NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Note: This program is a Live Webinar and Q&A that is accessible from any web-enabled computer or mobile device. Premium members of Impact Entrepreneur get complimentary admission to all live and archived webinars.

Total Impact: Investing, Giving and Purposeful Engagement with Liesel Pritzker Simmons

Structuring an investment portfolio for maximum impact has never been more important, but in today’s environment it’s often not enough. In this candid and enlightening conversation, discover how Liesel Pritzker Simmons, co-founder and principal of Blue Haven Initiative, is thinking outside the box to use all the resources available to her — from shareholder and civic engagement to policy advocacy. Learn how her family office’s approach to investing, giving and advocating for policies like a tax on wealth is setting the table for a new kind of impact — and more lasting change. Impact Entrepreneur’s Laurie Lane-Zucker welcomes Liesel to discuss such subjects as:

• The upcoming U.S. election is an opportunity for real impact: What are some of the best ways to engage politically?
• How has Blue Haven Initiative addressed COVID-19?
• How has Liesel refined her rationale for deploying different types of capital—and honed its view of returns?
• What are some of the different geographies where Blue Haven Initiative is active? What theories of change drive the work in these places?
• What are the key lessons learned in recasting a traditional portfolio for impact?
• How have Liesel and her husband, Ian Simmons, aligned their individual interests to inform their family office’s mission?
• How did they help pull together a group of wealthy individuals in support of a wealth tax in 2019?
• How are family offices poised to expand the impact investing ecosystem and address societal challenges?
• How can impact investors jumpstart constructive dialogues about challenging issues in the world today?

Featured Guest

LIESEL PRITZKER SIMMONS is Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative, where she oversees a portfolio structured to generate competitive financial returns and address social and environmental challenges. The portfolio spans asset classes, from traditional equities and direct investments to philanthropic programs.

Liesel co-founded Blue Haven with her husband, Ian Simmons. Their investment portfolios, restructured to be impact-driven, became the foundation of Blue Haven, one of the first family offices created with impact investing as its focus. In addition to working closely with entrepreneurs, nonprofits and co-investors on companies and initiatives that create social, environmental and financial value, Liesel develops strategic partnerships with organizations that support and advance more informed investing.