A video recording of “Raising the Bar: Aligning on Key Elements of Impact Performance Reporting” (WATCH)

A video recording of “Raising the Bar: Aligning on Key Elements of Impact Performance Reporting” (WATCH)

On April 27, 2022, BlueMark hosted an event to introduce key findings from the firm’s latest report: Raising the Bar: Aligning on Key Elements of Impact Performance Reporting.

Experts across the impact investing industry agree that higher-quality and decision-useful impact performance reporting is critical to ensuring the industry’s integrity. The challenge is that there are no widely-accepted standards or guidelines for reporting on impact performance, making it all the more difficult to meaningfully analyze and compare impact results.

To address this challenge, BlueMark recently embarked on a research project to better understand the current state of impact performance reporting and to identify pathways to improve the quality and usefulness of impact reports.

Download the full ‘Raising the Bar’ report at https://bluemarktideline.com/raising-the-bar/

BlueMark Adds Paige Nicol as Director for Europe to Expand Impact Verification Services

BlueMark Adds Paige Nicol as Director for Europe to Expand Impact Verification Services

Social impact professional previously held senior roles at Luminate and Omidyar Network

BlueMark, a provider of impact verification services for investors and companies, today announced the appointment of Paige Nicol as the firm’s new Director for Europe. Nicol will be based in London and oversee BlueMark’s team in Europe.

Nicol has held several leadership roles in impact investing, philanthropy, and professional services throughout her career. She was most recently a Director of Strategy & Insights at Luminate, a philanthropic organization founded by Pierre and Pam Omidyar that is focused on empowering people to work together to build just and fair societies. Nicol was responsible for designing and overseeing the organization’s strategy to maximize the impact of its global portfolio of grants, investments and initiatives. In this role, she also helped to shape and implement Luminate’s approach to impact assessment, impact management and impact reporting.

Before joining Luminate in January 2018, Nicol was a Manager on the Intellectual Capital team at Omidyar Network, where she co-led the development of the firm’s initial strategy and investment thesis around digital identification. She also led multi-stakeholder engagement and advocacy work across a range of start-ups, banks, civil society organizations, governments, development finance institutions, and standard-setting bodies with a focus on crowding in capital and influencing the development of the field so that digital ID could become a tool of empowerment rather than exclusion or control.

“I’m thrilled to be joining BlueMark at an important time in the firm’s growth,” said Nicol. “My career in social impact has taught me the importance of third-party accountability for impact claims and practices, an area where BlueMark is leading the field through specialization in impact verification.”

“Paige is well-respected across the impact investing industry and especially in Europe, where she will work directly with our European clients,” said Christina Leijonhufvud, CEO of BlueMark. “As an adept problem-solver and skilled collaborator, Paige understands the unique challenges that impact investors face in building credibility for their efforts and the role that verification can play in strengthening trust in impact.”

Nicol started her career as a management consultant at Deloitte Consulting. She is a two-time graduate of Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, earning a Master of Science in International Business and Finance and a Bachelor of Science in International Politics.

A video recording of “Making Sense of Sustainable Investing” (WATCH)

A video recording of “Making Sense of Sustainable Investing” (WATCH)

On December 16, 2021, BlueMark hosted an event to mark the launch of a report co-published with Morgan Lewis: Making Sense of Sustainble Investing.

 

Asset managers today must meet an ever-growing list of rules and expectations from regulators, investors and other stakeholders about their approach to sustainable investing. From the passage of anti-greenwashing rules in Europe to the launch of new standards for sustainability reporting, investment firms face a daunting challenge in trying to keep up with the market’s rapid evolution.

A recent report from BlueMark and Morgan Lewis shows that there are several areas of overlap between regulatory frameworks and market-based frameworks, suggesting a path forward for asset managers regardless of their current commitment to sustainable investing or where they are in their journey. The report discusses these areas of overlap and introduces a four-part roadmap that can be used by any asset manager to align with these frameworks. Download the report here: https://bit.ly/3m69PgD

1. Clarify the specific label or classification used for the sustainable investment strategy (e.g., ESG vs. impact);
2. Identify the practices necessary to substantiate the execution of the strategy;
3. Identify applicable financial regulations and validate that existing practices and disclosures meet the relevant requirements; and
4. Verify that practices and disclosures align with prevailing standards.

An asset manager following these four steps will be well-positioned to both comply with financial regulations and align with industry standards, setting themselves up for long-term success in sustainable investing.

In this panel, BlueMark and Morgan Lewis take an inside look at how the sustainable investment market is evolving and what asset managers can do to prepare for the future.

Speakers included:

  • Sarah Gelfand, Managing Director, BlueMark
  • Lance C. Dial, Partner, Morgan Lewis
  • Andria Weil, Managing Director and Director of Sustainable Investment Policy, Wellington Management Company
  • Keimpe Keuning, Executive Director, LGT Capital Partners

 

A video recording of the BlueMark launch event, “Strengthening Trust in Impact Investing” (WATCH)

A video recording of the BlueMark launch event, “Strengthening Trust in Impact Investing” (WATCH)

 

On October 1, 2020, Tideline announced the launch of its independent impact verification business, BlueMark, with a vision to bring greater accountability, discipline, and comparability to the impact investment market.

Tideline’s Christina Leijonhufvud was joined by a group of industry leaders for an engaging conversation about the importance of impact verification and the future of impact investing. 

Speakers include:

  • Christina Leijonhufvud | CEO, BlueMark & Managing Partner, Tideline
  • Nick O’Donohoe | CEO, CDC Group
  • Dr. Andrew Kuper | Founder & CEO, LeapFrog Investments
  • Maria Kozloski | Senior Vice President of Innovative Finance, The Rockefeller Foundation
  • Roy Swan | Director of Mission Investments, Ford Foundation