Triodos Investment Management!
Yesterday was the live final of the Endowments Investing Challenge – an initiative that invited the investment industry to create a bold portfolio that prioritises long-term positive impacts on future generations alongside financial returns for a mandate of up to £50 million.
60 applications were received, and five investment service providers were shortlisted – Octopus Capital, Tribe Impact Capital, Triodos Investment Management, Foresight Group and EdenTree Investment Management). At the Barbican Centre in London yesterday, the shortlisted organisations presented their portfolios, sparking challenging questions and rigorous scrutiny from the audience of charities, mission-led investors, industry experts and young people.
A Future Generations Panel of seven young adults from across the UK played a central role in the whole process. After deliberating on the five presentations, the panel made a recommendation to the audience – to vote for Triodos (with Octopus also noted for “exceptional qualities”). Izzy from the Future Generations Panel said: “Triodos were transparent and showed clarity in their strategies. They handled challenging questions well, giving us confidence in the team.” The audience heeded their advice, with 46% voting for Triodos.
Hadewych Kuiper, Managing Director Investments, Triodos Investment Management said: “Winning the Endowments Investing Challenge for our Future Generations strategy is an incredibly proud moment for all of us at Triodos Investment Management. This award reaffirms our commitment to putting the well-being of future generations at the core of every investment decision. A heartfelt thank you to the organisers and to everyone who supported us with their vote. Together, we’re proving that finance can—and must—be a force for long-term, positive change for generations to come.”
Collaborating on a bold vision
Although we can’t change the investment industry by ourselves, coming together for initiatives like the Endowments Investing Challenge gives us far greater power. We partnered with five other foundations for this challenge (The Blagrave Trust, The Children’s Society, Cripplegate Foundation, Friends Provident Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, plus supporting organisations John Ellerman Foundation, The Robertson Trust, the Impact Investing Institute and Gallagher.
“To create real change in the investment sector, we need to bring more voices to the table,” said Andrew Gnaneswaran, Chief Investment Officer. “The Endowments Investing Challenge brought together a range of different charities, partners, and investors with a panel of remarkable young people. Together we’ve shown the power of collective action, transparency, and participation. And now, this process can be replicated by other charitable investors on different scales to support them to use their capital to address the issues that society faces rather than exacerbating the problems.”
Next steps
Lok-Yi of the Future Generations Panel gave a timely reminder that the shortlisted investment service providers weren’t merely required to give a slick presentation when she said: “This is not just a competition. It’s a commitment.”
Gallagher will now complete further due diligence on Triodos Investment Management. Then the partners’ trustees and investment committees will then make their final investment decisions.
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The image shows Eli Manderson Evans, CEO of The Blagrave Trust.
Find out more about the Endowments Investing Challenge here.
You can read about our journey of developing a values-aligned investment framework here.
