The Ariadne Podcast

What positive change might be born out of the difficulties generated by COVID and by the energy and desire for justice expressed by grassroots movements such as Black Lives Matter? For philanthropist and impact investor, Ise Bosch, the troubles of 2020 teach us how interconnected we are. "Being in this crisis together and having other crises looming, we need to build social capital together. And I think the best thing capitalism can do for us is to connect us, even around money." This episode – the last in the series – looks at how COVID has presented Gender Lens Investing and sustainable investing more widely with their first big test, and they have passed well. Joy Anderson of the Criterion Institute, says social movements such as Black Lives Matter – as #MeToo did before it – are shifting society's norms about what is tolerable and changing expectations. Ethan Powell, a specialist in ethical impact investing, believes that within ten years Gender Lens Investing and ESG investing more widely will move from being niche products to concepts fully integrated in our market system. This series from Ariadne looks in five episodes at what Gender Lens Investing is and why it matters. It thinks about why data is vital and how to extend the same principles that underpin GLI to racial justice and LGBTQI communities. We also provide a guide on how to start investing with a gender lens, and look at how upheavals like COVID and Black Lives Matter are changing the possibilities in this growing field. These podcasts were supported by funds from the European Commission. They were written and presented by Jo Andrews, founder and former director of Ariadne, and co-founder of the gender lens data research specialist, Equileap. The podcasts were produced and edited by Bill Taylor of The Lark Rise Partnership. Ariadne's Learning Series on Gender Lens Investing was funded by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020). Project title: INGENDER. Project number: 831633. The content of this podcast series represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

You want your investments to support gender equality and wider social change – whether you are a small saver or responsible for a large endowment or fund: how do you actually make it happen, and where do you start? Diane Isenberg, who heads a family office gives this advice: get on and do it, learn as you go, find allies and be really clear about what you are trying to achieve. In this fourth episode of Ariadne's podcast series on Gender Lens Investing, we look at how to make these ethical investments, whether you are part of a family office, a grant-making foundation, an NGO or just an ordinary individual with your own small funds. It's possible to make a difference in every case if you're prepared to give it a go. But there are hurdles. Diane Isenberg uses family wealth to improve the lives and future economic prospects of very poor rural communities around the world. "I would argue if you want to work in these kind of communities and make a lasting difference, you have to have gender lens as part of your work." For Dorri McWhorter, director of Metropolitan Chicago YWCA, using the markets to overcome the ills of capitalism makes sense. "The fact is that corporations have the opportunity to impact millions if not billions of lives of women by how they employ them and treat them." This series of podcasts from Ariadne – the European Funders Network for Social Change and Human Rights takes you through the field of gender lens investing, explaining what it is, why it matters, at how data is being used to create new products and extend the principles of gender lens investing to new fields like racial justice. In other episodes we also look at how upheavals like COVID and Black Lives Matter are changing the possibilities in this growing field. These podcasts were supported by funds from the European Commission. They were written and presented by Jo Andrews, founder and former director of Ariadne and co-founder of the gender lens data research specialist, Equileap. The podcasts were produced and edited by Bill Taylor of The Lark Rise Partnership. Ariadne's Learning Series on Gender Lens Investing was funded by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020). Project title: INGENDER. Project number: 831633. The content of this podcast series represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

The principles developed in green investing and Gender Lens Investing are now being re-purposed to support racial justice and progressive change for LGBTQI communities. "What's going to be really powerful is we are able to leapfrog the thinking around racial equality work because of the work we've done on Gender Lens Investing," says Suzanne Biegel, one of the pioneers in the field. "We're all building on each other's shoulders." In this episode we look at how this is being done, and equally importantly how these socially conscious investment models are also creating new revenue streams for NGOs and Civil Society, and handing them new tools to advocate with companies. We look at how the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) in the USA has worked with an ethical investment house to create an investment fund thought to be the first of its kind that tracks racial diversity. We also consider new work that is going on around finding effective data to include LGBTQI communities in impact investing. This series of podcasts from Ariadne – the European Funders Network for Social Change and Human Rights takes you through the field of gender lens investing, explaining what it is, why it matters and how data underpins effective investing. In other episodes we also provide a guide on how to start investing with a gender lens, and look at how upheavals like COVID and Black Lives Matter are changing the possibilities in this growing field. These podcasts were supported by funds from the European Commission. They were written and presented by Jo Andrews, founder and former director of Ariadne and co-founder of the gender lens data research specialist, Equileap. The podcasts were produced and edited by Bill Taylor of The Lark Rise Partnership. Ariadne's Learning Series on Gender Lens Investing was funded by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020). Project title: INGENDER. Project number: 831633. The content of this podcast series represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

Data lies at the heart of how we build a more equitable society – and that is especially true in the field of Gender Lens Investing. "Data is essential," says the Swedish financial expert Karin Forseke. "What you measure is what you get." This new series of podcasts from Ariadne – the European Funders Network for Social Change and Human Rights takes you through the field of gender lens investing, explaining what it is, why it matters and how you, or your organisation can get started. In this episode we look at how data makes it possible for socially conscious investors to pick and choose between companies with a good diversity record. Such corporations are likely to carry less risk and also outperform their less diverse competitors. We consider how the growth in Gender Lens Investing has been underpinned by wider and deeper data about gender equality and gender balance in the workplace. We look at what the data tells us about progress towards equality for women employed in companies across Europe and the USA. Marvin Owens devotes his professional life to managing investments that serve a social cause. He knows his work would be impossible without reliable and innovative research. "Data is the engine for change. If we want to see change, we have to come to some agreement around the data and how to get the data and what happens to the data." This series from Ariadne looks at what gender lens investing is and why it's important. It looks at how the principles that underlie GLI are being extended to racial justice and LGBTQI communities. In other episodes we also provide a guide on how to start investing with a gender lens, and look at how upheavals like COVID and Black Lives Matter are changing the possibilities in this growing field. These podcasts were supported by funds from the European Commission. They were written and presented by Jo Andrews, founder and former director of Ariadne and co-founder of the gender lens data research specialist, Equileap. The podcasts were produced and edited by Bill Taylor of The Lark Rise Partnership. Ariadne's Learning Series on Gender Lens Investing was funded by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020). Project title: INGENDER. Project number: 831633. The content of this podcast series represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

Growing numbers of individuals and institutions with capital to invest want to make a difference in society and a return on their money. This new series of podcasts from Ariadne – the European Funders Network for Social Change and Human Rights takes you through the field of gender lens investing, explaining what it is, why it matters and how you, or your organisation can get started. This episode looks at why gender lens investing is important for everyone who would like to see a more equitable world. It explores the research that shows that diverse workplaces perform better on nearly every measure than those that lack a gender balance. Such companies and organisations are happier, healthier and more prosperous places. Ariadne member, Suzanne Biegel, who is one of the leading pioneers of Gender Lens Investing and co-founder of the Gender Smart Investing Summit, puts it this way: "We have so much data now that says – whatever metric you want to look at – there's a high correlation between gender balance and women's leadership and decreased risk and decreased volatility, which is what investors care about as much as they do about upside and improved performance." Marvin Owens of Impact Shares, an ethical investment house, says: "More and more investors are not only looking at how their money can do well for them financially, but how their money can also reflect their social cause. This is why the impact shares model is really beginning to take off." This series from Ariadne goes on to look at why data is vital and how to extend the same principles to racial justice and LGBTQI. In other episodes we also provide a guide on how to start investing with a gender lens, and look at how upheavals like COVID and Black Lives Matter are changing the possibilities in this growing field. These podcasts were supported by funds from the European Commission. It is written and presented by Jo Andrews, founder and former director of Ariadne and co-founder of the gender lens data research specialist, Equileap. The podcasts are produced and edited by Bill Taylor of The Lark Rise Partnership. Ariadne's Learning Series on Gender Lens Investing was funded by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020). Project title: INGENDER. Project number: 831633. The content of this podcast series represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.