Stage Right (Impact Europe)

Recorded live at Impact Week, The Big Conversation discussed how impact capital providers work against the global forces of division – great power competition, war, economic nationalism, tech decoupling, social unrest and cultural strife – to foster collective impact action. Hosted by Leslie Johnston (CEO, Laudes Foundation; Impact Europe Chair) and featuring Jean-Philippe Courtois (Executive Vice President and President, National Transformation Partnerships, Microsoft), Shiva Dustdar (Director and Head of EIB Institute) and Hans Stegeman (Chief Economist, Triodos Bank).

The Middle East and north Africa’s most impactful organisations and seasoned European players are coming together to drive impact further and wider: that’s Impact Together! We launched the Impact Together! project with this kick-off session at Impact Week, where we unveiled plans, challenges and big questions around how to build a thriving impact ecosystem in MENA. 

Andrew Carlin of EIT Food, Marjolein Brasz of FoodValley NL, Dominic Hofstetter of TransCap Initiative, Aneta Ozieranska of Oligofeed and Benedetta Gori of FoodUnfolded discussed the power of investing collaboratively  through the lens of the food system on the panel "The Triple Crisis" at Impact Week. Recorded live at Impact Week, you can now listen to the entire conversation from home or on the go. 

It takes the power of many to build a city; it takes the power of together to grow a urban ecosystem that fosters innovation and serves social and environmental impact. This panel featuring Michele Osella (Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo), Matteo Pessione (OGR Tech, Fondazione CRT) and Karen Wilson (GV Partners) introduced how a diverse set of competencies and collaboration among a plurality of city stakeholders on joint projects can align in making a city a frontrunner in social innovation.

Ending disparities in health and wellbeing will require innovation and collaboration in equal measure. This Impact Week panel brought together impact luminaries on the theme of health to raise their most pressing action points and share insights on mental health and impact entrepreneurs.

Numbers matter – especially when problems outnumber solutions. Data can help impact actors measure, manage and meaningfully improve, but only if we work together and share know-how. Explore the new frontiers of impact with this episode of Stage Right!

Young and future generations are among the most relevant stakeholders for any actor working for getting a positive impact on society. Patrizia Saroglia (Brodolini Foundation), Fabrizio Granà (ESCP Business School), Claudia Fiori (Beigua Park Authority) and Antonio Miguel (Maze) present different projects working for and with young people.

People who work in the design, culture and creative industries are no strangers to the power of together. But how can we apply these learnings when it comes to shaping the sustainable and inclusive economy? This panel featuring Marc Rasmussen of DOEN Participaties and Bas van Abel of Fairphone raised big questions about how partnerships fuel impact in design, setting the stage for further workshops on the topic. 

Coming back to the concept of Impact Together, we’re looking back at day 2 of Impact Week and search further for unexpected perspectives and innovative breakthroughs in impact finance, necessary to accelerate the journey, scale up what works and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals together. Together across the continuum of capital, together across the sectors and across the geographies.

Recorded live at Impact Transformers in The Hague, the opening panel covered transformative change from the perspectives of Gary White (Water.org) and Patty O’Hayer (Reckitt), moderated by Impact Europe’s own Sophie Faujour! 

Learn more:
https://water.org/
https://reckitt.com/ 
https://www.businessofimpact.org/thehague/home 
https://www.impacteurope.net/ 

In this session, Clodagh Connolly (B4SI) and Isabelle Messager (Sanofi) explored innovative strategies employed by companies to address inequality within their value chains and broader societal contexts. Moderated by Impact Europe’s own Sophie Faujour! 

Marking the release of our collaborative report on Social Procurement, Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy (Sattva) and Alexandra van der Ploeg (SAP) took the stage with Impact Europe CEO Roberta Bosurgi. 

Download the report here:
https://www.impacteurope.net/insights/paving-way-business-resilience-and-sustainability 

This session shed light on the catalytic role of public or philanthropic capital to scale impact funds. Featuring Cyril Gouiffès (EIF), Nadia Nikolova (Allianz) and Josien Sluijs (SDG Impact Finance Initiative); moderated by Impact Europe’s own Alessia Gianoncelli.

The session explored how governance models and engagement can serve to maximising a company's positive impact. Featuring Frank Wagemans (Achmea Investment management), Casper Jones (Krisos) and Willemijn Verloop (Rubio impact); moderated by Impact Europe’s own Inès Mertens.

How can impact investing help us create a better world where everyone is included? Impact investing is proving to be a powerful tool for addressing global challenges, from social inclusion to environmental sustainability. But how do we ensure that these investments reach their maximum impact potential? What learnings and challenges can we extract from the experiences of different relevant actors in the impact ecosystem who work on this common purpose but from different roles?

This conversation recorded live at Impact Week highlights the importance of supporting early-stage impact entrepreneurs and demonstrate how this support is essential for developing long-term investable projects. Pablo Santaeufemia of Bridge for Billions, Oihane Aldaiturriaga of BBK Foundation, Ainhoa Isla of AUZIKER, Omar Santiago Mayorga of Cobbler Materials and Estanislao Rey-Baltar of Compostree share recent data and success stories, including the collaboration between Bridge for Billions and BBK through BBK Ekin.

Join us for a bold, interactive introduction that celebrates the past, present and future of our community -- recorded live at Impact Week in Bilbao!

Recorded live at Impact Week, this session seeks to encourage the mobilization of capital and knowledge between Spain and Latin America by inspiring and educating capital holders and managers including NGOs, investment firms and development finance. 

Microeurope is a social investment company that promotes financial inclusion in Europe through microfinance. Seed Capital Bizkaia, alongside other anchor investors in Microeurope, brought together local actors and public funding quickly, enabling Microeurope to scale and provide affordable financial products for the underserved and climate change mitigation. The Impact Week session showcased the approach of investors Seed Capital Bizkaia, Phitrust and others, with an eye towards replicating the effect in sectors beyond microfinance. Tune in to this live recording from Impact Week in Bilbao to hear how starting local can take impact from ‘micro’ to ‘macro!’  

Digital transformation is reshaping our world, with AI at the forefront. But as data-powered technologies bring benefits, they also pose big risks. Tune in to this episode of Stage Right, recorded live at Impact Week in Bilbao, to explore how we can ensure that this revolution is ethical, equitable and impactful and how the impact world can go from users of tech to shapers of the digital revolution.

The Empowering Equity Academy (EEA), launched by the European Investment Fund and the EIB Institute, is taking on the gender gap in European venture capital by encouraging women and sustainability talent into finance. Tune in to this Stage Right episode featuring Minerva Elias Franquesa (EIB Institute), Elodie Donjon (EIF), Katrina Walker (CodeOp), Joško Bobanović (Sofinnova Partners), Laura Linuesa-Domenech (EEA) & Mara Balasa (EEA) to hear how they’re shaping a more inclusive, innovative financial market.

From grants to investments, international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) are reshaping their role in global development. In this Stage Right episode, recorded live at Impact Week, Alliance2015 members share how INGOs are using their local expertise to de-risk investments and foster collaboration. Tune in for insights into INGOs’ evolving strategies to scale impact where it’s needed most.

You can download How INGOs Do Impact Investing here.

Join this episode of our Stage Right podcast, recorded live at Impact Week, for an inside look at how Lever for Change has mobilised over $1 billion in philanthropic capital through open-call challenges. Lever for Change's CEO Cecilia Conrad sits down with Rachel Engel (Macquarie Group Foundation) and Ida Thyregod (LEGO Foundation) to explore lessons for the impact ecosystem — and how more funders can get involved. 
Plus, meet Borja Bernal of Nükrum Technologies, winner of the Entrepreneurship and Disability Congress, using virtual reality to revolutionise treatments for ADHD, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and autism. 
And don’t miss a special sneak peek at Impact Week 2025!

Bank finance is a focal point within the supply of impact capital. In terms of volume, tradition, and capillarity, the role of ethical and social banking institutions has been fundamental, with mainstream banks joining the game. While banking finance differs substantially from impact investing as it supports the ordinary activity of more established impact organizations, higher synergies between investment and debt finance still have a long way to go. Tune in to this conversation, recorded live at Impact Week, to explore it.

Sustainability is a source of growth and business resilience. Among other benefits, companies can increase loyalty, engagement from their stakeholders (e.g. employees) and unleash innovation by fostering a culture of impact. 

Replay this Impact Week conversation to discover how a cultural shift can help companies perform better while becoming a force for good. 

The panelists discuss the opportunities, challenges and the role of corporate impact teams in that cultural transformation journey.

Tune into this Stage Right episode, recorded live at Impact Week, to discover the most innovative social entrepreneurs from the Bizkaia region, incubated by BBK Foundation’s entrepreneurship program.

Hear pitches from Pedro Silva with BeGas Motor, offering sustainable solutions for combustion engines; Josu Oleaga with INSEKT LABEL BIOTECH SL, specializing in insect-based biotechnology; and Ainhoa Isla with AUZIKER, focused on technological innovation for social impact. The session also featured a panel discussion with experts including Oihane Alday (BBK), Maria Ocariz (Impact Hub), and Alain Gutierrez (BAT Tower), who shared insights on opportunities within the impact ecosystem.