The Purpose Pod

Investing for Purpose / Richard Mullane
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Welcome to the Purpose Pod! More than ever, we need to learn about and adopt inspiring and constructive solutions to the multiple social and environmental challenges we are all facing. With interviews revealing the professional and personal stories of impact experts and practitioners from Greece and across the world, we hope you'll find ideas, inspiration and perhaps a little respite to help you and your organisations along the way. For any interview or topic requests/enquiries, please email richard@investing-for-purpose.com Investing for Purpose is a community based in Greece connecting impact investors with purposeful companies in need of growth capital across Environment/Climate, Diversity Equity & Inclusion and Education & Culture: www.investing-for-purpose.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Sheila Darmos of Regenerative Farming Greece and Southern Lights on enabling the future of sustainable agriculture

    19/09/2025

    Sheila Darmos of Regenerative Farming Greece and Southern Lights on enabling the future of sustainable agriculture

    "Diversity gives you resilience. Monoculture and the current way of farming is not the only way" What is healthy soil and how can you help nurture it? What is the true definition of regenerative agriculture? And is it possible to grow different fruits from the same tree?! Take a walk around the incredibly biodiverse farm of Sheila Darmos, farmer and agri-food social entrepreneur. The farm acts as an experimental and showcase hub for regenerative practices in Greece, attracting people from across Europe looking to become leaders in the transition to sustainable and regenerative agriculture. In our discussion with Sheila, we covered topics such as: - How to build out a resilient alternative to monoculture in farming at a local and national level - The myriad benefits of an inclusive, holistic approach to pest control, through embracing diversity in farming - How to transition from monoculture to organic farming, and further transitioning to regenerative agriculture and agroforestry - How to build countrywide adaptability and resilience into farming communities - The ingredients of a healthy soil and how to nurture it - The commercial power of working diversely with nature; uncovering hidden forests; food recipes, swimming with frogs and more! "It is intrinsically part of human beings to steward the ecosystems that are essentially nurturing them" Regenerative Farming Greece The Southern Lights Bioregional Weaving Lab Laconia (Lo) European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA) Cob.gr Liveloula Dr Christine Jones Elaine Ingham Reinventing Organisations by Frederic Laloux Theory U and other books by Otto Scharmer The Four Agreements Fava recipe... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min
  2. Peter Schwartzstein on his book 'The Heat and the Fury': On the front lines of climate violence

    23/07/2025

    Peter Schwartzstein on his book 'The Heat and the Fury': On the front lines of climate violence

    “Climate change is applying pressure to a society’s weakest fissures”  Europe is by some distance the world’s fastest warming continent and the Mediterranean is one of the fastest warming seas. In this half an hour chat, author and environmental journalist Peter Schwartzstein describes the lessons learned from his many years of research on the front lines of climate conflict including Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, detailed in his new book, The Heat and the Fury, and explains why Europe is already on the front lines of climate conflict, including: - Why first person, often dangerous, reporting is the only way to prove climate change's contribution to violence - Why "Water is the messenger by which climate change comes to your doorstep" - How changing tuna migration patterns in the mediterranean are creating conditions for flashpoints between Greek and Turkish fishermen and their coastguards - The role of social enterprises in mitigating climate related hostilities between communities - Why the defence industry climate national security considerations narrative may in fact be the best way to apply positive pressure to rowing back on the tearing up of climate related policies and commitments - The connections between increasing heat and violence against women - How climate related drought has led to high olive oil prices which in turn has led to a spike in agricultural crime in Greece and the region - How hard line populist parties are benefitting from the lack of clear messaging surrounding climate change - Reading history as a coping mechanism to dealing with current crises, careers advice for young writers - and more! Peter Schwartzstein The Heat and the Fury UK Bookseller The Heat and the Fury US Bookseller Peter Frankopan - The Earth Transformed Akshat Rathi - Climate Capitalism Hannah Ritchie - Not the End of the world US Department of Defence: 2018 U.S. Department of Defence Report Social Value International Hellenic Impact Investing Network (HIIN) UN Sustainable Development Goals Impact Europe Impact Frontiers Global Impact Investing Network Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min
  3. Bonnie Chiu of The Social Investment Consultancy on assuring positive social change

    15/06/2025

    Bonnie Chiu of The Social Investment Consultancy on assuring positive social change

    "Globally, just 1-2% of financial assets are managed by women or people of colour" In a climate in which the business value of DEI is increasingly undermined, this wide-ranging discussion with Bonnie Chiu, MD of The Social Investment Consultancy, sets the record straight on how the inclusivity debate should be re-connected to innovation and finding the best talent, how she is helping to shape the new SDG Standards assurance framework for private equity funds to combat SDG washing, and: - The power of grandparents - How to support social enterprises and funds to better understand and scale their impact - How to tackle the shocking stat that only 1-2% of financial assets globally are managed by people of colour and/or women - How it feels to experience DEI discrimination - How to use your individual lived experience to catalyse systems change - How to unlock the commercial value in NGOs and Charities to help them transition into self sustaining social enterprises to thrive and scale their impact - Why mindsets are the key to success within founding teams - The beauty of London life, tips for parents with young children, inspiring books and podcasts, and more! "It doesn't matter if you have the best business idea or business plan. It comes down to mindset of people" The Social Investment Consultancy Social Value International SDG Impact Standards Assurance latest UN Sustainable Development Goals Lensational The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler Poetry Unbound Podcast Expats (Amazon prime) Investing for Purpose Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    37 min
  4. Lefteris Arapakis of Enaleia on harnessing the power of fishing communities to scale marine plastics recycling globally

    04/04/2025

    Lefteris Arapakis of Enaleia on harnessing the power of fishing communities to scale marine plastics recycling globally

    "On our current path, there will be more plastics in our oceans than fish by 2050" Lefteris comes from generations of fishermen, though by his own admission he is not a natural... However, when out on fishing boats as part of a Greek fishing school run by his start up during the financial crisis, he witnessed a fisherman hauling plastic out of the sea along with their catch - and simply throwing the bottles, cans, plastic bags, old nets and even fridges back into the ocean. That's when the idea came to him: What if someone could harness the power of fishing fleets to haul out plastics from the ocean and offer them an additional revenue stream by bringing it in bulk back to shore for recycling and reuse? This is the incredible story of how, starting with one fisherman (his father), he and Enaleia have scaled into an operation of over 6500 vessels covering most of the mediterranean coast enabling over 1.5m tons of plastics to be recycled, including: - How to use the tipping point theory to mobilise communities into action (including using charm and tradecraft to persuade the household decision makers!) - Evolving social enterprise models to deliver systems change to prevent plastics entering the ocean in the first place - How Enaleia turn over 57% of the plastics retrieved into commercial products including furniture, kayaks, clothing and trainers - How to build a circular economy network combining the raw power of fishing communities with cutting edge blockchain to verify end-to-end traceability - Details on the CO2 efficiencies of melting down recycled plastics to create new products vs virgin plastic processing - How Enaleia's circularity operations in Egypt include repurposing plastics at scale into urban products including street paving - The future potential of plastic credits - The power of simplicity, the value of being authentic, how to gain people's trust - and so much more..! "Clean-ups are great but we are just treating the symptom of the problem. There are 1000 rivers in the world responsible for 80% of plastics pollution in our oceans" #Circularity #MarinePlastics #Tippingpoints #SystemsChange Lefteris portrait picture credit + Enaleia article from The Washington Post Enaleia Ethereum Foundation Ashoka EcoAlf Gravity Wave Skyplast Antipollution Eldia Polyeco Creta Recycling Investing for Purpose Ellen Macarthur Foundation UN SDGS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    52 min
  5. Lara Viada of Spanish impact fund Creas on aligning KPIs with incentives to maximise impact alongside profit

    13/02/2025

    Lara Viada of Spanish impact fund Creas on aligning KPIs with incentives to maximise impact alongside profit

    “Why are we measuring Impact? To make sure we are maximising impact”   Across the impact investment industry there is an ongoing evolution of impact measurement. But how often do you hear details of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that impact funds are actually using and the reasons that they were chosen? In this impact masterclass, Lara Viada of Creas, Spain’s pioneering impact investment intermediary, now in the process of raising a third fund of €70m, reveals all, including: - The magic ingredients impact investors are looking for in founder teams - Detailed IMM framework and KPI examples across elderly care, nutrition and education - How the European Investment Fund (EiF) has been instrumental in scaling the impact investment sector - The advantages of impact fund sector/vertical specialisation and why Creas transitioned to 'Empowering people, Caring for People and Regenerating the Economy' - Using Theory of Change to identify actionable impact KPIs that inform strategic decision making - How Creas use the EiF impact carry model to tie in the impact performance of their funds with 100% of their potential carried interest to safeguard and maximise their impact - How funds can stand out to entrepreneurs in an increasingly competitive impact fund marketplace - Novel approaches to getting into the impact finance sector, book recommendations, inspiration from India and more! “If the social impact multiple of the fund is below 60%, then we don’t get any carried interest”  Creas - Impact Fund Creas 2024 Impact Report (EN) Creas investees discussed: Qida ZenEducate Smileat The European Investment Fund (EIF) EIF and Creas Impacto II Fund A day in the life of Abed Salama, by Nathan Thrall Investing for Purpose Impact Europe Social Value International Impact Frontiers Global Impact Investing Network SDG Goals #ImpactInvesting #ImpactKPIs #Marketbuilding Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    35 min
  6. Beth Knight of Lloyds Banking Group on Social and Environmental Sustainability

    24/01/2025

    Beth Knight of Lloyds Banking Group on Social and Environmental Sustainability

    “Within the next decade the financial system has to make some progressive moves to protect our way of life, because if we don’t, the economy as we’ve known it for the last 150 years is going to break.”  With the meaning and value of Diversity Equity and Inclusion increasingly undermined, Beth Knight, Head of Social Sustainability at Lloyds Banking Group, shares her lived experience of the necessary and tangible gains made from engaging with underserved stakeholder groups across the globe, in her refreshingly personal, frank and illuminating style, including: - Career lessons through a social/environmental lens spanning Accenture, E&Y, NGOs to co-ordinating Amazon’s global humanitarian response to the Ukraine War - The meaning of sustainability and the joy of training cohorts as a fellow of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership - How to successfully host a room of indigenous leaders representing 80% of the worlds biodiversity and 30 financiers possessing transformative power but limited attention spans - Unpacking the complexities of the critical junctions where equity meets environmental impact  - A cheat code for being a successful CSO - Why family owned businesses and funds tend to embody exemplary legacy thinking  - The role of finance to enable sustainable livelihoods and the impact of insurance - How to stay well in a time of upheaval (Spoiler alert: Includes outdoor walking meetings and picking up the phone) and more!…. “The social aspects of sustainability have been mobilised around poverty to a certain extent, but where where equity meets environmental impact is critical” Links Lloyds Banking Group Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) Task force for Socially Related Financial Disclosures  Shining Hope for Community The Centre for Synchronous Leadership Mindful Exclusion Report E&Y Four Futures E&Y CSR in financial services Accenture Development Partnerships Peter Pan - JM Barrie Tickling Sharks - John Elkington Green Swans - John Elkington Tony Juniper & King Charles: Climate Change Ladybird Book Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min
  7. Maya Rahal of Alfanar Venture Philanthropy on impact investment opportunities in the MENA region

    14/12/2024

    Maya Rahal of Alfanar Venture Philanthropy on impact investment opportunities in the MENA region

    “I would like to invite impact investors to look at the region as an opportunity for revival”    After 20 years of leading effective capacity building across social enterprises in the MENA regional through venture philanthropy, Alfanar are now launching the first regional impact investment fund for the Arab world, aimed for investing in scalable enterprises matching purpose with profit. Richard Mullane caught up with Alfanar Country Director for Lebanon Maya Rahal at the Impact Europe Bilbao conference to find out how Alfanar have managed to support so many brilliant start-ups, delivering critical social and environmental solutions, often under extreme circumstances, including:   - Stories from flourishing regional Social enterprises across edtech, circular fashion and culture - What it takes to stay working towards positive solutions in zones devastated by conflict  - How Alfanar select enterprises and help them transform from being reliant on philanthropy to being self-sustaining - Lessons learned from 20 years on the ground for other global venture philanthropists  - How Maya made the journey from being a journalist and communications expert to an Impact leader - Why the relationships between funds and enterprises can be like a marriage, the social ingredients that make Lebanon such a special place to live, tips for staying grounded and healthy - and more!   “It’s rare for you to be in a job when you can actually see the results in people’s faces”   Alfanar Venture Philanthropy Alfanar: Tabshoura: Digitising education across Lebanon and the region  Alfanar: Fabricaid - Socially and environmentally conscious value chain for the apparel industry: optimizing the collection, sorting, up-cycling, and resale of secondhand clothesd  Alfanar: Inaash - dedicated to improving the lives of women in the Palestinian refugee camps of Lebanon, while preserving the embroidery culture and tradition The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living The Lighthouse Podcast BerrytechBeat Podcast “If you are born every day with one seed in your hand, then you have to plant it” #venturephilanthropy #socialenterprise #menaimpactfund Investing for Purpose Social Value International Impact Europe Impact Frontiers Global Impact Investing Network SDG Goals Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
  8. Dimitri Zenghelis on optimising investment strategies for the climate change transition

    27/11/2024

    Dimitri Zenghelis on optimising investment strategies for the climate change transition

    "The cost of inaction will be substantially larger than the cost of action" The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review has become one of the most influential reports on climate change ever produced since its release by Her Majesty’s Treasury of the UK Government in October 2006. Dimitri Zenghelis, senior economist for the review, worked under Gordon Brown as Head of Economic Forecasting in HM Treasury and has since held multiple roles, fellowships and academic posts including Senior Visiting Fellow at the LSE's The Grantham Institute and Senior Advisor to the Bennett Institute (University of Cambridge). He advises governments, banks, financial institutions, NGOs, and other international organisations on sustainability, climate change, innovation, economic modelling and clean urbanisation. Get comfortable for a macro-economic and financial markets double espresso covering topics including: - Shenanigans that went on at the heart of government between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown - The impact of the Stern Review’s focus on an economic case for climate action on the acceleration of the transition - Optimising your investment strategy across the transition  - Who is Wan Gang? And why did he have a greater influence on the development of electric vehicles than Elon Musk. - The reinforcing feedback between reduction in cost of technologies and favourable politics - The difference between conditional and complacent optimism, the future of aviation, the joy of reading children's books - and a great deal more! #cleantech #sustainabletransition #macroeconomics #innovation #cleanurbanisation "It's about forward looking strategy, not backwards looking disclosures" Links   The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review The Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change and the Environment Independent Economics Investing for Purpose Social Value International Impact Frontiers Global Impact Investing Network SDG Goals Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
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About

Welcome to the Purpose Pod! More than ever, we need to learn about and adopt inspiring and constructive solutions to the multiple social and environmental challenges we are all facing. With interviews revealing the professional and personal stories of impact experts and practitioners from Greece and across the world, we hope you'll find ideas, inspiration and perhaps a little respite to help you and your organisations along the way. For any interview or topic requests/enquiries, please email richard@investing-for-purpose.com Investing for Purpose is a community based in Greece connecting impact investors with purposeful companies in need of growth capital across Environment/Climate, Diversity Equity & Inclusion and Education & Culture: www.investing-for-purpose.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Investing for Purpose / Richard Mullane
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Investing for Purpose 2024
  • Show Website
    The Purpose Pod