Tensie Whelan: Shaping the Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI)

Suzanne Tavill: Leading the Next Chapter of Responsible Investment

In this episode of Turbo Impact, Suzanne Tavill, Partner and Global Head of Responsible Investment at StepStone Group, joins host Kenny Chen to reflect on where responsible investment in private markets stands today, and what its next chapter may require. Suzanne describes an industry moving past the belief that frameworks and reporting alone can define progress. The more important question now is whether responsible investment can be translated into disciplined judgment, credible execution, and better long-term businesses.   For Suzanne, this shift demands a more practical and leadership-driven approach. GPs need to start with where they can genuinely make a difference, build capabilities that match their strategy, and ensure sustainability is understood by investment teams as part of value creation, not as a separate workstream. The conversation also explores how LP–GP engagement must become more focused on outcomes and evidence, why technology and AI are now central to responsible investment, and why empowered individuals remain essential to driving change, even in a more technology-enabled world.   Key Topics Covered * Why responsible investment is entering a more mature phase focused on value creation * How GPs can identify where they can credibly make a difference across their portfolios * What distinguishes sustainability as investment judgment from sustainability as process * How LP–GP engagement can move toward more focused, outcome-oriented dialogue * Why leadership, talent, and responsible technology will shape the next chapter of the field   Who Should Listen: Private capital managers, institutional allocators, and corporate leaders   Subscribe to our newsletter: www.turbo-impact.com [http://www.turbo-impact.com/] Email us: contact@turbo-impact.com [contact@turbo-impact.com] Follow on X: @turbo_impact Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/turbo-impact [https://www.linkedin.com/company/turbo-impact/] Produced by: Turbo Net Zero

Liza Jansen: Financing the Transition

In this episode of Turbo Impact, Liza Jansen, CFA, Head of Responsible Investment at Prudential, joins host Kenny Chen to discuss how responsible investment needs to evolve in markets where the transition is not only a climate challenge, but also a development, capital allocation, and risk management challenge. Drawing on Prudential’s perspective as an asset owner across Asia and Africa, Liza explains why emerging markets require a more nuanced approach than simply applying developed-market frameworks, exclusion policies, or uniform decarbonization pathways.   For Liza, credible transition finance starts with understanding where capital can create real influence. In many emerging markets, the opportunity set is rarely a clean split between “green” and “brown.” The conversation explores Prudential’s focus on a just and inclusive transition, its “transitioning amidst growth” framework, and the governance required to ensure flexibility does not become a weaker standard. It is a practical leadership conversation on how asset owners can stay disciplined, support real-economy transition, and avoid leaving behind the markets that will determine whether global net zero remains achievable.   Key Topics Covered * Responsible investment through the lens of emerging market development and transition realities * The limits of exclusion-led approaches when capital is most needed for real-economy change * What “transitioning amidst growth” means for companies balancing decarbonization with rising demand * The role of governance, KPIs, monitoring, and stewardship in credible transition strategies * Why emerging market finance is becoming central to long-term climate risk management Who Should Listen: Private capital managers, institutional allocators, and corporate leaders   Subscribe to our newsletter: www.turbo-impact.com [http://www.turbo-impact.com/] Email us: contact@turbo-impact.com [contact@turbo-impact.com] Follow on X: @turbo_impact Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/turbo-impact [https://www.linkedin.com/company/turbo-impact/] Produced by: Turbo Net Zero

Lee Qian: Embedding Purpose into Capitalism

In this episode of Turbo Impact, Lee Qian, CFA, Portfolio Manager of the Positive Change Strategy at Baillie Gifford, joins host Kenny Chen to explore how public market investing can help move capitalism toward more purposeful, long-term value creation. Drawing on his experience helping build the Positive Change Strategy into a global impact investing platform, Lee explains how Baillie Gifford identifies companies that can solve material social and environmental challenges while generating attractive financial returns over time.   At the heart of the conversation is a more pragmatic view of sustainability: not as a separate agenda, but as a source of innovation, competitive advantage, and durable growth. Lee discusses the idea behind his upcoming book, Purposeful Capitalism, including why businesses should focus on “profitable problem solving” and how the Sustainability Flywheel can help leaders connect purpose, strategy, business model strength, and financial performance. The discussion offers a timely perspective on how investors and companies can move beyond polarized debates and focus on where impact and economics genuinely reinforce each other.   Key Topics Covered * How Baillie Gifford’s Positive Change Strategy defines long-term impact investing * Why product-led impact can create both societal value and financial value * What long-term institutional investors look for in companies preparing for public markets * What “profitable problem solving” means for business leaders and investors * How the Sustainability Flywheel links purpose, strategy, and long-term competitive advantage   Who Should Listen: Private capital managers, institutional allocators, and corporate leaders   Subscribe to our newsletter: www.turbo-impact.com [http://www.turbo-impact.com/] Email us: contact@turbo-impact.com [contact@turbo-impact.com] Follow on X: @turbo_impact Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/turbo-impact [https://www.linkedin.com/company/turbo-impact/] Produced by: Turbo Net Zero

Viviana Occhionorelli: Uncovering Sustainability Value Through the Art of Listening at Astorg

In this episode of Turbo Impact, Viviana Occhionorelli, Partner and Head of Sustainability at Astorg, joins host Kenny Chen to discuss how private equity firms can translate sustainability into disciplined value creation across the investment lifecycle. Grounded in Astorg’s philosophy of “the art of listening,” Viviana explains how understanding management ambition, customer expectations, and operational realities helps embed sustainability directly into investment strategy.     The conversation explores how climate became a central pillar of Astorg’s approach, including its early commitment to Science Based Targets at the fund level and the structured playbooks used to drive decarbonization across portfolio companies. Viviana also highlights how practical tools—such as EcoVadis assessments and sustainability-linked loans—help translate sustainability priorities into measurable operational improvements and financial outcomes.   Key Topics Covered * Integrating sustainability through Astorg’s “art of listening” investment philosophy * Building a practical portfolio-wide decarbonization strategy  * Turning sustainability priorities into operational execution across portfolio companies * Aligning sustainability performance with tangible financial outcomes * Why biodiversity and nature-related risks are moving onto private equity investors’ agenda

Tensie Whelan: Shaping the Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI)

In this episode of Turbo Impact, Tensie Whelan, Distinguished Professor of Practice at NYU Stern and founder of the Center for Sustainable Business, joins host Kenny Chen to discuss how sustainability becomes a measurable driver of financial performance. Over the past decade, Tensie has advanced the Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) framework to help companies and investors move beyond ESG reporting and quantify the financial value embedded in sustainability strategies.   The conversation centers on how ROSI is being applied within private equity and companies to link material sustainability KPIs directly to operational efficiency, risk mitigation, growth, and exit value. Drawing on her Responsible Private Equity research, Tensie explains what distinguishes proactive integration from reactive compliance, and why outcome-based performance matters more than process-based disclosure. She also highlights circularity as an emerging financial resilience strategy amid commodity volatility and supply chain risk, reinforcing the case that sustainability, when treated as disciplined management, becomes a source of competitive advantage.   Key Topics Covered •      Why sustainability must be evaluated through financial performance rather than disclosure metrics •      ROSI as a structured framework to connect material sustainability practices to measurable value creation •      Responsible Private Equity research findings on integrating sustainability into operational strategy and exit outcomes •      Human capital and employee ownership as drivers of productivity, retention, and multiple expansion •      Circularity and resource efficiency as financial resilience strategies in a volatile global economy   Further Reading Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) Framework https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/centers-of-research/center-sustainable-business/research/return-sustainability-investment-rosi [https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/centers-of-research/center-sustainable-business/research/return-sustainability-investment-rosi]   Responsible Private Equity Research https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/centers-of-research/center-sustainable-business/research/value-drivers-private-equity-building-accountability-framework-positive-stakeholder [https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/centers-of-research/center-sustainable-business/research/value-drivers-private-equity-building-accountability-framework-positive-stakeholder]    Who Should Listen: Private capital managers, institutional allocators, and corporate leaders   Subscribe to our newsletter: www.turbo-impact.com [http://www.turbo-impact.com/] Email us: contact@turbo-impact.com [contact@turbo-impact.com] Follow on X: @turbo_impact Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/turbo-impact [https://www.linkedin.com/company/turbo-impact/] Produced by: Turbo Net Zero