A word from our 2024 Summit Program Partners, Impact Outfit:
“We have been deep in developing the content plan for the Impact Investment Summit 2024 where we will delve into the powerful themes of Inclusion, Systems Change, Climate, Community, The Arts and more.
“Our journey will begin by spotlighting community and social impact, with a particular focus on vital areas such as Housing, Inclusion and Education. In a world where disparities persist, we’ll hear from visionaries who are reshaping the landscape of accessible and inclusive living and learning environments. We will engage with thought leaders driving the transition to a more sustainable and resilient future. The sustainability dialogue will extend to nature, agriculture, and waste.
“In the spirit of true inclusivity, the 2024 Summit will emphasise the value of representation and collaboration. The community clusters, comprising Advisors, Foundations, Institutional Investors, and Family Offices, will converge to forge connections that transcend boundaries and inform the Summit thematics.
“With excitement and anticipation, we invite you to join us at the Impact Investment Summit as we embark on a transformative journey. Together, we have the potential to be catalysts for meaningful change across systems, communities, and our shared planet.
“With deep gratitude for the advice and support of our wonderful Advisory Board.”
[The full Summit Program can be found at https://impactinvestmentsummit.com/2024-program/]
Wednesday March 20, 2024 – Day 1
7:30am: Day 1 Breakfast: Catalytic Impact Investing Breakfast. Two philanthropic organisations share their approaches, learnings and examples of catalytic investments. With Snow Foundation and Paul Ramsay Foundation.
8:40am: Welcome Speech and Introductions. Welcoming you in and framing the 2024 Impact Investment Summit: insights, inspiration, innovation.
9:00am: Welcome to Country with the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council
9:15am: Kyah Bell Opening Dialogue. Kyah Bell in a dynamic opening dialogue with Impact Outfit founder and MC of the Summit. Lillian Kline engage in an opening dialogue, discussing the transformative power of the Black Excellence Fund, share insights on life after football, and explore their experiences in impact investing. Gain unique perspectives on harnessing financial influence for social good and fostering a legacy of excellence beyond the playing field.
9:50am: Plenary Panel: Post Referendum – First Nations Focus.
Priority panel to acknowledge the context of post-referendum Australia and to focus our energy and effort on an optimistic future. Speakers: Carol Vale, Shireen Morris & Liz Gillies
10:35am: Morning Tea
11:10am: Opening Address (Virtual) – The Honourable Jim Chalmers.
11:15am: Opening Address – Rosemary Addis
11:30am: Breakout sessions
Breakout 1: Extended Breakout – Building a utopian ecosystem for impact investing. Extended 90 minute session Embracing participative human-centred design to redefine impact investing in Australia. This session will build a roadmap for a disruptive utopia where impact investing is a powerful verb and a force for lasting, positive transformation in the face of a world in flux.
Speakers: Elise Parups & Claire Hanratty.
Breakout 2: Our system is broken- only systems thinking can fix it. Extended 90 minute workshop with Danny Almagor and Alex Hannant to go deep on systems thinking and how we use capital to create the world we want to live in.
Breakout 3: Impact Investing 101. A lecture style breakout for those new to the impact investing space. What it is, why it’s important and how to get
started.
Speakers: Jess Mendoza-Roth & Rob Haggett
Breakout 4: ImpactConnect Deals Room.
Jeremy Liddle to host 3 live pitches by leading Impact Funds with investment opportunities in Australia’s clean energy transition, regenerative agriculture and carbon in Australia, and the forest landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Australian Ethical Infrastructure Debt Fund – Keenan Bunning
SLM Agri Carbon Fund – Bindi Turner
New Forests’ AFIP African Forestry Investment Platform – Michael Barbara
12:20pm: Breakout Sessions
Breakout 5: Crafting Your Impact Portfolio
Discussing defining your impact objectives, learn how to clarify your impact objectives by identifying the social or environmental issues you are passionate about addressing. Assessing impact metrics and measurement and the process of building a diversified investment portfolio that balances financial returns with social and environmental impact.
Speakers: David Rae, Terry Christofides, Farren Williams and Joanne Sun
Breakout 6: ImpactConnect Deals Room
Introduced by Bhanvi Kapoor Anand – Catalytic Impact Investment Opportunities Showcase – Snow Foundation partners. Five early stage enterprises showcase their current and upcoming investment opportunities, seeking interest and feedback.
Foremind – Joel Anderson
Violet – Melissa Reader
Scriibed – Melanie Greblo
Robo Fit – Maryanne Harris
Kindship – Summer Petrosius
1:00pm: Lunch
2:00pm: Keynote: AI and Impact – what to expect with Liesl Yearsley
Join AI expert and founder or aKin, Liesl Yearsley as she explores the intersection and dynamics of artificial intelligence and impact investing. Discover what the future holds as Liesl shares insights into how AI is revolutionising the landscape of sustainable finance. Gain valuable perspectives on leveraging AI to drive positive social and environmental impact in your investment strategies. Don’t miss this forward-thinking session on the intersection of AI and impact investing.
2:20pm: Plenary Panel: Fostering Unity and Progress – Investing in Inclusion. Is inclusion the new gender? Why inclusion matters and what is the impact?
Speakers: Abhilash Mudaliar, Kirsty Nowlan, Kyah Bell, Samar McHeileh and Manita Ray
3:05pm: Remarks (virtual): The Hon Pat Conroy
The Minister for International Development and the Pacific will speak to the pivotal role of impact investors in securing finance with development impact in our region—the Indo Pacific.
Plenary Panel: Sweetening the Stack – Australian innovations in blended finance for a net zero tomorrow. Powered by our partners at DFAT. Expert panel discussing why and how DFAT uses blended finance to catalyse private investment.
Speakers: Kylie Charlton, Mathew Fox, Marie Torres, Mason Wallick
3:55pm: Investing in Our Own Creativity. Artist Bobby Clark leads an art class to support our creative expression and wellbeing.
4:15pm: Afternoon tea
4:30pm: Breakout Sessions
Breakout 7: Digital Horizons, Analogue Roots – Navigating Education for All. Exploring the future of fair and equitable education. Speakers: Kerry Series, Jason Kimberley, Louka Parry, Vinit Sukhija and Vanessa Farrelly.
Breakout 8: Shifting the paradigm through storytelling. A panel discussion on the ethics of storytelling in impact investment and how this superpower has the capacity to both inspire positive change but also obscure or distort truth. Speakers: Dalit Kaplan, Byron Fay, Michael Agar & Tiarne Shutt.
Breakout 9: Provocation – is the rise of socially conscious brands and the advent of impact investment making us less generous? A provocation to stimulate conversation on whether impact investing has been to the detriment of philanthropic giving.
Speakers: Sarah Forde, Antonia Ruffell & Jeremy Meltzer.
Breakout 10: Powering prosperity – Women shaping Southeast Asia’s investment landscape, curated by DFAT. Expert panel discussing the significant impact investment opportunities they see in Southeast Asia.
Speakers: Natalie Au, Abigail Tan, Rhea See and Yeni Tjiunardi.
5:15pm: Keynote: Sam Elsom of Sea Forest. Seaweed Farming is a sustainable solution for climate change. Sam Elsom will share insights into the role of seaweed
farming in mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide and promoting ocean health. He will discuss how seaweed cultivation can be a scalable solution for reducing carbon emissions and restoring marine ecosystems. Hear Sam’s journey from fashion to seaweed farmer and the impact of investment into this venture. Whats up next for
Seaforest?
5:30pm: Close Day 1: Wrap to inspire, motivate and send you off into the evening feeling energised.
5:45 – 7:45pm: Aurora Networking Event at the Venue Supported by Impact Investment Exchange. Impact Investment Exchange and its partners lead the charge with the Orange Movement, driving a global transformation toward Gender Equality, at the intersection of climate action, economic prosperity, and peace.
Thursday March 21, 2024 – Day 2
7:30am: Day 2 Breakfast: Deep Impact; Practically Speaking. Jumping into Deep Impact for breakfast with the Impact Club, Danny Almagor (Small Giants) and Future Group with inspiring and legendary innovators from our sector.
8:45am: Welcome – What to Expect. Resetting ourselves for day two of the summit.
8:50am: Dropping in with Neda Rahmani of Aria Award-Winning Australian Favourites, The Cat Empire.
9:15am: Opening Keynote – Building the Impact Economy with Laurie Lane Zucker (Impact Entrepreneur).
9:40am: Keynote: A Just Transition – Dr CleAnne Gabriel. Sustainable development specialist, consultant, author and public speaker Dr Cle-Anne Gabriel will motivate and inspire us by sharing wisdom and expertise on the transition to a just, more resilient and more sustainable future.
10:05am: Plenary Panel: Dollars and Sense – An Unfiltered Look at Capital Raising Journeys.
For some, raising capital is easy as ABC. For others it’s a long, painstaking effort. In this plenary session we’ll hear from those with first-hand experience in raising capital? Who wins, who decides and is there an algorithm for success?
Speakers: Jess Mendoza-Roth, Clinton Schultz, Hanna Ebling, Izzy Jensen and Shuyin Tan.
10:45am: Morning Tea
11:15am: Breakout Sessions
Breakout 1: Intrapreneur’s Compass – Mapping Your Journey. Practical and intimate discussion for those inspired to make changes and beat a different drum within their organisation, family or community. Speakers: Kath Leong & Janett Egber.
Breakout 2: Eliminating Waste, Maximizing Impact – Resource Reuse for Environmental Gain.
Speakers: Claudia Kwan, Pete Ceglinkski, Adam Tucker, Victorie Carous, Carlos Castillo and Kurt Hegvold.
Breakout 3: Workshop – Be the Good Ancestor. Create better intergenerational wealth transfer. Two hour workshop for families and family offices who are navigating intergenerational wealth transfer and legacy.
Speakers: Donal Griffin, Cathy Scalzo and Susan Sy.
Breakout 4: ImpactConnect Deals Room – Jeremy Liddle to host 3 live pitches by innovative, for purpose organisations delivering financial returns and significant
social impact.
LendForGood: Unlock the potential of impact enterprises worldwide to achieve the SDGs – Tom Dawkins.
Hotel Etico – Andrea Comastri.
i=Change/ Powering business for good – Jeremy Meltzer.
12:00pm: Breakout Sessions
Breakout 5: Seeding Change – Exploring Agriculture and Nature Investment Trends. Deep dive into Agriculture and Nature investment opportunities and trends. Speakers: Ginny Daniels, Lachy Ritchie, Diana Callebaut, Toby Grogan and Fiachra Kearney.
Breakout 6: How to create deep impact funding Medical Tech and Health Services. A Panel discussion to explore the impact opportunity within the medical tech and health services space. Speakers: Yasser El-Ansary, Julianne Wilkin, Alon Greenspan & Adam Milgrom.
Breakout 7: ImpactConnect Deals Room
Jeremy Liddle to host 3 live pitches by leading Impact Funds and organisations addressing the challenges around Specialist Disability Accommodation and social housing in Australia.
The Australian Unity Specialist Disability Accommodation Fund – Jacob Edwards.
Barwon Disability Accommodation Fund – Joss Engebretsen
Future Housing Taskforce – Kevin Doodney.
12:45pm: Lunch.
Video Stream on Poetry of Impact – the Lifestyle Lab: Experiments in Wisdom, Well-Being, & Wealth.
Enjoy Gino D Borges insights, perspectives and practical approaches to living a life of greater well-being and attunement.
Foundations Group for Impact Investing (FGII)
Market Information Day get together over a grab and go lunch in the Deals Room. All welcome. Networking opportunity on FGII’s latest initiatives to grow impact investing in Australia.
Speakers: Michelle Di Fabio, Ben Smith and Guest Heather Mclean-Thomson from Global Sisters.
1:30pm: Plenary Panel: Global Vision, Local Action – Unearthing Impact Investment Trends Beyond the Domestic. Venturing beyond Down Under to hear from families, foundations and institutions and learn what the rest of the world is seeing, hearing and doing in the impact sector. Speakers: Eleanor Keppelman, Raya Papp, William Burckart, Senthan Balachandiran and Jacob Duer
2:35pm: Breakout Sessions:
Breakout 8: Partnerships for the long haul: Taking a long-term approach to capital
allocation. In this session, we’ll discuss approaches to achieving impact through backing innovation from a corporate perspective and how this translates in practice through building effective partnerships with not-for-profits, particularly those working with First Nations Communities.
Speakers: Belinda Gorman, Kris Ashpole, Jane Vadiveloo and Gillian Pearl.
Breakout 9: Harmony in Impact – The Vital Role of Investors in Advancing Peace and First Nations SDGs Worldwide. Exploring the intersection of impact investing, peace and First Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, this session delves into the pivotal role investors play in fostering global harmony and sustainable progress.
Speakers: Mel Greblo, John Wylie, Sara Olsen, Amit Bouri and Jeffry Cyr
Breakout 10: Shaping Shelter – Insights from Leaders on Australia’s Affordable Housing Programme and Impact Investment Opportunities. Unveiling valuable insights from government and industry leaders, offering a comprehensive exploration of Australia’s Affordable Housing Programme and the transformative impact investment opportunities.
Speakers: Sean Nunan, Jacob Edwards, Kate Breen, Luke Bo’sher and Caryn Kakas.
Breakout 11: ImpactConnect Deals Room
Jeremy Liddle to host 3 live pitches by leading Impact Funds and organisations with investment opportunities to combat climate change by rewilding Sydney Harbour and create better parks, along with additional solutions to come.
Blue Green / Re-visioning Rushcutters and Rewilding Ironcove – Colin Finn
Kakariki Land Generation Fund – Lachy Ritchie
Camco – Geoff Sinclair
3:15: Afternoon Tea
3:45pm: Activity: Elevate Your Impact, Inspire your Wellbeing. A moment to focus on personal wellbeing, performance and impact with Lawrence Patrick III from Wellbeing Outfit.
4:10pm: REFLECTIONS: Leading an Impactful Life – Lessons from Impact Leaders. In this illuminating session, two distinguished impact leaders share invaluable lessons and personal insights, offering a roadmap for leading an impactful life. Speakers: Susheela Peres da Costa & Benson Saulo.
4:40pm: Close Day 2. The closing keynote, a culminating moment of inspiration and reflection, encapsulates the conference’s key takeaways and charts a course for continued impact in an ever-evolving landscape.