Australia has seen a significant growth in demand for impact investing, with the market potentially reaching AUD32 billion by 2023. Yet investors have yet to fully maximize the opportunities for investments in and from Australia—especially in Pacific and Southeast Asian markets.

With all eyes set on the region, several exciting trends have emerged: a growing number of sectors offering high-impact investment opportunities; increasing investments with a gender-lens; and a flourishing entrepreneurial scene that can benefit from greater capital and innovative financial products.

Caitlin Medley
Portfolio Manager, Impact and Responsible Investments
QBE

Caitlin focusses on QBE’s impact investment initiative – Premiums4Good and the growing demand for thematic and impact investment in the global portfolio. She has been instrumental in developing and managing QBE Group Investment’s approach to responsible investing and to support QBE globally, and QBE Insurance Group’s delivery on its obligations in sustainability and impact from an investments’ perspective.

Simba Marekera
Executive Director – Head of Investment Solutions
Brightlight Group

Simba has over 12 years’ experience in the finance industry, including 5 years managing Christian Super’s alternatives, fixed income and Impact Investment portfolios. He has extensive experience in researching and carrying out due diligence on a broad range of Impact Investment deals across asset classes including infrastructure real estate private equity and credit/private debt both in developed and developing markets.

He is also the co-founder and Chair of Ignition Impact, an angel investor network focused on facilitating small private equity and debt investments in SMEs and Social Enterprises in key growth sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Kristy Graham
Assistant Director, Development Finance
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Kristy currently leads DFAT’s work on private investment for development. This includes leading DFAT’s work on impact investing; working with investors, intermediaries, governments and other organisations to grow the scale and impact of the impact investing market in South East Asia and the Pacific. She is currently designing, implementing and advising on a range of initiatives that blend public with private finance to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Kristy has 12 years experience in the government, private and NGO sectors working in private sector development, development finance, climate change and environmental policy.

Rebecca Parkinson
Associate Director, Credit Portfolio Management
IIX

Rebecca is responsible for deploying capital raised through IIX’s Women’s Livelihood BondTM 2, a US$100 million innovative debt security that will be soon available to investors in three tranches. Rebecca has a background blending return-seeking and philanthropic capital to grow impact oriented enterprises, whilst seeking financial returns, scaled social impact, and operating within risk limits. Rebecca‘s experience as an impact investor includes 15 years investing debt and equity from Australia into microfinance institutions and social impact enterprises throughout South and South East Asia.  She has designed and evaluated alternative financial instruments, defined impact investment strategies, and outcome, measurement and monitoring frameworks for impact themes such as financial inclusion, women’s empowerment, ending modern slavery, forest and landscape restoration, sustainable food production, and nutrition and food security.

Moderator:
Natasha Garcha
Associate Director, Innovative Finance
Co-Lead, Gender Expert
IIX