Hosted by InFiNe on Wednesday 31January 2024, this webinar focused on “Lessons Learned on ESG & Impact Investing Strategies” and Edouard Sers was one of the speakers.
The aim of this webinar was to share lessons learned from the Frankfurt School’s ESG & Impact Investing course and its implementation by dedicated professionals. It was aimed at professionals in the sphere of impact investing, but also at professionals from other sectors interested in ESG and impact investing.
SPEAKERS BIO:
- Anne Bastin, InFiNe, moderator
- Edouard Sers, Head of Risks and Impact at the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation:
As part of his responsibilities, Edouard is a member of the Foundation’s executive committee, supervises the risk team and coordinates the development of the ESG and Impact standards at the Foundation. He is also in charge with supervising the GCA Foundation investment advisory activities for the GCA Fund FIR. Prior to that, Edouard headed the audit & risk functions for the OXUS Network in Central Asia and Africa; and worked for many years as rating analyst and quality manager at Planet Rating across more than 30 countries. Edouard is a graduate of the French EM Lyon Business School and began his career as an external auditor in the banking sector for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
- Karl Richter, Professor at Frankfurt School and Co-Founder and Executive Director of Engage X:
Co-Founder of iSumio, which creates software for organisations to calculate their effect on people and planet, such as carbon footprint and labour conditions. Executive Director of EngagedX, which specialises in providing consultancy, thought leadership, advocacy and policy work. Karl works internationally across private, public and social sectors. Experienced entrepreneur, leader, and executive. Lectures part-time at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.
Previous engagements include a 12 month assignment as Head of Research and Knowledge for the UNDP SDG Impact Finance initiative (UNSIF), where he led research to improve the analytical framework for social impact investing; member of Groupe d’Experts de la Commission sur l’Entrepreneuriat Social (GECES) of the European Commission to advise on its Social Business Initiative; part of the OECD expert group on social impact investing. Currently Senior Fellow of the Finance Innovation Lab; and Adviser to several organisations.
Karl has been invited by civil society organisations, academia, governments and the media across Europe, Asia and USA to speak on social impact investing. He has guest lectured at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge; advised HM Treasury on EU social investment regulations; was invited to submit evidence for alternative finance to the UK’s Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards; been asked by the UK Cabinet Office to represent the UK on social investment at EU level; was invited by US Secretary of State to be a plenary panelist at the Global Impact Economy Forum in 2012.
- Claudia Dambax, Head of Board Advisory Services and Associate Director at Innpact S.A.:
She has in-depth experiences in the fund structuring, (public-private-partnership) funds, operational fund management, fund legal, corporate governance and board advisory. She is experienced with a broad client base from private clients, ultra high-networth individuals to institutional clients, international financial institutions and development finance institutions. Since 2005 she works in the financial services sector at the private sector at an AIFM/Management Company and at European level. She managed UCITS and alternative investments funds (PE/VC, private debt, real estate). Claudia has a hands-on approach and is passionate about achieving positive impact. Since 2010 she focusses on the sustainable finance and the impact finance space.
Prior to joining Innpact, Claudia worked for Sal. Oppenheim Asset Management, Deutsche Bank/Deutsche Asset Management and for the European Investment Fund. Claudia studied Human Geography, Business Administration, Urban and Regional Planning at the Free University Berlin (Germany) and Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada), which she combined with Bank Business Administration. In addition, she holds certifications in Sustainable Business Strategy from the Harvard Business School, ESG and Impact Investing and Climate Adaptation Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.
Karl provided his perspective on the course on ESG & Impact investing. While Claudia and Edouard shared why they went through this training, what lessons they have learned and they have used in practice. It was followed by a Q&A session.