The inaugural SGG Crossroads event, to be hosted by SGG Group, a leading global investor services firm, will be held in Luxembourg on 26 June 2018. A prestigious set of speakers will attend the event to share their perspectives on ‘how the finance industry can contribute to a better society?’. This exclusive event is expected to attract a high level audience of 150 participants active in the alternative fund industry, such as financial professionals, lawyers, bankers, auditors and entrepreneurs.
Sir Bob Geldof, musician, activist and entrepreneurial businessman, will focus his intervention on his personal fight to build a better society. The mission has taken him on a journey to make a difference to society, justice, aid and people. His work started in Ethiopia thirty years ago where charity saved 32 million people from starvation. Twenty years later he fought for justice, fair trade and aid for the people of the whole African continent. His campaign has culminated in the creation of the 8 Miles Fund, which is a pan-African private equity firm focused exclusively on investing in Africa and brining employment to a new, growing society.
Businesswoman and campaigner Gina Miller will speak on the fiduciary duty of the financial industry to the society, highlighting that businesses must be fully able to shoulder the risks they take on and, above all, they must remember they are dealing with other people’s money. She will call for tough action on firms that mis-sell products and over-charge, and will suggest that it should be easier for wealthy people to be philanthropic in ways that maximize positive outcomes.
Patrick Scheurle, CEO of BlueOrchard, will look at the role of impact investing, which will assume even greater importance as global societal and environmental challenges caused by inequality, poverty, climate change, conflicts, migration, or the rapid technological progress will continue to call for solutions.
Myriam Vander Elst, Vice President and head of Europe at Epic, will speak on the importance of philanthropy, and how it is being disrupted by players such as Epic, which has examined the main reasons why people don’t give, or don’t give more, and how it has come up with a very strict selection and monitoring process to build a portfolio of high impact social organisation worldwide.
Itzik Amiel, International speaker on networking and personal branding, will focus on the importance of relationship capital and the power of developing trust, through building long term partnerships and treating customers, business partners, suppliers, associates and the local community with respect and integrity, which in turn helps to deliver social value which can support economic and social development.
Nev Hyman, Founder of Nevhouse sustainable social enterprise, will highlight issues surrounding the financing of sustainable projects, and the need to ensure that all projects have sustainability as an inherent part of their DNA, such as corporate governance and risk management. He will also highlight how philanthropy and financial investment should be managed in the same way, leading to the concept of ‘philanthrocapitalism’.
Roger Hartman from Supervisory board of Sqope will focus on the growing importance of compliance, in the wake of various corporate scandals, and on the onus for the financial industry to ensure compliance with both local and international laws should be part of their day-to-day activities. He will highlight that investment in strong compliance programme is key for the financial industry to navigate through the different regulatory frameworks and restoring confidence in the sector.
Serge Krancenblum, CEO of SGG Group, will look at the big picture in the macro-economic context, noting that there is a new generation of investors and finance professionals who do not only aim to maximize profits but also wish to have a positive impact on the society, as the lines between philanthropy and business are blurring.
Commenting in advance of the event, Serge Krancenblum said: “SGG Crossroads will be a unique event at which our prestigious speakers will help us to examine the issues of how the finance industry can contribute to a better society from all angles, and I can’t wait to hear their perspectives which will surely provide us with much food for thought.”
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