Transition Investment Workshop
TIL’s mission is to develop high-quality academic research that will support positioning NYUAD and Abu Dhabi as a knowledge center for investments aligned with the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development, which is informing NYUAD’s global perspective.
The first edition of the Transition Investment Workshop was held on May 18, 2023 at NYUAD Campus – Conference Center in Abu Dhabi. It has brought together top-tier financial institutions, specialized asset managers, researchers, and policymakers to exchange knowledge and best practices on unlocking large-scale investments in socially impactful projects in emerging and lower-income countries. The event agenda is suitably aligned with the forthcoming COP28, that will be hosted by the UAE in the fall 2023.
press
The event has been covered by Sustainability Middle East, Arab News and WAM.
Read the event program and speakers bio
browse slides for bernardo bortolotti’s
introduction to transition investment
TIL workshop’s media coverage
Read the event’s report on IFSWF’s official newsletter
Read the op-ed on nyu website, by bernardo bortolotti
Event Program
09:00 – 09:45
Registration and reception
09:45 – 10:00
Welcome address
Jemima Frimprong (NYU)
10:00 – 10:15
Session 1. Introducing Transition Investment
A presentation of the highlights of TIL’s Annual Report 2023, focused on transition investment as a new investment philosophy, and why it can make the difference for the global economy and the UAE
Bernardo Bortolotti (TIL Executive Director, NYUAD)
Discussion: David Crofts (Head of Enterprise Risk Management, Mubadala Investment Company), Peter Lejre (SEO, MEASA Partners)
10:15 – 11:30
Session 2. Roadmaps for allocation: unlocking institutional capital to impact investing
A moderated panel on the challenges that long-term institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, face in deploying capital while delivering on SDGs.
Chair: Richard Levich (NYU Stern)
Participants:
Dolika Banda (British International Investment, non-Executive Director)
James Gifford (Head of Sustainable & Impact Advisory, Credit Suisse)
Abdulla Mohamed Shadid (Executive Director, Industrials & Business Services)
Franziska Zimmermann (Head of Sustainability, Temasek)
11:30 – 11:45
Coffee break
11:45 – 13:00
Session 3. From niche to mainstream: upgrading impact investing in private markets
A moderated panel on the new frontiers in impact investment with special reference to Middle East, Africa, and Southern Asia, from the vantage point of the venture capital, private equity industry, and development finance institutions.
Chair: Robert Van Zwieten (TIL, NYUAD, and Asian School of Business)
Participants:
Shami Nissan (Head of Sustainability, Actis)
Karim Harji (Said Business School, University of Oxford)
Fadel Jaoui (Chief Economist and Head of Development Impact Assessment Unit, African Development Bank)
Noor Sweid (CEO, Global Ventures)
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch