In Case You Missed It: October’s Impact Leaders on Revolutionizing Microfinance & Energy Efficiency (#062)

SRI360 | Socially Responsible Investing, ESG, Impact Investing, Sustainable Investing

Last month I had insightful conversations with two leaders in impact investing and sustainability. The first was with Rochus Mommartz, who is the CEO of responsAbility, and the other was with Jonathan Maxwell, who is the founding partner and CEO of Sustainable Development Capital.

This episode is a special one which serves as a recap of the episodes from last month. It features a couple of key clips from each conversation in one place so you can jump around and get a feel for both the episode and the guest.

Here’s the full list of the guests featured today and the links to their full episode:

Rochus Mommartz, the CEO of responsAbility

Rochus Mommartz is a pioneer in impact investing who has spent decades creating opportunities for people in emerging markets. He played a key role in developing regulatory frameworks and microfinance models that enable financial inclusion and long-term growth for communities across Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

My interview with Rochus was so long and so compelling that I ended up splitting it into two episodes. We talked about the evolution of microfinance because Rochus was in the field and literally had a front-row seat to the evolution of this market in its earliest days. We also discussed responsAbility's strategy for managing $5 billion in investments across 70+ countries, balancing social impact with strong financial returns.

Full Interview:
Part 1
Part 2

Jonathan Maxwell, founding partner and CEO of Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL)

In this conversation Jonathan Maxwell presented a bold approach to climate challenges by focusing on reducing waste and maximizing efficiency. His EDGE model (Efficient and Decentralized Generation of Energy) drives resource savings across 50,000 properties worldwide. These projects support sustainability and also bring double-digit returns while cutting energy waste, showing how responsible and profitable investing can go hand in hand.

Full Episode

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Key Takeaways:
Intro (00:00)
The early days of microfinance (03:10)
Founding responsAbility and rising to CEO (17:02)
Impact investing philosophy (25:05)
ResponsAbility – overview and mission (30:24)
15+ thematic funds impacting 70+ countries (36:44)
Investment process, criteria, and impact measurement (43:08)
Jonathan Maxwell on sustainability (01:15:01)
SDCL's mission, activities, and investment focus (01:21:21)
SDCL's theory of change (01:40:39)
Project portfolio & impact measurement (01:52:58)

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Additional Resources:

ResponsAbility Website
ResponsAbility LinkedIn
Rochus Mommartz LinkedIn

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SDCL website
SDCL LinkedIn
Jonathan Maxwell LinkedIn
Buy The Edge by Jonathan Maxwell