Sustainable Banking and Investing for Individuals: Spiritual Foundations and Practical Insights

Marilyn Waite has worked across four continents in venture capital, ESG investment, and low-carbon energy. She serves as Managing Director of the Climate Finance Fund. From 2018 until 2021, Marilyn led the Climate and Clean Energy Finance portfolio for the Hewlett Foundation, creating and implementing a $125M investment strategy across China, Europe and the United States. Marilyn previously led the clean energy practice at Village Capital, modeled and forecasted energy solutions to climate change as Senior Research Fellow at Project Drawdown, and managed several operational and innovation projects at Orano and Framatome (formerly AREVA). A multilingual communicator, Marilyn serves as co-host of the China Cleantech podcast, is author of Sustainability at Work (Routledge 2017), and is editor-at-large for GreenBiz. Marilyn holds a Master’s Degree with distinction in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, magna cum laude, from Princeton University. She complements this with finance and investment certifications and training, including Securities Industry Essentials and Series 65. Marilyn serves on a number of boards and investment committees, including the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group, the Kachuwa Impact Fund (investment cooperative), and Sphere (fossil fuel free mutual fund), She is also a venture partner at Aera VC.

Emily Chew is Executive Vice President and Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Calvert Research and Management. Ms. Chew is responsible for overseeing Calvert’s Research and Engagement departments and works to develop and support Calvert’s strategies in data and technology, client solutions, thought leadership, and product development execution. She co-chairs the Morgan Stanley Investment Management Sustainability Council, and previously served as Global Head of Sustainability for Investment Management. Before joining Morgan Stanley in 2020, Ms. Chew was Global Head of ESG Research and Integration for Manulife Investment Management in Hong Kong and Boston, where she built an ESG investing program for public markets investments encompassing research, investee stewardship, thought leadership and thematic product development. Previously, she was Head of Asia-Pacific ESG Research for MSCI Inc. Ms. Chew is a member of the CFA Institute ESG Technical Committee that launched a new global ESG disclosure standard for investment funds in 2021. She has also served as rotating chair of the Steering Committee of the Climate Action 100+ investor engagement initiative and chair of the Asian Investor Group on Climate Change. Ms. Chew holds an MBA from the University of Oxford, and Bachelors of Laws and Arts (honors) from the University of Melbourne.

Jenna Nicholas is the co-founder and CEO of Impact Experience which is focused on addressing  structural racism and dismantling prejudice by confronting and engaging with the historical and ongoing realities of inequality and racial bias. Impact Experience applies insights from the disciplines of systems transformation and organizational development, design thinking, somatic psychology, and experiential learning to build bridges between organizations and among people that catalyze collaboration and investment. Impact Experience tackles society's most pressing issues including post-hurricane rebuilding efforts in New Orleans, Houston and Puerto Rico, workforce training programs in former coal economy-driven communities in West Virginia, building capital in people of color and women-run businesses, equitable and inclusive investment processes in Opportunity Zones, and supporting sustainable agriculture practices in rural Georgia. Jenna is also the Head of One Planet VC where she invests in early stage businesses in transformative industries, such as education technology, marketplaces, media and the future of mobility. There is a focus on investing into socially conscious companies, at least 60% of which are run by women and people of color. Jenna graduated from Stanford University with an International Relations Honors Degree during which time she also read International Development at Oxford University. Jenna is a Stanford Graduate School of Business MBA graduate, a PD Soros Fellow for New Americans, recipient of the Stanford Social Innovation Fellowship, an Echoing Green Fellow, Forbes 30 under 30 for Social Entrepreneurship and a Summit fellow. Jenna also serves on the Impact Advisory Committee for Apollo Global Management. Jenna has special links with China and co-taught a course at Tsinghua School of Economics and Management on Business Ethics, Sustainability and Impact Investing. Jenna also co-chairs the Emerging Leaders Council of LISC, a community development finance institution that has invested over $1.5 billion into community development projects. Jenna is the Vice President of Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs, a community of over 1500 entrepreneurs and investors. She is an active member of the Bahá’í Faith.