The Deep Transitions Newsletter puts one member of the Global Investors Panel in the spotlight each month. Issue #6 of our newsletter features Dimple Sahni who is Managing Director Impact Funds Portfolios at Anthos Fund and Asset Management, one of the largest single family offices in the world. She is responsible for originating investments, managing relationships, and helping to execute strategies for the fund portfolios at Anthos Asset Management dedicated to impact investing across all asset classes including private, listed and real assets.
Why did you decide to join the Global Investors Panel?
“Anthos Fund & Asset Management (Anthos) wants to be an active impact ecosystem builder. To do this, we want to ideate, implement and collaborate with other actors from the private, public and civic sectors. To build such an ecosystem, you need alignment from this group of stakeholders to achieve and maintain systems level change. Partnering with academic institutions like Utrecht and Sussex Universities allows us the freedom of thought to dream what’s possible and then work alongside the decision-makers with the resources to make that happen.”
What would you say are the biggest challenges in sustainable finance?
“Firstly, trying to optimate for impact within the structural limitations of each asset class and size of firm. For example, can a sovereign bond fund that is SFDR article 9 also be pointed (in terms of impact) to underserved communities? This question arises from the nature of the general proceeds of sovereign bond funds being distributed equally to the societies of those sovereigns. For example, to fund new roads or medical centres. Given the nature of this general use of proceeds associated with the majority of sovereign bond issues, is being sustainable vs impactful enough? A question we at Anthos are currently exploring.
Secondly, consistent and cohesive measurement within different areas of Sustainability (as it’s widely defined) is an ongoing difficulty given the variety of metrics (carbon, water, energy, food, etc) and frameworks and lack of general consensus.
Finally, making bold commitments from all actors is not enough (COP26), we need real actions from actors who do not put self-interest first.”
What does the success of Deep Transitions Futures and the work with the Panel look like for you?
“Success would be to find a world view, based on sound economic and sustainable principles, from which we could start a pilot investment platform to test if the public-private-partnership model can achieve long lasting sustainable impact at scale. Also, to design a blueprint with the associated tools, databases and processes that could be replicated throughout other geographic ecosystems and themes.”
Read more about Dimple Sahni and the Global Investors Panel. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date about Deep Transitions Futures, publications, news, and events. To join the conversation follow @DTransitions2 on Twitter and connect with us on LinkedIn.
