Backstop's WIT Event Spotlights the Impact of Impact Investing

“I must admit, after 18 years in Financial Services, my knowledge of Impact Investing was lacking. I walked away from the panel educated and inspired.”

This positive feedback was one of many that were shared after Backstop’s latest WIT event, “The Impact of Impact Investing: How Diversity & Inclusion Have Bolstered Performance.” 

The thought-provoking panel discussion, sponsored by Backstop’s WIT (Women in Technology) Group was held on October 16 at The Loews Chicago. The event kicked off with the key note speaker for the evening, Chad Erwin, SVP Asset Owners at Backstop discussing the importance of Impact Investing to him and his hopes that by the time his daughters join the workforce, that Impact Investing is a standard rather than an option.

Colleen Egan, Director of People, Culture and Endless Possibilities at Clarity Partners led the discussion as the moderator for the evening. The evening’s panel included Debra Schwartz, Managing Director, Impact Investing at MacArthur Foundation, Emily Lawrence, VP Senior Product Specialist at Northern Trust, Gerri Kahnweiler, Founder and Partner at InvestHER, Nicole Chavas, CEO at Greenprint Partners, Purva Patel, Head of Client Portfolio Managers, SVP at Nuveen Asset Management, and Tyra Jeffries, Founder and CEO at CreativeCap Advisors.

The event proved to be an inspirational discussion between thought leaders in Impact Investing, covering topics such as diversity and inclusion’s impact on investment success, social and financial impact, and unlocking more capital for business focused on diversity and inclusion. One of my favorite quotes from the panel comes from Debra Schwartz – “Our money is very patient. Impact investing is about risk tolerance; being able to accept a higher rate of risk in exchange for the impact that you’re (hopefully) having.” Colleen Egan also added that, “It’s not just about investing, but also providing grants if needed.”

As part of the audience, I was thankful to have been able to listen to a great and passionate group of women. Working for a very inclusive and socially responsible company like Backstop, I realize that I get excited whenever we do our charity and community events. However, there is much more work to do, especially in the investment community. Through this event, I’ve gained a new and better understanding of social responsibility in the financial industry.