Infrastructure Investor: Social impact is on the ascendancy

Shami Nissan, Partner and Head of Sustainability at Actis, was interviewed by Charles Waine at Infrastructure Investor for the publication’s piece on social impact investing. Click here to read the full article and read on below for some of Shami’s comments from the piece.

Shami Nissan, Partner and Head of Sustainability at Actis, commented:

“There is a growing understanding that ESG, sustainability and impact woven into the ethos and long-term strategy of a company can help attract the best talent. Post-covid, there is also an increasing appreciation of the importance of healthcare and the life sciences.

“The recent Global Impact Investing Network survey shows around 70 percent of respondents targeting competitive returns, while 88 percent say that they outperformed or were in line with financial expectations. It is absolutely possible to deliver positive impact with competitive returns.

“Lack of standardisation is a big problem and definitely holds LPs back. An LP might be approaching five different GPs. How can they make a decision when all five are doing things in different ways? It’s very difficult to compare apples with apples.

“You always have to interpret the data alongside the qualitative narrative. Those that have dedicated impact allocations and impact teams get it. Not everything can be summarised with just a numerical figure. You don’t get the full story unless you look at it holistically, in aggregate.”