Inclusive Impact Report Launch

On the 24th of January, we launched the Inclusive Impact Report at the House of Parliament. Just by the turnout of the event – about 60 attendees - we know a lot of people are supporting our efforts to chart inclusive social investment. 

We would like to thank our keynote speaker, Lord Bird MBE, as well as panel members (Samuel Kasumu, Danyal Sattar, Stephen Bediako, Elizabeth Adeniran, Bonnie Chiu and Geetha Rabindrakumar) for their inspiring and encouraging words.  

Lord Bird MBE inspired us with his story of starting Big Issue, which is about standing up against injustice. He encouraged the work of the Diversity Forum and asked us not to accept any prejudice.  

Geetha Rabindrakumar, Head of Engagement at Big Society Capital, discussed her own experience sitting on Investment Committees and her firm’s track record in maintaining gender balance. Her dedication to diversity came from her realisation that we cannot change things for others unless we change ourselves. She suggested that the next step for Diversity Forum is considering where the money is going to. 

Danyal Sattar, who recently joined Big Issue Invest as their CEO, highlighted various traps in the work of improving diversity. Particularly, he discussed the trap of verticality of progress – we will regress unless we keep pushing; and the importance of personal responsibility -- by not doing something, we are perpetuating the inequalities for our next generation.  

Other panel members also discussed: the issue of retention of progression in the social investment sector that needs more attention; the importance of intersectionality – that identities intersect and the experience of marginalisation may be dramatically different for some others who face multiple forms of discrimination; and the importance of diversifying the types of social investment products and where the funding is going.

We also heard from the audience with regards to the issues they want Diversity Forum to continue to tackle, and their own commitments to improving diversity and inclusion. Please subscribe to our newsletter to learn about our upcoming activities and events.

We will release a video of the event in the coming weeks - please keep talking about the report and toolkit!