Track 3.3: Investing for Change: Are new forms of impact capital a necessity or hype?

The dynamic role of impact investing was the focus of the panellists, who provided unique insights into its necessity and potential. Moderator Robert Rosen opened by sharing his motivation for impact investing and his commitment to fostering an ecosystem that encourages effective giving. This set the stage for the panellists to discuss their own motivations and definitions of impact investing.

En Lee recounted his journey from investment banking to impact investing, driven by a desire to align success with personal values. He highlighted the unique strengths of both philanthropic and investment capital, noting that while philanthropic funds are vital for addressing urgent issues, investment capital is essential for scaling solutions to achieve long-term impact. He stressed the importance of understanding the motivations behind different types of investors.

Dato’ Shahira Ahmed Bazari shared her "accidental" transition from the private sector to philanthropy and its profound effect on her perspective. She reinforced the idea that profit and purpose can coexist. She raised an example of a blended value creation model during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, where public, private, and philanthropic sectors collaborated to deploy resources efficiently to communities. This demonstrated the potential of blended finance to combine different types of capital to achieve greater and faster impact.

Mehvesh Mumtaz Ahmed expressed her passion for driving system-level change and making systems work better for more people. She stressed that philanthropy and private capital should be viewed as complementary forces, with philanthropy playing a catalytic role in supporting innovation and providing early-stage, patient capital for impact-driven startups. Once these projects gain traction, private capital can help scale them further to drive greater social impact. 

The panellists also addressed broader challenges and opportunities within the impact investing landscape. Bazari emphasised that Asia’s strengths lie not only in its financial capital but also in its community-driven and localised approaches to problem-solving. She highlighted the need for courageous and accountable leadership in driving transformation, while Lee advocated for increased multi-sector collaboration to ensure sustainable solutions across the value chain. 

To conclude, the panellists expressed the importance of hope and the collective potential to drive impact.