Good Future

Elyse Sainty works at the intersection of social impact and finance, which is the sweet-spot of this show. She’s director of Impact Investing at Social Ventures Australia (SVA) where she designs and manages Social Impact Bonds, and her take on this was really refreshing, from her perspective, It’s not really about investors… instead, it’s seeing capital as an enabler, it’s the means to an end.

And really, when you look at the central goal, it’s not about making money, it’s about making money make a difference.

Elyse delves into her transition from banking and finance to working in the social sector. And she talks about the genesis of SVA when the team saw an opportunity, in the collapse of the ABC-Learning child-care business, to refashion its assets into a social enterprise that today is doing well in the form of Goodstart Early Learning.

This is a great episode for anyone confused about Social Impact Bonds and their unique way of bringing together government funding, investors and service providers. But for those in the sector, Elyse has some really valuable philosophies about the mission and the potential for social finance going forward.

All the links and show-notes can be found at Johntreadgold.com/goodfuturepodcast

And if you feel the urge, please do leave a comment or a review on iTunes.

Joel Solomon is a passionate advocate for the power of business to do good. He was a founding partner and Senior Advisor for Renewal Funds, Canada’s largest mission venture capital firm managing some $98 million. He ran an “activist family office” for 14 years deploying more than $70M. He helped found the Social Venture Network in Canada, and RSF Social Finance’s Integrated Capital Institute. He’s a member of Canada’s Advisory Board to the G8 Social Impact Investment Taskforce. He’s a governor of University of British Columbia.

And… he’s written a book, it’s called the Clean Money Revolution. It only took me a few chapters before I knew I had to have Joel on the show.

Joel is a really sensitive and genuine guy who has an almost spiritual connection with his investments and with the communities they support. We talk about his book and what he hoped to achieve with it, but also about the many voices and perspectives that it contains. For anyone out there looking for inspiration to either start or invest in a small business that wants to shake up a less-than-ethical industry, then this is the book.

There’s a bit of finance talk in this one as Joel explains what he’s working on, but of course I’m not a financial advisor, and this ain’t financial advice. So do chat to a professional if any of this inspires you.

You can jump onto the website for the show notes, at www.johntreadgold.com.

Or reach out to us on Instagram www.instagram.com/goodfuturepodcast/

Simon O’Connor is CEO of the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), they’ve got more than 240 members that collectively manage some $9 trillion of investments globally.

And if he wasn’t busy enough, he’s now also the co-chair of the Australia Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASIF, it was launched last week with the aim, in their words, to drive : “A sustainable and resilient economy – one that prioritises human well-being, social equity and protection of our environment.”

It’s made up of the most influential players in Australian finance, and it’s laser focussed on crafting effective policy that not only helps kickstart Australia’s progress towards the 2030 emissions targets that we agreed to in Paris. But also, to capitalise on the massive economic opportunity that’s emerging in clean-energy, transport and agriculture.

Simon was eager to tell us more, he jumped on the phone with very little notice and he offered a really compelling case for betting on sustainability.

(NB. I erroneously referred to the RIAA as being limited to Australia, but it's coverage is across Australasia. Sorry Simon!)

Jump on the website for all the show-notes, at www.johntreadgold.com, and you can drop me a message or a review on iTunes, which is much appreciated because it helps other people find the podcast.

Alright, please enjoy my conversation with Simon O’Connor.

Matthew Weatherley-White is an impact investment advisor at Caprock, but his personality and his passion for life stretch far beyond his day-job. He’s as interested in hiking in the mountains and in crafting a lifestyle, as he is to reshaping markets for the better.

He’s inquisitive and he’s a deep thinker, and most importantly he’s not afraid of telling it how it is.

We dug into the political stalemates that both the US and Australia are facing in trying to deal with climate change. Matthew spoke passionately about the potential for capitalism to be re-oriented towards environmental resiliency, and to move beyond its very narrow focus of profit-maximisation.

And he weighed into the debate on whether investors in public markets can influence the companies they buy, he didn’t hold back. I had a ball speaking with Matthew, we could’ve gone on for hours. I just hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

And please do stay tuned till after the credits when Matthew gives us a breakdown of two radical new policy concepts coming out of the US, those being Opportunity Zones, as well as the Green New Deal. You may’ve heard of them but Matthew’s working closely on this stuff so his breakdown is really solid.

Check out the show notes on the website at www.Johntreadgold.com

Enjoy!

Seb Beloe lives in the country, just outside London, he’s struck a balance between the rural and the urban, and this is echoed in his work where he combines his passion for sustainability, with making investments that earn a decent return.

He’s Head of Research at WHEB Asset Management, which is a fund manager that seeks out progressive companies that make products that are doing good in the world. They invest in public companies, listed on the stock market, and while their impact might not be as deep as their private markets forebears, they’re making conscious investment accessible to a lot of people.

Kylie Porter is the newly installed Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Australia. The organisation is founded on a set of ten principles that companies agree to abide by when they sign up.

It’s been hailed as, the world’s largest corporate social responsibility framework, and while it doesn’t enforce any rules or dole out any punishment, it operates as an important network of companies who are committed to reducing their environmental impact and becoming better corporate citizens.

I’m your host John Treadgold and I’m asking the big questions about the future of sustainable business, the new-economy and how your investment and spending decisions can have an impact.

We talk all about the forces that are driving big corporates to change and adapt, whether that be regulations or the growing force of outcry and activism from the public. We also look at the new legislation around modern slavery which is super interesting and something we should be aware of.

All the links are in the show-notes at www.Johntreadgold.com

And if you want to leave a review on iTunes I’ll be eternally grateful.

Giles Gunesekera is CEO of the Global Impact Initiative and he’s been a valuable mentor for me in the world of impact investing; so it was about time I invited him to be a guest on Good Future.

I’m your host John Treadgold, and this is the podcast where I ask the big questions about sustainable business, the new economy and how your spending & investment decisions, no matter how big or small, can have an impact.

Giles has built a range of really innovative investment structures that have supported charities for women and girls, built hospitals and funded affordable housing.

He digs into his upbringing and the influence of his parents, as well as the time he spent at Oxford that completely changed the way he sees finance, and led directly to him setting up his business.

In this episode we did a bare-bones breakdown of ‘impact investing’. I pushed Giles to avoid the jargon and help an audience beyond those working in finance, to understand how we can direct our money to not only make a profit, but to also have a positive social impact.

There’s clearly a shift happening right now, whether it be super funds whose members are demanding they invest with long-term sustainability in mind, or with companies realising it takes more than big salaries to attract the best millennial talent, we want a sense of purpose too.

I really do hope you get as much out of this episode as I did. And I’ll be keen discuss it with you all on LinkedIn and on the Good Future Instagram page.

Drop me a review on iTunes if you liked it. And you can check out all the links and the show notes on my website, www.johntreadgold.com.

Enjoy!

Is Impact-investing a paradox? Is another complex financial structure really the best way to deal with the problems caused by putting too much faith in finance in the first place?

It’s a valid concern, and it leads many in the sector to be forever on their guard, forever defining and redefining what this term, impact, really means.

My guest today knows this challenge well. Jed Emerson has been at the forefront of impact investing’s evolution for many decades, and in his new book he asks us all to think far deeper than simply which fund structure will optimise gains, instead, he wants us to question what is the purpose of capital anyway? At the heart of it, why are we doing this. If it’s simply to alleviate our guilt for extracting profits then that’s not enough.

I’m your host John Treadgold and I’m asking the big questions about the future of sustainable business, the new-economy and how your investment decisions, no matter how big or small, can have an impact.

Jed is a stalwart of the impact scene, he co-authored the first book on impact investing and he coined the concept of Blended-Value some twenty years ago. He’s lectured at Harvard, Stanford and Oxford business schools.

And I’ve always seen him as the conscience of impact investing, and perhaps even the conscience of capitalism, if his latest book is anything to go by.

I really do hope you get as much out of this episode as I did. And I’ll be keen discuss it with you all on LinkedIn and on the Good Future Instagram page.

Drop me a review on iTunes if you liked it. And you can check out all the links and the show notes on my website, www.johntreadgold.com.

Enjoy!

Everybody hates paying booking fees when buying tickets, and for Adam McCurdie that was an opportunity. He recognised the ticketing industry’s profits were ripe for a little 'impact disruption'.

The result was Humanitix. It’s a charity, that looks a lot like a business. And it’s both, and that’s what we like here at the Good Future podcast. My name is John Treadgold, and I’m asking the big questions about the future of sustainable business, the new-economy and how your spending and investment decisions, no matter how big or small, can have an Impact.

Adam McCurdie has had a wild ride as he’s bootstrapped Humanitix into the thriving social enterprise that it is today.

They’ve won million-dollar awards from Google, and they’ve wooed big donors like the Atlassian Foundation. But as you listen to Adam, and hear him explain the concept and their journey, it’ll all become clear why.

These guys are very good operators, they have lofty social impact goals, and while they’re using the power of technology, the real innovation is in their business model.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. I pressed Adam for some more details about the 90 second pitch they crafted to win themselves the Google Impact Challenge and he offered some tips after the credits.

Please leave a review or comment on iTunes so we know you're out there.

Don’t forget to check out the show notes on my website, at www.Johntreadgold.com

And you can shoot me an email with any feedback or leave me a comment on the Good Future Instagram page @goodfuturepodcast

Enjoy!

Laurie Spengler is the President and CEO of Enclude, an impact investing advisory firm that gives itself the unique title of being an impact investment bank. They work all over the world helping to build businesses that are solving some of the world’s biggest challenges

As will become clear in the conversation, Laurie isn’t phased by much. She has a high tolerance for working with uncertainty and ambiguity and that can be traced back to her years managing transactions in Czechoslovakia after the wall fell. When it was re-writing its laws and rebuilding its financial institutions.

I’ve spoken about impact investing with many of my guests on this podcast, but with Laurie we go deeper. We look at the more technical financial strategies, and the vital issue of which enterprises are best suited for receiving an impact investment, and how to level the playing field between those seeking capital, and those looking to invest.

Whether you work in sustainable development, in finance or if you just want to know more about social enterprise, Laurie’s insights are super valuable. She’s a global leader in this space, a rare intellect, but she also has an uncanny ability to bring these ideas to life and make it easy to understand.

I'm your host John Treadgold, I love to hear your feedback. You can leave me a review on iTunes. Or send me an email at, [email protected]

You can also jump onto my website at www.johntreadgold.com where you'll find short articles from each episode. Plus all the links and book recommendations.

Enjoy!