Impact Investing Symposium
2026 Agenda
October 8, 2026 | New York
Timing, sessions and speakers are subject to change
12:00-12:45pm
Registration and Networking Lunch
12:45-12:55pm
Rehana Farrell, CEO, 100 Women in Finance
12:55-1:20pm
Leadership Armchair
John Delaney, Chair of Strategy, Galvanize Climate
Yana Watson Kakar, MD and Head of the Americas, La Caisse
Moderator:
Courtney Birnbaum, Director of Sustainability, Corbin Capital Partners
1:20-2:05pm
Panel Discussion: Energy Security, Infrastructure and Resilience: Deploying Capital for Impact
Preeti Bhattacharji, Head of Sustainable Investing, JPMC, & Adjunct Professor, Columbia University
Leslie Biddle, SVP, Commercial Solutions, NextEra Energy Resources
Wendy Cromwell, Vice Chair and Senior Managing Director, Wellington Management
Moderator:
Emily Chien, Executive Fellow, Harvard Business School
2:05-2:30pm
Networking Break
2:30-4:10pm
Table Topics
Attendees will participate in three rotations of 30 minute Table Topic discussions. See details below.
4:10-4:20pm
Break
4:20-5:05pm
Amanda Bamberger, VP, EIF (Ecosystem Integrity Fund)
Amantia Muhedini, Head, Sustainable and Impact Investing Americas, UBS Global Wealth Management CIO Global Investment Management
Laura Nishikawa, Head of Emerging Risk R&D – Banks & Corporates Segment, MSCI
Moderator:
Abbey Schmitt, Principal, Sustainable & Impact Investing, GCM Grosvenor
5:05-5:10pm
Closing Remarks
Drianne Benner, Senior Managing Director, Appomattox
Sari Mayer, Director of Marketing and Investor Relations, Global Credit Advisers, LLC
5:10-6:30pm
Networking Reception
Table Topic Discussions
Attendees have the opportunity to select their preferred sessions from the below:
Table Topic 1: What Investment Managers Need to Know About Sustainability Regulation in 2026
Trysha Daskam-Smith, Managing Director | Head of Sustainability Risk & Strategy, Silver Regulatory Associates
Join us for a practical discussion on the sustainability regulations that are influencing fund strategy and disclosure in 2026 and beyond. We will examine the proposed changes to SFDR and what they mean for fund formation, fund classification and disclosure obligations. This conversation will also cover the UK anti-greenwashing rule and its implications for marketing language, fund naming and the substantiation investors expect behind sustainability claims. We will also review key updates in the United States and share our expectations for 2027, including how managers address sustainability disclosures when exposed to multiple regulatory regimes and varying investor pressures. Participants are encouraged to bring questions on how changing sustainability regulations may affect their reporting practices, and will leave with a clearer view of where to focus their attention over the next 18 months.
Table Topic 2: The Impact of Collaborative Stewardship
Charles Buck, CEO, United Church Funds
As asset allocators seek to invest in alignment with their mandates and long-term objectives, collaborating with fellow investors can amplify stewardship efforts, enhance engagement outcomes, and encourage companies to adopt stronger, more sustainable business practices. We’ll explore both the opportunities and complexities of collaborative stewardship, including how investors can build alignment around shared priorities, navigate practical and regulatory considerations, and increase their collective influence while upholding their fiduciary responsibilities.
Table Topic 3: Envisioning the Future of Impact Investing
Jennifer Katz, Director, Investments and Head of Mission-Aligned Investing, Doris Duke Foundation
This discussion will explore the trajectory of the impact investing field and imagine what the opportunity set might look like in 10 years.
Table Topic 4: Financing a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition
Sarah Bieber, Director of Climate Strategy, Acumen
The energy transition is accelerating, but the benefits of clean energy are not yet reaching everyone equally. For low-income and climate-vulnerable communities, access to affordable, reliable energy can be both a pathway out of poverty and a critical source of climate resilience. This discussion will explore how we can mobilise the capital, innovation and partnerships needed to deliver a more inclusive energy transition. Drawing on Acumen’s experience investing in clean-energy enterprises in emerging markets, the conversation will examine the role of catalytic and private capital, the barriers facing entrepreneurs serving underserved markets, and what it will take to scale solutions that simultaneously advance climate goals, energy access and economic opportunity
Table Topic 5: Galvanize Private Credit for the Energy Transition
Meghan Pasricha, Partner, Credit and Capital Solutions, Galvanize Climate
Anju Suresh, CFA, Vice President, Portfolio Manager & Impact Investing Specialist, Glenmede Endowment & Foundation Management
As the mission-aligned investing landscape continues to evolve, allocators are reassessing where capital can have the greatest influence. Join a discussion on emerging themes shaping the field, lessons learned from implementation, and how investors are approaching mission alignment, portfolio resilience, and long-term impact in today’s environment. We’ll explore what’s working, where challenges remain, and where investors see the greatest opportunities ahead.
Katie Twomey, SVP, Finance & Operations, Illumen Capital
At Illumen, we have a basic thesis: narrow sourcing networks, a limited investable landscape and skewed diligence can lead to suboptimal financial performance. We believe by reducing bias in how investments are allocated, we can help drive capital to founders and entrepreneurs long overlooked and underestimated – and unlock stronger financial performance.
How do we source managers? What is our due diligence process? How do we construct a portfolio to add alpha with an impact lens? Are there any themes that arise from this process that creates a more diversified and innovative portfolio?
Table Topic 8: Skip the Macro Talk: Let’s Talk About the Solutions Powering the AI Buildout, Responsibly
Natalia Costa i Coromina, Impact Lead, Energy Impact Partners
The AI buildout is accelerating demand for power at a scale and speed the grid has never had to absorb, and how we meet that demand will shape the energy transition for decades to come. At the center of this challenge is a real tension: the pressure to move fast enough to capture this moment without losing sight of communities and climate progress.
Drawing on EIP’s portfolio, we’ll get specific about the companies supporting this buildout, across both hardware and software, and the difficult questions beneath the surface, including rebound effects, goal setting, the challenge of measuring positive impact, and what all of this means going forward
Table Topic 9: Child Safety Online: The Investor’s Role in a Digital World
Bhakti Mirchandani, Managing Director, Responsible Investments, Trinity Church NYC
As children spend increasing amounts of time online, concerns around exposure to harmful content, addictive platform design, cyberbullying, and data privacy are becoming more prominent. Investors are increasingly engaging with technology and social media companies to encourage stronger governance, greater transparency, and more effective safeguards for young users. This discussion will explore the risks and opportunities associated with child safety online, the role investors can play through stewardship and engagement, and how companies are responding to growing public, regulatory, and stakeholder expectations. Participants will be encouraged to share perspectives on how capital can help drive a safer digital environment for children.
The conversation will also examine emerging questions around AI safety, including how investors can engage with companies to promote the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies that increasingly shape online experiences, trust, and wellbeing across the digital ecosystem.
Table Topic 10: To Be Announced
Gibson Dunn
Further Table Topics to be announced
