Women Changing Finance

Krisztina Tora
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Women Changing Finance is about the people transforming finance to create a better world. Host Krisztina Tora, a global leader and changemaker, brings her extensive expertise to the conversation, inviting remarkable women from across the globe to share their stories of driving social and environmental impact through financial innovation. Through real-world examples and personal journeys, this podcast reveals how finance can be a powerful tool for change—something we can all engage with and leverage for good. Our guests are women proving that change is possible—whether by investing in underserved communities, developing innovative solutions to address climate challenges, or driving systems-level transformation. Their stories showcase the impact we can create when we align financial resources with our highest aspirations for a better world. If you’re a changemaker, a professional seeking purpose, or simply curious about the role of finance in building a better future, join us to: Get inspired by real stories of impact and innovation Learn how to contribute to systemic change Explore the intersection of finance, purpose, and leadershipSubscribe now and join us in reimagining finance! Visit our website womenchangingfinance.org The show is part of the Impact Alpha Podcast Network.

  1. E30 - Seçil Yıldız, Sustainability and Impact Leader, Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye,

    1d ago

    E30 - Seçil Yıldız, Sustainability and Impact Leader, Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye,

    What does it take to finance a country's transition to a more sustainable economy? In this episode, Seçil Yıldız, Sustainability and Impact Leader at the Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye, speaks about the role development finance can play in accelerating environmental and social progress. Seçil shares how her team works at the intersection of finance, policy, and impact and how they help channel capital into renewable energy, circular economy initiatives, water resilience projects, and businesses that are creating better opportunities for women. We also explore why development banks are often the first institutions willing to finance emerging technologies and ideas before they become mainstream. Most importantly, Seçil reminds us that sustainability is not simply about reducing harm. It is about creating long-term prosperity for people, communities, and future generations. Please review the episode, share your feedback, and subscribe to the podcast! You can also Visit our website: womenchangingfinance.org Follow Seçil on LinkedInWomen Changing Finance is part of the Impact Alpha Podcast Network.

    36 min
  2. E29 - Tokunboh Ishmael, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Alitheia Capital

    May 27

    E29 - Tokunboh Ishmael, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Alitheia Capital

    Why do less than 2% of investments go to female founders globally? And what are we missing because of it? In this episode, Tokunboh Ishmael, one of Africa’s leading voices in impact investing and gender lens finance, explores the realities of investing to improve lives across Africa. As co-founder of Alitheia Capital, managing over $250 million in assets, Tokunboh has spent nearly two decades investing in businesses that expand access to finance, clean energy, and economic opportunity. In this conversation, she shares examples of what success looks like: helping grow a small financial services company into a national player serving underserved entrepreneurs, supporting a farmer aggregation business connecting West African farmers to international markets, backing a woman-led manufacturing company that now powers surrounding communities while creating jobs and export opportunities.This discussion touches on why diversity leads to better business decisions and why impact investing done well makes sense from all perspectives: economic, social, and environmental. Please review the episode, share your feedback, and subscribe to the podcast! You can also Visit our website: womenchangingfinance.org Follow Tokunboh on LinkedIn Read Tokunboh's full bioTo go further, here are some of the references mentioned during the episode: Alitheia Capital — https://alitheia.com/ Alitheia IDF - https://www.alitheiaidf.com/ 2X Global (2X Framework) — https://www.2xglobal.org/ The Earthshot Prize — https://earthshotprize.org/ The Atomic Human by Neil Lawrence — https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/455130/the-atomic-human-by-lawrence-neil-d/9781802062106 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin — https://gabriellezevin.com/tomorrowx3/ Ready Player One by Ernest Cline — https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209887/ready-player-one-by-ernest-cline/Women Changing Finance is part of the Impact Alpha Podcast Network.

    41 min
  3. E28 - Megumi Muto, Deputy Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Mizuho Financial Group (Japan)

    May 13

    E28 - Megumi Muto, Deputy Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Mizuho Financial Group (Japan)

    What if financiers started thinking like finance ministers? In this episode of Women Changing Finance, Megumi Muto, Senior Managing Executive Officer and Deputy Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Mizuho Financial Group describes what it means to integrate impact into one of Japan’s largest financial institutions. Megumi brings a rare dual perspective: decades in development finance, including at JICA, and now as a sustainability executive inside a large bank, financing industrial transformation. From hydrogen and carbon credits to adaptation finance and blended finance, Megumi explains how Mizuho is working to transform industries like energy, steel, chemicals, and automotive, and make them more sustainable. She shares how Mizuho is embedding impact across $14 billion in assets, and we explore: What  “transition finance” looks like in practice Why impact-related decisions must take future impacts into account Why public and private actors must collaborate from the very beginning How Japan leads regional efforts on adaptation and transition finance across Asia.This episode is about bridging worlds: public and private, short-term and long-term, profit and purpose. Please review the episode, share your feedback, and subscribe to the podcast! You can also Visit our website: womenchangingfinance.org Read Megumi's full bioTo go further, here are some of the references mentioned during the episode: Mizuho Financial Group — https://www.mizuhogroup.com Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) — https://www.jica.go.jp Impact Driven Finance Initiative (IDFI) — https://idfi.jp Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) — https://www.dbj.jp Asia Capital Markets Forum (ACMF) — https://www.theacmf.org ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance — https://www.theacmf.org/sustainable-finance/publications/asean-taxonomy-for-sustainable-finance-version-4 Asia Transition Finance Study Group — http://atfsg.org/ Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction — https://www.undrr.org/implementing-sendai-framework/what-sendai-framework GSG Impact Japan - https://impactinvestment.jpWomen Changing Finance is part of the Impact Alpha Podcast Network.

    31 min
  4. E27 - Laura Ortiz Montemayor, Founder and Chief Purpose Officer at SVX Mexico

    Apr 29

    E27 - Laura Ortiz Montemayor, Founder and Chief Purpose Officer at SVX Mexico

    What if it was possible to build a regenerative economy? In this episode, Laura Ortiz Montemayor, a pioneer of regenerative finance in Latin America and founder of SVX Mexico, unpacks assumptions behind today’s impact investing models and why they often fall short. Laura shares her perspective on one of the biggest challenges in the Latin American region: the belief that job creation alone equals impact, and protecting nature is treated as “nice to have”. She explores how impact investing has evolved from socially focused initiatives to a more integrated understanding that we cannot separate people from the ecosystems they depend on. Laura also introduces the concept of regeneration as a fundamental quality of life and how this enabled her to create a fund that supports regenerative agriculture and nature-based solutions. Through powerful examples, she explains how finance can support biodiversity, community resilience, and long-term value creation. This is an invitation to think differently and to co-create financial systems rooted in local wisdom, interdependence, and care. Please review the episode, share your feedback, and subscribe to the podcast! You can also: Visit our website: womenchangingfinance.org Follow Laura on LinkedInTo go further, here are some of the references mentioned during the episode: SVX Mexico – https://www.svx.mx/ Regenera ventures Fund – https://regeneraventures.com/ ANDE (Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs) – https://www.andeglobal.org/  Oxford Impact Investing Programme –https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/programmes/executive-education/person-programmes/oxford-impact-investing-programme SVX Canada – https://www.svx.ca/ John Fullerton / Capital Institute (Regenerative Economy) – https://capitalinstitute.org/ Beneficial Returns (Reciprocity Fund) – https://www.beneficialreturns.com/ Vandana Shiva – https://navdanya.org/ Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass – https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/ bell hooks – All About Love – https://dn790000.ca.archive.org/0/items/all-about-love-new-visions-bell/All-About-Love-New-Visions-Bell.pdfWomen Changing Finance is part of the Impact Alpha Podcast Network.

    42 min
  5. E26 - Zuleyma Bebell, COO & Co-Founder of ImpactAlpha

    Apr 15

    E26 - Zuleyma Bebell, COO & Co-Founder of ImpactAlpha

    How do you make sense of a rapidly evolving impact investing landscape? In this episode, Zuleyma Bebell, Co-Founder and COO of ImpactAlpha, explores how stories, data, and community are shaping the future of finance. Over the past 10 years, ImpactAlpha has grown from a start-up into the leading voice in the field, tracking trends, connecting people, and making impact investing more approachable. We discuss what has changed in the industry, what signals matter today, and how investors are navigating uncertainty. We also talk about learning and what it takes to build and grow a business in a space that can often feel intimidating from the outside. But progress doesn’t happen in isolation. Zuleyma shares why building trust, staying curious, and simply talking to people may be the most important things we can do. This episode is an invitation: step out of your bubble, reach out, and be part of the conversation. Please review the episode, share your feedback, and subscribe to the podcast! You can also: Visit our website: womenchangingfinance.org Follow Zuleyma on LinkedInWomen Changing Finance is part of the Impact Alpha Podcast Network.

    38 min
  6. E25 - Angela Achitei, President of ADV Romania Group

    Apr 1

    E25 - Angela Achitei, President of ADV Romania Group

    In this episode, Angela Achitei, a true pioneer of the social economy in Romania, shares how she built one of the most inspiring ecosystems of social enterprises in Eastern Europe. She started simple: hiring 25 people with disabilities when no one else would. Over the past 15 years, she expanded from one business into a group of businesses across sectors, from recruitment to travel services, all designed to create opportunities for people from vulnerable backgrounds. But like many social entrepreneurs, Angela faced a major barrier: access to finance. She shares how this challenge led her to co-create a community-owned financial institution, built with other entrepreneurs, to fund what traditional markets wouldn’t. This is a conversation with someone who doesn’t take no for an answer and who has demonstrated that social impact and business success can reinforce each other.  Please review the episode, share your feedback, and subscribe to the podcast! You can also: Visit our website: womenchangingfinance.org Read Angela's full bio Follow Angela on LinkedInTo go further, here are some of the references mentioned during the episode: ADV Romania (Alături de Voi Romania Foundation) — https://www.advromania.ro UtilDeco — https://www.utildeco.ro WISE Travel — https://wise.travel/en/ Job Direct — https://www.jobdirect.ro AFIN (IFN) — https://afin.org.ro Social Finance Association (Asociatia pentru Finantare Sociala) — https://finantaresociala.ro TISE (Poland) — https://tise.pl Social Economy Europe — https://www.socialeconomy.eu.org ENSIE (European Network of Social Integration Enterprises) — https://www.ensie.org FEBEA (European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks) — https://www.febea.org Microfinance Europe (Microfinance Centre) — https://www.mfc.org.plWomen Changing Finance is part of the Impact Alpha Podcast Network.

    45 min
  7. E24 - Esther Ndeti, Managing Partner at Unconventional Capital

    Mar 18

    E24 - Esther Ndeti, Managing Partner at Unconventional Capital

    What if financing could adapt to the realities of a business, instead of forcing businesses to adapt to rigid financial models?  In this episode, Esther Ndeti, Managing Partner at Unconventional Capital, explains how she is pioneering new ways of financing SMEs, especially in the agricultural values chains across Africa. Esther shares why traditional funding models often fail entrepreneurs. Many businesses are too early for venture capital and lack the collateral required for bank loans. Her answer? Revenue-based financing. Instead of fixed repayments, businesses repay investors through a percentage of their revenues. When the business grows, repayments grow. When revenues fluctuate, payments adjust. We also talk about the broader ecosystem: • why SMEs are critical for Africa’s future workforce, the growing role of local investors and angel networks, and how technology can reduce bias in investment decisions. What emerges from this conversation is a powerful idea: finance should meet entrepreneurs where they are, not the other way around. Please review the episode, share your feedback, and subscribe to the podcast! You can also: Visit our website: womenchangingfinance.org Follow Esther on LinkedInTo go further, here are some of the references mentioned during the episode: Unconventional Capital — https://unconventional.capital/ Impact Investing Kenya — https://impactke.org/ GSG Impact — https://gsgimpact.org East Africa Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (EAVCA) — https://eavca.org Victoria Business Angel Network (VBAN) — https://www.vban.africa/ Nairobi Business Angel Network (NaiBAN) — https://naiban.com FSD Africa — https://fsdafrica.org Level (investment management platform) — https://levelapp.io Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah, https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763656/theft-winner-of-the-nobel-prize-in-literature-by-abdulrazak-gurnah/Women Changing Finance is part of the Impact Alpha Podcast Network.

    48 min
  8. E23 - Susana Garcia Robles, Managing Partner at Capria Ventures

    Mar 4

    E23 - Susana Garcia Robles, Managing Partner at Capria Ventures

    In this episode of Women Changing Finance, Susana Garcia-Robles, Managing Partner at Capria Ventures, speaks about what it really takes to build financial ecosystems in emerging markets. usana began investing in venture capital in Latin America in the late 1990s, long before “impact” was trendy. She shares the hard lessons why early “green funds” failed, and why sustainable impact must include strong financial returns. Susana reflects on backing 90 venture funds, supporting unicorn founders, and creating WeExchange and WeInvest to amplify women entrepreneurs and investors across Latin America. We talk about: how development banks helped shape Latin America’s startup landscape, why local investors must believe in their own ecosystems, and how AI is transforming health, agriculture, and fintech in emerging markets. This episode is about staying through the ups and downs. Because good investors, and good changemakers, don’t trade trends. They build for the long term. Please review the episode, share your feedback, and subscribe to the podcast! You can also: Visit our website: womenchangingfinance.org Read Susana's full bio Follow Susana on LinkedInTo go further, here are some of the references mentioned during the episode: Capria Ventures — https://capria.vc Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) — https://www.iadb.org IDB Lab — https://bidlab.org LAVCA (Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America) — https://lavca.org Apprende Institute — https://aprendeinstitute.com Pomona Impact — https://pomonaimpact.com Salkantay Ventures — https://salkantay.vc NXTP Ventures — https://nxtp.vc WeExchange — https://wexchange.co/en/ Emprendedora LAC — https://emprendedoralac.org WeInvest weinvestlatam.org/ Elevar Equity https://elevarequity.com/ 5 C Network https://www.5cnetwork.com/ Agrofy — https://agrofy.com Cariaco - https://caricaco.com/ Global Ventures - https://www.global.vc/ Coming of Age by Noor Sweid - https://www.comingofage.me/ The Power Law by Sebastian Mallaby — https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/309693/the-power-law-by-mallaby-sebastian/9780141988948 The Four Cardinal Virtues by Josef Pieper https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268089894/the-four-cardinal-virtues/Women Changing Finance is part of the Impact Alpha Podcast Network.

    48 min
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About

Women Changing Finance is about the people transforming finance to create a better world. Host Krisztina Tora, a global leader and changemaker, brings her extensive expertise to the conversation, inviting remarkable women from across the globe to share their stories of driving social and environmental impact through financial innovation. Through real-world examples and personal journeys, this podcast reveals how finance can be a powerful tool for change—something we can all engage with and leverage for good. Our guests are women proving that change is possible—whether by investing in underserved communities, developing innovative solutions to address climate challenges, or driving systems-level transformation. Their stories showcase the impact we can create when we align financial resources with our highest aspirations for a better world. If you’re a changemaker, a professional seeking purpose, or simply curious about the role of finance in building a better future, join us to: Get inspired by real stories of impact and innovation Learn how to contribute to systemic change Explore the intersection of finance, purpose, and leadershipSubscribe now and join us in reimagining finance! Visit our website womenchangingfinance.org The show is part of the Impact Alpha Podcast Network.

Information

  • Creator
    Krisztina Tora
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Krisztina Tora, All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    Women Changing Finance

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