In this episode, hosts Chris Ito and Georges Dyer engage with Kathleen Simpson, CEO of The Russell Family Foundation (TRFF), and Brad Harrison of AlTi Tiedemann Global, TRFF's investment advisor, to explore the intersection of mission-driven investing, shareholder engagement, and the critical role of impact strategies in addressing global climate challenge. Recorded just days after the U.S. election, the episode offers timely insights into navigating uncertainty in the energy transition and scaling impactful investments.

Kathleen Simpson - Chief Executive Officer, The Russell Family Foundation

Brad Harrison - Co-Head of Impact Strategy, AlTi Tiedemann Global

Kathleen Simpson serves as CEO of The Russell Family Foundation, where she guides strategic planning, programs, and community affairs while overseeing the Foundation's impact investing. Under her leadership, first as CFO and now as CEO, the foundation has transformed its portfolio from 7% to nearly 95% impact-aligned investments. She champions TRFF’s Net Zero commitment and regional food systems initiatives while serving on numerous nonprofit boards. With extensive experience in finance and leadership, Kathleen has helped reimagine philanthropy through a decarbonization lens.

Brad Harrison co-leads AlTi's impact investing strategy globally and oversees the firm's Climate Sustainability strategy focused on accelerating the net zero transition. Working with clients to align capital with purpose, Brad’s holistic approach integrates financial innovation with environmental stewardship. He brings decades of experience in climate investing and collaboration with organizations like the Global Impact Investing Network.

• Decarbonization and Impact Journey: Learn how TRFF evolved from initial experiments with community bank investments to becoming a leader in mission-aligned investing with 94% of assets aligned with impact goals.
• Net Zero Framework: Discussion of TRFF's approach to achieving net zero, combining investments in decarbonization technologies with nature-based solutions for a holistic environmental impact.
• Transparency and Field-Building: Insights into TRFF's commitment to transparency and field-building through sharing their investment policies and strategies openly.
• Navigating Policy and Political Uncertainty: Reflecting on the 2024 election, the conversation addresses challenges to the Inflation Reduction Act and its implications for impact investors.
• Impact Measurement: Details about TRFF's participation in the IEN's Endowment Impact Benchmark initiative and achieving a platinum rating, demonstrating the value of third-party verification.
• Future Challenges: The duo share insights on addressing the “last mile” of decarbonization and maintaining a balance between net zero goals and meaningful impact.

Listen as Chris and Georges explore how foundations can lead the way in impact investing while maintaining strong returns and building a more sustainable future.

In this episode, hosts Georges Dyer and Chris Ito are joined by British actors Will Attenborough and Leila Mimmack to share their journey from the world of acting to leading impactful climate campaigns, leveraging their public platforms to drive change in sustainability and finance. Despite coming from acclaimed acting families, Will and Leila bring an unassuming yet passionate approach to raising awareness on environmental issues through their creative work.

Will Attenborough – Actor and Climate Activist

Leila Mimmack – Actor and Climate Activist

Will Attenborough is a British actor renowned for stage and film roles. Inspired by Desmond Tutu's climate justice work, he played a pivotal role in Divest London’s push for fossil fuel divestment. Will spearheaded campaigns within the acting union Equity, achieving the UK's first fossil-free pension fund options for artists. He champions sustainable storytelling, leveraging celebrity influence to model climate solutions. With an acclaimed family legacy, Will uses his platform authentically to shift narratives and inspire urgent environmental action.

Leila Mimmack is a British stage and screen actor driving environmental causes. Alongside Will Attenborough, she catalyzed a grassroots campaign within the Equity trade union, pioneering fossil fuel divestment and greener pension investments for artists. Leila's climate activism stems from her youth, attending rallies inspired by her teacher's rainforest lessons. Now using her creative talents, she collaborates on projects like Equity for a Green New Deal and sustainable theatre practices. Leila harnesses storytelling to reshape society's perspectives on pursuing an ecologically-conscious future.

• Diving into Divestment: Will and Leila recount their journeys into climate activism, starting with the Divest London campaign and efforts to push the London Pension Fund Authority away from fossil fuel investments.
• Union Power for Change: Hear about their strategies working within the Equity trade union to pass motions, lobby leaders, and create more sustainable investment policies for artists.
• The Struggle for Real Impact: The guests discuss the challenges of achieving meaningful change within complex pension funds and institutional inertia around sustainable investing.
• Sustainable Storytelling: Will and Leila explore how their backgrounds as actors allow them to shift narratives and model positive climate solutions through creative projects like the "Green Rider" initiative.
• Actors as Activists: The role of celebrity activism and harnessing the cultural influence of entertainers to inspire climate action in an authentic, relatable way.

Join Chris and George for an engaging discussion on the intersections of art, activism, and finance in driving a better environmental future.

Join hosts Chris Ito and Georges Dyer as they sit down with Heather Beatty, the CEO of ScopeFour Capital, for an insightful discussion on climate solutions in public equity markets. Heather Beatty shares her journey in sustainable investing, her vision for ScopeFour Capital and the importance of focusing on scalable climate solutions beyond just renewables.

Heather Beatty – CEO, ScopeFour Capital

Heather Beatty is the founder and CEO of ScopeFour Capital, an asset management firm dedicated to investing in companies that produce and scale climate solutions. With over 20 years in the institutional world, Heather is passionate about creating impactful change through strategic capital allocation. She draws inspiration from Project Drawdown and the Crane Tool to guide ScopeFour Capital's investment approach. Previously at First Eagle, she created and co-chaired the firm's first climate council. In addition to her climate-related contributions, Heather co-founded Women in Institutional Investments Network (WIIIN), a Los Angeles-based 501c3 as part of her commitment to the advancement of diversity, equity and inclusion.

• Scaling Climate Solutions: Heather explains how ScopeFour Capital focuses on investing in listed equities that are producing and scaling climate solutions.
• Beyond Renewables: Discussion on the broader market for climate solutions, including waste management, green infrastructure, and building energy efficiency.
• Emission Reduction Potential: Understanding how ScopeFour Capital evaluates avoided emissions and the impact of climate solutions by associating them with company revenue, R&D, and capital expenditures.
• Global Trends and Policy Impacts: Insight into how global policy trends and the upcoming US election cycle could impact climate investments.
• Navigating High Interest Rates: Addressing investor concerns about a persistent high interest rate environment and its effect on capital-intensive climate solutions.
• Diversity in Asset Management: Heather discusses the significance of diversity in asset management and the progress the industry has made.

Tune in to gain valuable insights into investing in climate solutions, understanding the broader market dynamics, and navigating the complexities of sustainable investing.

Sustainable investing veteran, Jeff Gitterman, joins hosts Chris and Georges to discuss bridging divides in ESG investing and climate change debates. Gitterman advocates pragmatism - finding common ground between proponents and skeptics. Key highlights include investment opportunities in climate solutions like infrastructure, recognizing physical risks as warning signs, and widening the sustainable investing tent to diverse viewpoints. While addressing challenges, Gitterman underscores the necessity of open dialogue, consensus-building, and reframing ESG around stakeholder capitalism over political divisions. Listeners gain insights into navigating complexities, advancing sustainable investing through understanding, and meeting investors where they are.

Jeff Gitterman - CEO, Gitterman Asset Management

Jeff Gitterman is a pioneering leader in sustainable investing. With over 30 years of experience as a financial advisor, he is the Co-Founder of Gitterman Wealth Management where he created the SMART Investing Solutions for climate-aware portfolio allocation. He launched Gitterman Asset Management in 2020, focusing on ESG strategies and thought leadership for financial and institutional markets. Jeff co-hosts TheIMPACT TV, contributes to major media, and champions the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Beyond investing, Jeff serves on the board of the Child Health Institute of New Jersey and supports autism awareness.

• Highlights the importance of finding common ground between proponents and skeptics of ESG investing and reframing the ESG/sustainable investing debate around stakeholder capitalism vs shareholder primacy, rather than getting mired in political divisions over "values."
• Explains the critical role and significant opportunities in the climate solution space around infrastructure investment. Physical risks associated with climate change act as a catalyst for investors to recognize and act on these opportunities.
• Advocates the need for more clarity and consistency in messaging and labeling around ESG investing to reduce confusion, especially from regulators like the SEC.
• Urges pragmatism in the face of climate challenges – recognizing the complexities and divisions in society, investors need to meet people and other investors where they are and be open to listening to differing viewpoints.

In this episode, hosts Chris Ito and Georges Dyer engage in a captivating conversation with a trio of students from Presidio Graduate School, who were members of the team that emerged victorious in the IEN's 2023 Student Corporate Engagement Challenge in the Graduate category. The challenge encourages students to pitch an investment in a publicly traded company, coupled with a shareholder engagement strategy. The conversation focuses on their investment pitch for First Solar and its groundbreaking thin-film cadmium telluride technology, offering a more sustainable alternative to traditional solar panels.

Guests

The winning team members from Presidio Graduate School include Callie Greene, Stephanie Motta, Claire Nevels, Kate Vachon, and Lauren Novak.

In this episode, Georges and Chris talk with Callie Green, Steph Motta and Claire Nevels

Highlights

• Explores the rationale behind an investment in First Solar
• Underscores the importance of engaging on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), especially in leadership, as an area where companies can improve and unlock economic value.
• Illustrates the pivotal role of educational institutions in empowering students to advocate for systemic changes towards a more sustainable and just world.
• Showcases the proactive steps being taken by the next generation in aligning investment strategies with the urgent need for environmental and social justice.

This episode features Ian Fuller, CEO and Co-Founder of Westfuller Advisors, a minority and women-owned investment advisory firm and Outsourced CIO dedicated to impact investing. Georges and Chris talk with Ian about his personal journey from New York’s Lower East Side to Wall Street as context for Westfuller's mission to drive change through ethical investments, and challenging traditional notions of money's role in building a sustainable future.

Ian Fuller - CEO and Co-Founder, Westfuller Advisors

Ian Fuller is CEO and Co-Founder of Westfuller, a Black-majority, woman- and LGBTQ-owned investment advisory firm. As specialist in evidence-driven, global wealth advisory and planning, strategic investment management, and philanthropic giving, Ian works closely with people and institutions to empower wealth with purpose. He is a believer in the promise of money and financial systems to drive a flourishing democracy and economy. Ian co-leads the firm’s commitment to support efforts building: a just and equitable society, public purpose finance for All, and community infrastructure and assets.

• Sheds light on how to define impact investing and how it is fundamentally different from ESG integration or responsible investing.
• Addresses the nuances and differences between net zero and a just transition, and the challenges around implementing an investment strategy that prioritizes both concepts.
• Discusses the challenges of being a minority-owned investment firm and how asset allocators investing in diverse managers are generating returns.

In this episode, Chris and Georges do a deep dive into the economic implications of carbon emissions with one of the world’s leading climate finance experts, Dr. Michael Greenstone. As a former chief economist for President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, Dr. Greenstone played a pivotal role in developing the "social cost of carbon." The trio discusses the significance of understanding the economic cost of carbon emissions and the tools policymakers have at their disposal to combat climate change.

Dr. Michael Greenstone, Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics

Michael Greenstone is the Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics as well as the Director of the Becker Friedman Institute and the interdisciplinary Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. As a co-director of the Climate Impact Lab, he is producing empirically grounded estimates of the local and global impacts of climate change. He is also the co-director of the King Climate Action Initiative at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, and co-founder of Climate Vault, a 501(c)(3) that uses markets to allow institutions and people to reduce their carbon footprint.

• Sheds light on the concept of the social cost of carbon, its current applications, and the overarching importance of carbon pricing in shaping future climate policies, especially in the United States.
• Touches upon the controversial topic of carbon offsets, distinguishing between the voluntary offset market and regulated cap and trade permitting systems.
• Introduces Climate Vault, a non-profit startup co-founded by Dr. Greenstone that not only allows entities to offset emissions using regulated permits but also aids in purchasing carbon removal, thereby supporting emerging carbon removal companies to scale their technologies.

In this episode, Georges and Chris delve into the world of plant-based foods and explore the potential of this burgeoning industry with Elysabeth Alfano, a renowned expert at investing in companies that innovate with plants to produce animal-free products for sustainable consumption. Elysabeth discusses the health, environmental, and ethical implications of this dietary shift and shares her insights on the role of plant-based foods in mitigating climate change.

Elysabeth Alfano, Co-Founder and CEO of VegTech™ Invest

Elysabeth Alfano is the CEO of VegTech™ Invest, the advisor to the Plant-based Innovation & Climate ETF (EATV). As one of the foremost experts in the industry, Elysabeth speaks on the latest plant-based business and investment developments. She also speaks on issues of a shifting global food supply system and what it represents for sustainability, climate change, food insecurity, human health, animal welfare and a growing global population.