2018 Impact Summit Recap

The 2018 GSG Impact Summit brought together an extraordinary group of global innovators to explore the #PowerOfImpact. Nearly one thousand people representing 500 organizations in 54 countries across six continents convened in New Delhi, India on 8-9 October 2018 for The Power of Impact: Driving to Tipping Point 2020.

Held on the Asian continent for the first time in its four-year history, the Summit covered global challenges from education to climate change alongside emerging tools and strategies for measuring and maximizing impact investments. The discussions were led by leaders from across sectors: asset owners, managers, foundations and family offices, entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, impact market builders and policymakers. Throughout the two-day event, these discussions synthesized the existing landscape for impact investment while pushing its boundaries: Will we see “impact unicorns”? Can pension funds be successfully re-allocated for impact? How can public policies unlock more private capital for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

Impact measurement – particularly the need for a universal standard – emerged as a central theme across panels. As GSG Impact President Sir Ronald Cohen noted in his remarks, “if impact investment is a rocket, then impact measurement is the navigation system.”