Presenting at Introduction to ESG, Sustainable & Impact Investment One–Day Training
The How & Why of Applying ESG to Corporate Valuations
Hosted by Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College/CUNY on June 15th
Introduction:  For professionals in the capital markets, and in the corporate sector, G&A Institute and Global Change Associates are teamed to present a one-day professional training program, hosted by Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College/CUNY, in midtown Manhattan.  This is an excellent introduction to the application of ESG factors to investment making decisions and corporate valuations.  Find out more at https://intro2esg.eventbrite.com
ESG = the corporate environmental, social or societal and corporate governance factors to be evaluated by the financial analyst, asset owner, asset manager, and others in the capital markets in looking beyond the financial in selecting public companies for “buy/sell/hold” portfolio management decisions. (This is also referred to as “sustainable investing,” “impact investing,” and similar titles by practitioners.)
The outstanding faculty presenting during the one-day course will include experts in ESG / sustainable / impact investing, covering topics such as best practices; data sources; analytical tools; research resources; methodologies; why ESG matters; and realized outcomes using these approaches to analysis and investment management.
MEET ONE OF YOUR COURSE LEADERS
Kate Starr, CFA
Chief Investment Officer, Flat World Partners
TOPIC: What Investors Need to Know About the Rising Importance of Impact Investing

A conversation with Kate:
Q:   How is your day-to-day work related to the Intro to ESG, Sustainable & Impact Investment Certificate Program to be presented at Baruch?
[KS] Here at Flat World Partners, we help family offices, foundations, pension funds, and wealth advisors build customized investment portfolios that drive positive environmental and social impact.  We look at everything from direct investments in early-stage companies to public equity and fixed income and think about how ESG works across asset classes.
Q:  What can attendees expect to learn from your session?
[KS] I’ll be focusing on “impact investing” — what it means and where it fits into an overall portfolio from both an investment and a client service perspective.  We’ll talk about the issue of impact measurement and how to think about simple, effective ways to do it. Last, we’ll discuss some of the most interesting themes and strategies that we’re seeing in the market right now.

Q:  What advice do you have or opportunity that you see for attendees who complete the Certificate Program?
[KS] Our entire business is focused on impact, or sustainable investing, because we believe that it represents the future of investing.  Clients have already woken up to the fact that finance and investment plays a big role in shaping the world around them. 
Finance and investment teams who can recognize that demand and lead their clients to a better future will be the ones to be sustainable over the long-term.
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CAREER BACKGROUND: KATE STARR
Kate leads investment strategy and portfolio development at Flat World Partners. In her prior role at the Heron Foundation, Kate formed and led the team that invests Heron’s approximately US$300 million portfolio for impact. Working with the board and staff, Kate developed the investment policy statement and implementation plan to move the foundation to invest 100% of its assets for mission.
Kate started her career as an economics and equities analyst at First Asset Management and moved into research on microfinance in Tanzania.  She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), co-leading the Sustainability Committee at the New York Society of Security Analysts (NYSSA),.  She serves on the investment committee of the Christopher Reynolds Foundation; and, serves as an advisor to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the Mission Investors Exchange.
She was graduated from Indiana University with an Honors degree in English and Italian, and earned a Master’s degree in International Relations from Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies.
For more information about the course and how to register, visit: https://intro2esg.eventbrite.com