AEW, The Good Economy and Pensions for Purpose came together to provide a multi-stakeholder perspective on meeting the Levelling Up agenda and investors’ need for return with impactful real estate investment solutions and frameworks which go beyond social housing and explores different real estate sectors which provide both impact and return.

There was an interactive training session followed by 15 minutes of dedicated Q&A, moderated by Charlotte O’Leary of Pensions for Purpose. 

Learning outcomes

• How The Good Economy’s PBII measurement framework has evolved.
• The opportunities it creates in multiple real estate sectors and not just social housing.
• How it is used by AEW to invest, measure, and monitor the impact of their real estate investments, including what type of features and structures are best suited for social impact real estate strategies and funds.

Sponsor

Speaker biographies

Ian Mason, Portfolio Manager, AEW UK

Ian joined AEW in 2015 and is Portfolio Manager of the AEW UK Real Return Fund, which aims to deliver better risk adjusted, liability focused returns, with inflation linked cash flows and income growth central to strategy. Previously Ian was Fund Manager of Schroder's UK Property Fund between 2008-2013 where he focused on delivering a sustainable income stream from a blend of traditional and alternative sectors (healthcare, car showrooms, student accommodation). Prior to Schroder's, Ian was at Blackrock where he devised strategies that focused on the needs of occupiers. Ian pioneered the use of indirects in a direct property strategy, together with investment in Alternatives (marinas, doctors' surgeries). He is a past Chairman of AREF (Association of Real Estate Funds) and Chair of the Regulation Committee.

Charles Royle, Portfolio Manager, AEW UK

Charles joined AEW in 2015, and has 16 years’ industry experience. He is currently Portfolio Manager of the Urban Real Estate Fund that has recently undertaken the final close. Prior to this Charles was Assistant Portfolio Manager on the AEW UK South East Office Fund having purchased, refurbished, leased and successfully sold 15 office assets in the South East of England, securing a 12% net IRR during the life of the Fund.  Charles is a qualified Chartered Surveyor (MRICS), holds the IMC and sits on AEW’s European Socially Responsible Investment Committee.  Prior to joining AEW, Charles was Senior Asset Manager for the Apia Regional Office Fund for Hansteen Holdings plc responsible for assets over a wide UK geographical spread and started his career at DTZ.

Sarah Forster, CEO & Co-Founder, The Good Economy

Sarah Forster is CEO and Co-Founder of The Good Economy, an impact advisory firm dedicated to enhancing the role of business and finance as drivers of inclusive and sustainable development. Sarah has worked at the forefront of finance for sustainable development throughout her career in both the UK and internationally. She combines a strong knowledge of public and private sector development policy issues with hands-on experience in the design of investment vehicles mobilising capital to achieve positive social impact as well as financial returns. She works with public and private investors operating across asset classes, including real estate. She has extensive experience in the design of impact management and measurement systems. Prior to establishing TGE, Sarah held senior positions at The World Bank, the New Economics Foundation and Big Issue Invest. She is a collaborative leader who works across the private, public and social sectors. In 2017, she was recognised as one of the UK’s leading Women in Social Enterprise.

Andy Smith, Head of Housing Impact Services, The Good Economy

Andy leads on housing and real estate at The Good Economy, working with clients to design impact measurement and management systems and deliver independent impact reports. Andy has developed the TGE Affordable Housing methodology and has created our standardised metrics that are now used across all our clients. He also led the development of the Sustainability Reporting Standard criteria – now being used by over 100 housing providers and lenders. Since joining The Good Economy in 2018 Andy has overseen TGE’s growth in impact services for housing clients – now working with clients managing over £2.7billion AUM. Andy joined The Good Economy from Social Finance, where he was the project manager of an innovative tech product that helped local authorities provide better support to young people leaving the care system. Also, while at Social Finance, Andy worked on a range of additional strategy and business development projects.

The Place-Based Impact Investing Forum

The Place-Based Impact Investing Forum was established by Pensions for Purpose and The Good Economy to help pension funds and other asset owners make informed decisions about place-based investments. We do this by sharing place-based-related thought leadership written by our Influencer members (asset managers, consultants and lawyers), by running training workshops for trustees and by engaging in industry-wide conversation through our quarterly all-stakeholder and asset-owner events. To find out more here.

To join the Place-Based Impact Investing Forum please email Charlotte O’Leary.  

Pensions for Purpose

Pensions for Purpose exists as a bridge between asset managers, pension funds and their professional advisers, to encourage the flow of capital towards impact investment. Our aim is to empower pension funds to seek positive impact opportunities and mitigate negative impact risks. For membership information, please email Charlotte O’Leary.