Gender lens investing (GLI) has gained traction globally with an increasing number of mainstream investors incorporating gender-based analysis into their investment decisions. While investing along a gender lens may be more pronounced in the west, the GLI landscape in Asia has shown rapid growth over the past few years. By investing in gender equity, Asia Pacific could see $4.5 trillion added to the annual GDP by 2025.
While there have been significant improvements in gender outcomes over the past decade, more needs to be done to reach gender equality. GLI can play a big role in bringing about a more equitable gender balance in the workplace and leadership roles while offering ways to achieve better social outcomes while still meeting financial goals. GLI touches all asset classes and a wide range of investors, most of whom are seeking market-rate risk-adjusted returns. While the initial focus of GLI was on women led businesses or women in senior leadership roles, investors have begun to expand this into the value chain to include businesses that create value for women.
Join AVPN and Sustainable Finance Initiative to learn more about the gender lens investing landscape in Asia and hear from investors who have incorporated gender into their investment thesis.
Key Objectives
- Gain an understanding of the key players in Asia’s gender lens investing landscape
- Learn about the challenges and opportunities in this region from practitioners who have applied a gender lens
- Identify the role private wealth can play in achieving gender equality
- Understand different avenues of impact creation through GLI
| SPEAKERS |
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Shinta Dhanuwardoyo Founder, Bubu.com Shinta is a tech industry veteran and trailblazer. Since the inception of her first company Bubu.com in 1996, the award-winning entrepreneur has impacted Indonesia’s digital landscape in countless ways. Shinta went on to become one of the Managing Partners at Nusantara Ventures, a pioneering technology venture capital fund in Indonesia aimed at helping entrepreneurs create and grow market-leading digital media companies throughout the region from 2011 until 2013. As one of Indonesia’s leading authorities on ICT, Shinta has also been instrumental in fostering valuable ties with Silicon Valley. She also initiated Angel EQ Network, a premier angel investor network that was established in October 2015 – 2017 and founded by fifteen founding members with the goal to boost the Indonesian entrepreneurial ecosystem through education, active engagement and funding. |
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Durrie Hassan Founder, Visible Mission Ventures Durrie founded Visible Mission Ventures , making it the sustainable finance arm of his family office. Developing his skills as an impact investor and building his portfolio has become his full time job.Durrie manages two portfolios; one that makes direct, private equity investments, the other that is more passive, using investment advisors and managers to invest in more liquid instruments such as bonds and listed equities, but maintaining a sustainable finance strategy. Durrie’s two favourite investment areas are climate solutions and education technology, and in particular he searches for ideas and business models that are scalable. He grew up in Malaysia and went on to study business management at the University of Surrey in England. |
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Katy Yung Managing Director, Sustainable Finance Initiative Katy is Managing Partner at HK-based Sustainable Finance Initiative (SFi) platform, advising and supporting family offices and investors on their sustainable and impact journeys. Katy has served as Director of Investment at RS Group, a HK-based impact investor since 2010. She led the family office’s transition from a traditional investment portfolio to one that is 100% sustainably invested. In this role, she was actively involved in designing impact and climate change strategies and implementation across asset classes (utilizing both investment and philanthropic capital). Katy remains as consultant to RS Group. Formerly an investment banker at J.P. Morgan Securities (Asia Pacific) Limited, Katy worked as an Associate of the Hong Kong Corporate Finance division. She is also a member of the Global Shapers Community, an initiative of the World Economic Forum, and graduated from Duke University in North Carolina with a BA in Economics and a minor on Comparative Area Studies. |
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Roshini Prakash Knowledge Director, AVPN Roshini serves as the Knowledge Director at AVPN based in Singapore, where the team looks at highlighting issues and developments in the social investment ecosystem including reports, case studies, webinars and blog posts from AVPN members and partners. Prior to this she worked with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, Singapore Red Cross and the Asian Development Bank. She holds a Masters degree in Development studies from the London School of Economics and a Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University. |
| MODERATOR |
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Komal Sahu Chief of Sustainable Finance, AVPN Komal serves as Chief of Sustainable Finance at AVPN. She leads AVPN’s engagement with family offices, HNWIs, private wealth holders, corporations and financial institutions across Asia. In this capacity, she helps these stakeholders achieve their objectives of investing within a framework of impact and sustainability. Over the last decade, Komal has provided support to a number of social enterprises and charities across Asia. She is an angel investor and an LP in early and late stage funds. Many of her investments have focused on generating societal good. Komal has served as a mentor at a number of incubators and accelerators and has worked with startups including at A Star, a Singapore government led accelerator for science and technology companies that are improving lives through innovation and discoveries. |
