FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hank Paulson, Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, to speak at Intentionally Designed Endowments Forum at Loyola University Chicago November 2, 2016
Chicago, IL (September 27, 2016) – Hank Paulson, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Chairman of the Paulson Institute, and Co-Chair of the Risky Business Project will be the keynote speaker at the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) and Loyola University Chicago’s Intentionally Designed Endowments Forum. Paulson and other speakers, including David Blood, co-founder of Generation Investment Management and former CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management will address endowment decision makers about climate risk and the growing interest in ESG investing.
The event will be hosted by Loyola University Chicago from November 1-2, 2016. As the focus on the impact of the $550 billion in endowment funds of the nation’s higher education institutions continues to grow, this highly interactive, action-oriented forum will discuss endowment investing in the context of 21st century sustainability challenges. The forum will explore the risks and opportunities that sustainability challenges pose to investment portfolios and will enable campus leaders to learn from peers and experts about current trends and best practices. "Higher education has an amazing opportunity to build on its sustainability leadership to date, and role-model how investing in a healthy, just, and sustainable future can also preserve endowment capital, reduce risk, and enhance financial returns," said Tony Cortese, Principal of IEN. "The field of sustainable or ESG investing is growing and maturing at a rapid pace, so Forums like this one are needed to help endowment decision-makers stay current and learn about how their peers are approaching these issues
Participants will include senior administrators from colleges, universities, philanthropic foundations, sustainability investment experts from investment firms and advisory firms. Registration is currently open.
Over the past two years, hundreds of senior decision makers, trustees, and experts in sustainable investing have come together through a series of six Forums and various online activities to form the Intentional Endowments Network. IEN is a peer-learning network designed to support endowments in creating intentionally designed endowments – those that can enhance financial returns, while more closely aligning investments with institutional mission, values, and sustainability goals.
The most recent IEN Forum was held on August 25-26, 2016 at San Francisco State University. Participants there heard from Jagdeep Bachher, Chief Investment Officer and VP of Investments at the University of California, who manages the UC system’s $91 billion in endowment, pension, and other assets. "The future is going to be different than the past and our investments will therefore need to reflect that," said Bachher. "We approach sustainability as a risk management strategy and an opportunity." Ira Ehrenpries, Founder and Managing Partner of DBL Partners also provided a keynote, highlighting the opportunities for investing in sustainability solutions.
“Over the past two years, we have seen tremendous growth in interest in sustainable investing from college and university endowments,” said Georges Dyer, Principal of IEN. “It feels like we are now at a tipping point in terms of seeing meaningful action, and this Forum at Loyola University Chicago promises to be a watershed moment for higher education’s leadership in creating a thriving, low-carbon economy.”
Details on the Forum at Loyola University Chicago can be found at http://www.intentionalendowments.org/luc_forum. The event is capped at 120 attendees, and early pricing discount ends September 27.
About the Intentional Endowments Network
The Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) is a collaborative network supports colleges, universities, and other mission-driven organizations in aligning their endowment investment practices with their mission, values, and sustainability goals without sacrificing financial returns. IEN is an initiative of The Crane Institute of Sustainability, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit. To learn more visit www.intentionalendowments.org.
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