Home | Pensions For Purpose

About Us

Pensions for Purpose is a collaborative initiative of impact managers, pension funds, social enterprises and others involved or interested in impact investment.

Our aim is to promote understanding of impact investment by effectively sharing news stories, blogs, case studies, academic research and thought leadership papers and acting as a first port of call for journalists seeking comment on impact investment-related issues.

Pensions for Purpose is run by Karen Shackleton and Stephanie Windsor. They are supported by an Oversight Committee of Influencer members who meet quarterly.

Karen has worked in the finance sector for over 30 years. She is Deputy Chair of the Strategic Investment Board for the Ministry of Justice and a non-executive director and Chair of the Board of Resonance Ltd, a social impact investment company. In 2017 she was a member of a working party for a social investment advisory committee to the government. Karen also provides independent investment advice to the London Boroughs of Islington, Camden and Hounslow, and Warwickshire County Council pension funds through MJ Hudson Allenbridge.

She was the Chief Executive/Managing Director of AllenbridgeEpic Investment Advisers from 2010 to 2013. Prior to that, she had ten years’ experience as a fund manager and director for County NatWest and BZW Investment Management (now BlackRock).

Stephanie has worked with institutional investment firms for over 20 years and currently provides executive support to a number of organisations in this space.

She was previously a founder member and Business Manager at SVG Investment Managers, and an Executive Assistant and Team Leader at UBS Global Asset Management.

She has also worked as an Office and Events Manager, and journalist.

Influencers

Our Influencer members are investment managers involved in impact investment (either for part or all of their business), trade bodies, consultants and others involved in impact investment who wish to post content on our website.

Influencer members can share (via links to their own website or PDF) thought leadership, case studies, blogs or event details that discuss issues surrounding impact investment. Influencers choose whether to post content accessible by anyone or limited to Affiliate members only. There is a small, annual fee for Influencer members.

Affiliates

Our Affiliate members include asset owners, government bodies, independent advisers and journalists.

While much of the information on our website is publicly available, an advantage of becoming an Affiliate member is that you can access exclusive, Affiliate-only material.

There are search features that allow you to find content on specific topics, and you can receive alerts of our press releases plus a regular e-mail updating you of new content on the website. Membership is free of charge to Affiliates.

Latest

Press

IFC Operating Principles for Impact Management - AXA IM a first adopter

AXA IM has become a founding signatory of the new Operating Principles for Impact Management, announced at the World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, DC.

Case Studies

The sustainability builders - using guilders - Robeco

This piece by Masja Zandbergen-Albers, Head of ESG Integration at Robeco, looks at why they built their first sustainability fund 20 years ago and the challenges they had with finding the right data.

Thought Leadership

Active Ownership Report 2018 - Robeco

Carola van Lamoen, Head of Active Ownership at Robeco, explains that using their position as an asset manager to effect meaningful change at companies is a vital part of their dedication to sustainability…