Demand to invest for impact is growing. Yet the lack of necessary tools, resources, and information, leaves investors under-equipped to address impact in decision-making. Today, there is powerful potential to enable investors to deploy and manage their capital more efficiently, effectively, and purposefully.

Fully realizing this vision requires a broad suite of analytic tools, such as impact benchmarks, ratings, and indices. To accelerate the development of such resources, the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) in May 2021 announced a new methodology, COMPASS, as a public good to lay the analytic foundation to enable comparability of impact. In addition to a guide written for investors, an accompanying guidance document addresses data analytics service providers.

In this informational session, Rachel Bass (GIIN), the lead author of COMPASS, will walk through the guide to explain the methodology, with a focus on investor contribution and standardization. After her presentation, Katsuji Imata (SIMI) will highlight and emphasize the key points (with some Japanese included), followed by a discussion between Rachel and Fumi Sugeno (SIIF) which will attempt to answer questions Japanese investors and other stakeholders might have.

In April, Rachel/GIIN conducted a session for Japanese investors to discuss the topic of comparing impact performance, and this session will serve as a follow-up by reporting how GIIN engaged with various stakeholders globally and reached this milestone of finalizing the COMPASS methodology.

Overview:

Date/Time: September 8, 9:00-10:30am Japan time. (Sep 7 8:00-9:30pm, EDT)
Place: Online (Zoom)
Language: English (no Japanese translation provided)
Co-Sponsors: the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), GSG NAB Japan, Japan Social Innovation and Investment Foundation (SIIF) and The Social Impact Management Initiative (SIMI)

Guest:

Speaker：Rachel Bass 　 Senior Manager of Research at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)
Rachel Bass is a Senior Manager of Research at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). In this role, she drives research strategy, execution, and dissemination on a wide range of impact investing topics, including impact measurement and management, financial and impact performance, and market trends, among others. Prior to the GIIN, Rachel was a Research Officer at AMK, a Cambodian microfinance institution, focused on social performance and market research. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in International Studies and from the Fletcher School of Tufts University with a Master’s in International Business.

Discussant:Fumi Sugeno 　Business Development Director of Business Development, Japan Social Innovation and Investment Foundation (SIIF)
After graduating from university, I studied in Taiwan and then majored in international development at a graduate school in the United States. As an employee of an international NGO, I was engaged in education and impact evaluation projects in rural areas of China. After returning to Japan, I worked in risk management at a foreign financial institute and then at a think tank, where I was in charge of supporting the launch of impact businesses in emerging countries by Japanese companies, research on impact investment, and ESG research. Since joining the foundation in July 2017, I have been leading the development and implementation of business and impact investment strategies, creating precedents as a partner of impact investment funds, conducting research to build an impact investment ecosystem in Japan, collaborating with ministries and agencies, and working with global promotion organizations.

Moderator:Katsuji Imata　 President , The Social Impact Management Initiative (SIMI)
Katsuji has 25 years of nonprofit/NGO senior management experience in the U.S., Japan and South Africa with a focus on civil society strengthening. Back in Tokyo since 2013, his central work has been promoting the role of evaluation and impact management in social and corporate sectors. Currently, he serves as Co-CEO of Blue Marble Japan, President of SIMI (Social Impact Management Initiative, Japan) and Managing Director of CSO Network Japan. He also serves as the Training Committee Chair and a board member of the Japan Evaluation Society (JES), a member of the IMM (Impact Measurement and Management) Working Group of the GSG for Impact Investment Japan National Advisory Board, and an evaluation advisor to JANPIA (Japan Network for Public Interest Activities), a government-assigned body to manage and fund the dormant account assets for social purposes.

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・Registration will be closed at 9:00 am on September 7, 2021.
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Contact
The Social Impact Management Initiative (SIMI)
E-mail: info@simi.or.jp
If you have any questions, please contact us by e-mail.