Episode 1: How to rebuild a broken financial system?

From broken to sustainable: rebuilding
our financial system

Mike Barry launches our ‘Citizens for Change’ Series with a candid look at how we can democratise sustainable finance for the future.

How do we transform a broken financial system into a sustainable one, ready to support the net zero transition? In this first episode of the ‘Citizens for Change’ Series, we look at how playing by the old rules where profits seem to matter more than ‘people and planet’ is no longer viable. We need new policies to encourage positive behaviour, more transparent metrics that are easily understood by consumers. As Sarah Gordon expresses it beautifully in this episode, ‘what gets measured gets managed.

Mike Barry looks for solutions with Sarah Gordon (CEO, Impact Investing Institute), Thembeka Stemala Dagbo (Deputy Fund Manager, M&G), and Catherina Howarth (CEO, Share Action). Digging into their extensive knowledge, they highlight the specific ways in which we can build a sustainable finance system fit for the future.

You would be surprised to hear that greenwashing could actually reflect a step into the right direction! And why we should urgently focus on financial literacy and empowering citizens to use their money as a vote.

Listen to learn how you can lead in creating change.

Mike Barry,

ex Head of Sustainability at M&S

Mike Barry is a change agent, committed to helping businesses big and small, new and established to prepare for and succeed in the great sustainability disruption that will wash through the economy in the 2020s. Mike was until 2019 Director of Sustainable Business at Marks & Spencer, spearheading its ground-breaking Plan A sustainability programme.

Thembeka Stemala Dagbo,

Deputy Fund Manager at M&G

Thembeka Stemala Dagbo is the Deputy Fund Manager of the Global Select Positive Impact Fund at M&G Investments. The fund seeks to address some of the world’s major environmental and social concerns by supporting companies that explicitly work towards creating solutions and are Pioneers, Enablers and Leaders in their fields.

Catherine Howarth,

CEO at Share Action

Catherine Howarth is Chief Executive of ShareAction, a charity campaigning for a more responsible investment system across Europe and demanding more transparency for citizens about how their savings are managed. She is also a board member of the Scott Trust, owner of The Guardian, serving on the Scott Trust’s investment committee.

Sarah Gordon,

CEO at the Impact Investing Institute

Sarah Gordon is the Chief Executive of the Impact Investing Institute. Launched in 2019, the NGO’s goal is to improve people’s lives by finding effective ways to combine financial returns with a social purpose. Sarah has previously spent 18 years at the Financial Times, where she was most recently business editor.