The panel kicked off with each of the speakers outlining their individual journeys to investing with purpose and what the topic means to them. Guests learned how much opportunities around investing with purpose have changed over the last ten to fifteen years, particularly as experienced by the speakers. Katy Yung mentioned that when she told her parents that she was leaving the world of investment banking to work in sustainable investing they were shocked, while Maud Savary Mornet, who started her career at the Banque de France, experienced a similar reaction when she moved to Swiss impact investing enterprise ResponsAbility Investments. 

But times have changed, and sustainable and impact investing have become mainstream.

The panel's moderator Rachel Duffell, regional content director for Front & Female, asked whether the way we invest really has the potential to create a better world. Jenny Wong said that it’s a case of cumulative effect, with every step having a positive impact, and that the question is not why we should invest with purpose, but why shouldn't we invest with purpose?

Rounding out the panel by sharing some resources for people looking to invest better, Maud Savary-Mornet suggested nailing down exactly what it is that you want to achieve and the impact you want to have and then finding a group or network of people that already does that, such as Katy Yung’s Sustainable Finance Initiative, or the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), of which Savary-Mornet is the senior advisor for Asia.

Thoughtful questions from the audience followed, on topics including purpose versus profits and whether you can have both, and the backlash against globalisation and what that means for impact investing—do projects going local still have the potential to scale and deliver favourable returns?

The final question came from Inna Rodchenko-Highfield, who asked the panellists if there were any projects they were investing in that they were particularly excited about. Yung mentioned a mental health app called Thoughtfull in which she is an angel investor and which recently raised US$1.1 million in seed funding. 

The discussion at a close, guests were encouraged to move through to the Atrium where the chefs had been busy at work in the open kitchen preparing the evening's feast. A cauliflower tart with eel and caviar kicked off proceedings, followed by lobster with truffle and then beautifully cooked beef or turbot, but the standout dish of the evening had to be the dessert, listed in the menu as 'ham and cheese’ and which appeared to be just that. Approach the open kitchen and the chefs could be seen carving slices of a ‘ham’, but peer a little closer, or taste the marbled slices on the plate, and it was actually a frozen dessert covered in a thin layer of chocolate.

Conviviality and lots of connections made, the dinner stretched late into the evening with fruitful discussion and fun had by all.

The event was hosted by Front & Female with the support of Citi Private Bank, which shares our mission to empower women to power the world. 

Explore the Women of Worth content series, which celebrates and supports independent women, created by Front & Female in partnership with Citi Private Bank. Join the Front & Female community by subscribing to our newsletter and following #frontandfemale

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