beautiful Singapore,
Extreme climatic events of the past few months in the US, Australia, Thailand, and Indonesia alongside record global carbon emissions level last year remind us of the scale of the challenges ahead and the urgent need for innovative financing and technology. However, the lack of knowledge on “climate change-friendly social entrepreneurship” is making it more obvious that climate change and international development communities have not yet bridged the gap successfully to provide effective integrated solutions.
Development finance institutions historically have taken a leadership role in promoting economic development and poverty alleviation in lower-income countries. In recent years, these institutions have been active in championing impact investing, thereby transitioning from stimulating economic growth at times through natural resource extraction, heavy industry, and large-scale infrastructure projects to generating inclusive growth through social enterprise.
For most investors, impact investing has remained largely confined to private investments, thereby only a small proportion of their portfolios. As opportunities for impact investing emerge across different asset classes, investors are now allocating more of their assets into generating greater social and environmental outcomes. The IIX Investor Team shares 7 simple steps to start allocating your portfolio for impact.
Don’t miss the chance to get a 25% discount on the Impact Forum tickets! Early Bird Rate ends 1 April 2013, 11:59 pm (GMT +8). Register now!
In Photos
Advocating for Growth
From top left, clockwise: (1) IIX Managing Director Rob Kraybill (far left) with fellow judges at the President’s Challenge Social Enterprise Award; (2) The IIX team with investors at the Colors of India Social Enterprise Showcase held last February 19, 2013 at the IIX office; (3) IIX Social Enterprise team members Ria Bhatnagar (left) and Urvashi Gupta (right) visiting a biomass plant in Kampong Cham, Cambodia; (4) IIX Director and Head of Investor Team En Lee (center) sharing his thoughts at a keynote panel on “Social Enterprises around the World: A Snapshot” at the RMIT Global Shifts Conference in Australia; (5) IIX and Shujog team members Saskia Werther (third from left) and Daryl Capanzana (far right) at a Barclay’s sponsored Impact Academy on “Growing your Business” for Filipina micro-entrepreneurs. The two-day workshop was co-organized with Philippine-based INGO ASSIST.
On March 7-8, elected officials, senior bureaucrats, scholars, corporate executives, international organizations representatives, and civil society leaders from across Asia came together to discuss the future of democratic governance in the region.
DNA extraction technology is now being used to curb the illegal timber trade. Impact Quarterly (IQ) recently interviewed Darren Thomas, the Social Entrepreneur behind DoubleHelix, who is doing all this based on a suite of DNA testing applications built upon proprietary DNA extraction technology to verify the species and origin of wood products accurately and at low cost.
The Shujog research team has been mapping social enterprises (SEs) across several South and Southeast Asian countries. We travelled to Myanmar on a British Council initiative to better understand the SE landscape in a country that is opening up to the world and about to undergo tremendous change.
This April, Impact Academy is holding the first part of its two-series workshop on becoming a qualified Shujog Impact Framework and Assessment™ practitioner. Seats for the Academy are limited; register now to save your spot. Beginners are also encouraged to join to get an introduction to impact assessment in general.
Impact Forum 2013 in Singapore
Impact Forum is pleased to announce Nobel Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus as its keynote speaker. To get a chance to see & learn from Prof. Yunus and our other confirmed speakers, register here to save your seat.
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Announcements
WWF – Ennovent Tropical Challenge Winners
The best for-profit solutions to conserving our tropical solutions can be found here>>
Employment Opportunity in the Field
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is looking for a Senior Community Manager for Asia. Details of the position and application procedures are here>>
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Meet our New Team Members
IIX and Shujog welcome its new team members.
Lale Faheem joins IIX as Director of Investments. Lale was formerly with Credit Suisse and General Electric. Lale is Six Sigma Black Belt certified, and holds an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Economics with Honors from Purdue University.
Bilesh Ladva is part of Shujog’s Research Team. He previously worked in Ho Chi Minh City teaching at Can Tho Universitywhile managing a non-profit to provide educational services to orphans as a Princeton in Asia fellow as well as co-founding an online platform connecting donors with charities and orphanages. Bilesh has a degree in Economics and a certificate in Political Economics from Princeton University.
Liping Loong joined Shujog as Director for Impact Forum 2013. She had over 20 years experience working in marketing communications and marketing roles across several Asian countries, in multi-national firms such as Standard Chartered Bank, Motorola and Estee Lauder Hong Kong and international advertising agencies such as Bozell Hong Kong and China, Bates Hong Kong and BBDO Beijing. Last 5 years were spent doing events and branding projects for Standard Chartered Bank, Maxi-Cash, Esprit Hong Kong that involved working with appointed advertising agencies from idea development to execution.
Patricia Tan rejoins IIX and Shujog as its Administration Officer. She previously worked in the same capacity with various financial institutions including Coopers & Lybrand, Nomura Securities, Dresdner Bank, KPMG, Aberdeen Asset Management, and Goldman Sachs.
Tomithy Too is part of the IIX and Shujog Technology and Marketing teams. Tomithy previously worked in Business Analytics in the US and was part of the competitive Google Summer of Code Program. He also led a cross-city research project on exploring how social enterprises collaborate. He has a BSc. in Computational Biology & a Minor in Technopreneurship from the National University of Singapore.
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Spring 2013 Team
Every quarter, IIX and Shujogboth take in a group of dedicated volunteers. Get to know them below.
Emily Perkin was a management consultant in the UK. She was also with the Japan International Volunteer Center, the UN World Food Program, and the Overseas Development Institute. She has a BA in Japanese Studies from Cambridge University and a Masters in International Public Policy from Osaka University. In 2011, she co-founded an award winning property social enterprise in the UK.
Hui Mien Tan has experience in research and advocacy in China, the US, Singapore, and Sierra Leone with organizations such as World Vision International, the World Bank, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch. Mien has an MPH in Population and Family Health from Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, and a BSc in International Politics from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service.
Juan Garza is a rising sophomore at Villanova University’s School of Business, majoring in Finance and Entrepreneurship. He is a member of the Villanova University’s Equity Society, which is one of the only finance societies that actively trades equity with actual university endowment. He is an avid volunteer working with Habitat for Humanity and the John A. Coleman School for children with various disabilities.
Lauren Yean Lee Ho was Legal Counsel at the Central Bank of Luxembourg. She was also with Arendt & Medernach, the European Investment Fund, Allen & Overy, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Kuala Lumpur. Lauren holds a 2:1 (honors) LLB from the University of Sheffield and a bilingual French-English LLM in European Banking and Financial Law from University of Luxembourg.
Marlijn van der Horst studied Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Copenhagen Business School and completed her Masters in Finance degree from the Erasmus University Rotterdam. She has worked as a financial/business controller at ExxonMobil and KPN before and had internship experience in the field of philanthropy and private banking at a Dutch private bank.
Medha Basu is a final-year Economics student at the National University of Singapore (NUS). She is a Research Assistant at NUS’ Department of Economics and is currently working on a study of foreign domestic workers’ access to information on their job market. Prior to that, she spent 3 months doing fieldwork on an informal savings project in the Philippines and interned at a microfinance research institute in India.
Samridhi Singh is a final-year Economics and Political Science student at the National University of Singapore. She is also a researcher at the Asia Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy. Samridhi has previously interned with innovative social enterprises and micro-finance institutions in Paraguay, India and Singapore. Samridhi is also a StartingBloc (NY ’12) Fellow.
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