14 August 2025 – The impact journey: how pension funds allocate, assess and report on impact

Online roundtable launch of our ‘Impact Integration’ Community Interest Group, with our Partner, Impact Frontiers and Supporter, the Operating Principles for Impact Management.

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Many asset owners are looking for practical ways to integrate impact into their investing. This meeting explored how pension funds are making these decisions in practice and what can be done to further strengthen impact integration across the industry.

We shared findings from our Impact Lens research 'Impact integration – advancing reporting & management practices in pension funds', guided by the Impact Investing Principles for Pensions, and highlighted:

  • How and why pension funds are allocating to impact.
  • How impact practices and performance are being assessed.
  • How impact reports are being used.

Attendees participated in small group discussions to reflect upon their own impact journey, heard from peers and explored what support would help them integrate impact more effectively. We also examined where education, industry alignment and collaboration could have the greatest effect.

Agenda

14:30    Welcome

14:35    Session 1 – The status of impact integration

15:05    Session 2 – Ways to strengthen impact integration

15:40   Next steps and closing remarks

Objective

The session aimed to explore how pension funds are integrating impact into their investment decision-making, share recent research findings and highlight ways to strengthen impact practices across the industry.

Outcome

Participants gained clearer understanding of how other pension funds are approaching impact investing. The discussion identified  where support is needed and informed next steps in advancing practical impact integration.

Who was this event for?

This meeting was open to Pensions for Purpose members, including asset owners, advisers, consultants, professional trustees, legal professionals and government representatives.

If your organisation is yet to join Pensions for Purpose you may attend one meeting before becoming a member.

Ecosystem Partner

Ecosystem Supporter



Speakers

Matt Ripley, Director, Impact Frontiers

Matt is responsible for leading research and field-building projects. Before Impact Frontiers, Matt was Head of Impact at The Good Economy, where he led a team supporting alternative asset managers to strengthen their impact management practices. He established The Good Economy’s impact verification and assurance service, as well as advising on the fast-moving landscape for sustainability regulations and impact management norms.

From 2016-2019, Matt was evaluation lead for the UK government’s flagship initiative to develop the impact investing ecosystem in the global south. As part of this role, he innovated stakeholder-centric approaches to impact measurement for the UK’s development finance institution and supported the establishment of Impact Management Project.

Matt spent over a decade at the United Nations working on labour rights and employment impact assessments. He was technical lead for the development of the Global Impact Investing Network's IRIS+ Quality Jobs theme.

He has published widely on the topics of social impact measurement and evaluation. Matt’s articles have appeared in the Stanford Social Innovation Review and Pioneers Post, as well as in peer-reviewed journals and being presented at meetings of the Academy of Management. He holds degrees from University College London and King’s College London alongside the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing.

Joohee Rand, Head of Secretariat, Operating Principles for Impact Management

Joohee is the Head of Secretariat and Director for the Impact Principles, the global standard for integrating impact throughout the investment lifecycle, hosted by the Global Impact Investing Network.  She leads the strategy and management of the Impact Principles, driving the growth of the Signatory community and collaborating with industry partners to deepen the rigor and credibility of impact practice in the financial industry.   

Joohee brings over two decades of experiences across impact investing, philanthropy and global management consulting.  She has served in senior leadership roles with the impact consulting firm Tideline and in US-based foundations, advising, leading, and promoting impact investing and systems change initiatives.  Prior, she was a strategy consultant at McKinsey based in San Francisco and Seoul offices.  Joohee holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

Host

Charlotte O'Leary, CEO, Pensions for Purpose

As CEO and an executive director of Pensions for Purpose, Charlotte oversees the running of the business, develops the growth and innovation strategy and looks for opportunities to build partnerships to achieve their mission. She also co-leads the training service for asset owners and their advisers.   

Charlotte is a member of the Sounding Board for the Social Value Portal, the Advisory Board for the Sororum, the pensions expert group for the Global Steering Group for Impact Investing and a member of the Pensions Equity Group.   

She has over 15 years of experience in asset management, starting in fund analysis and progressing through to institutional business development, having worked for some well-known institutions, including Jupiter, Pictet and Cambridge Associates. Through these roles, Charlotte has built a knowledge and passion for sustainable investing. She has demonstrated this in co-authoring a paper with the Society for Pension Professionals on social impact investing and speaking on topics such as fee and service transparency at PLSA and Transparency Taskforce events. She worked in partnership with the Impact Investing Institute's to develop the Impact Investing Principles for Pensions. 

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.

Our Community allows members to learn from leaders in the impact investment industry. We provide a trusted environment to interact, collaborate and share knowledge. Members engage in a programme of activity to shape their strategy in ESG, sustainable and impact investments.

For more information, please email the Membership Manager.