Impact Investing: Catalysing Capital for Positive Impact

Katy is Managing Partner at HK-based Sustainable Finance Initiative (SFi) platform, advising and supporting family offices and financial professionals on their sustainable and impact journeys. In 2022, SFI launched the education platform New Impact Society to address the knowledge and talent gaps in the sustainable finance sector.

Katy has served as Director of Investment at RS Group, a HK-based impact investor since 2010. She led the family office’s transition from a traditional investment portfolio to one that is 100% sustainably invested. In this role, she was actively involved in designing impact and climate change strategies and implementation across asset classes (utilizing both investment and philanthropic capital). Katy remains as consultant to RS Group.

Katy is formerly an investment banker at J.P. Morgan Securities (Asia Pacific) Limited and a member of the Global Shapers Community, an initiative of the World Economic Forum. She graduated from Duke University in North Carolina with a BA in Economics and a minor on Comparative Area Studies.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

• Expand the discourse and knowledge around impact investing and sustainable finance
• Supporting impact start-ups and funds gain access to private capital
• Support finance professionals in their sustainable finance learning
• Build a diverse and active community around impact

Websites:

• https://www.sustainablefinance.hk/
• https://www.newimpactsociety.com/

Guneet Banga is an Executive Director for The Caravel Group, where he heads up Caravel Sustainable Investments , a dedicated vehicle for the Company’s investment management activities focused on Impact, ESG, and Sustainability. He is also a GP at Aera VC, an early-stage VC firm focused on climate tech.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Reduction in use of single use items – bags, straws, coffee cups, shopping bags, etc. There is tremendous wastage still created by the volume of plastic bags, etc that we use. Simple to implement by mandating certain products can no longer be used at all (and fine those caught using), and the impact will be quite a meaningful amount.

Alex has been involved in the real estate industry for the last eighteen years, as a co- founder of a serviced apartment platform, a co-founder of an asset manager and investor and also as an angel investor into early stage companies. Alex has always had a mission to make the built environment a better place to live, work and enjoy and Undivided Ventures represents what he hopes is a part of the solution to one of real estate biggest challenges.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Adoption of technologies to support net zero adaptation of the built environment.

Manav is the Founder & CEO of Brinc. Brinc is a different breed of venture capital and accelerator firm. Core to Brinc’s business is their belief that some of the world’s biggest challenges can be solved by entrepreneurs, who Brinc likes to call GAME CHANGERS. More game changers will make a positive impact on the world if they are given the right backing. And that’s what Brinc is here for. To support and mentor founders and their teams from across the world and provide investment to help them grow. Brinc believes that technology-focused start-ups, with the right backing and support can fundamentally change how we move, what we eat, how we feel and where we live for the better.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

1. More plant-based meat – Whole food/plant-based food adoption by retailers and restaurateurs

2. More alternates adopted to plastic ASAP & where plastic is absolutely essential – more recycling and up-cycling.

Poman Lo is Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Regal Hotels Group. In 2015, she became the first female Asian recipient of the Oslo Business for Peace Award, which recognizes business leaders who strive to improve society by creating value for all stakeholders in an ethical and responsible way.