4th Annual Symposium on System-level Investing Tuesday, April 8, 2025
TIIP’s 10-year anniversary celebration and 4th Annual Symposium on System-level Investing will be held on April 8, 2025.
As systemic risks grow increasingly complex and interconnected, the need for a cohesive, forward-thinking investment response has never been more urgent. The 4th Annual Symposium on System-Level Investing, co-hosted by The Investment Integration Project (TIIP), the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance, with sponsorship from the High Meadows Institute and Omidyar Network, is the premier forum for institutional investors seeking to integrate system-level principles into their policies, programs, and practices.
Register here.
This year’s symposium builds on previous conversations by focusing on practical implementation—offering investors the tools, frameworks, and insights necessary to navigate evolving risks and capitalize on new opportunities. Through compelling case studies, expert panels, and interactive discussions, participants will explore aligning investment strategies with fiduciary responsibilities while actively addressing systemic challenges.
In this week’s TIIP newsletter, we share the summary agenda, related session descriptions and speakers below:
Opening Keynote: David Erickson, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
During this opening keynote, David Erickson, Senior Vice President and Head of Outreach and Education, Federal Reserve Bank of New York will provide an overview of the Making Missing Markets Initiative, and how system-level investing is pivotal to making a missing market that involves working within existing ecosystems and/or creating new ones to accomplish the following:
- connect new sources of capital to community needs;
- scale existing sources of capital to meet a community need; and/or
- connect previously unlinked buyers and sellers so that they can work together to finance solutions that create value and wealth, all in the service of creating an economy that works for all.
TIIP at 10 From Vision to Implementation
In this session, William Burckart, CEO, TIIP, will explore the evolution of system-level investing over the past decade and its increasing relevance in tackling systemic risks such as climate change, social inequality, and economic instability and driving real world outcomes.
California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) Leveraging Scale for System-level Progress
- Moderator: Cambria Allen-Ratzlaff – Chief Responsible Investment Ecosystems Officer UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
- Panelists: Sharon Hendricks – Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees CalSTRS, Aeisha Mastagni – Senior Portfolio Manager, Sustainable Investment & Stewardship Strategies, CalSTRS, Lynn Paquin – Portfolio Manager, Sustainable Investment & Stewardship Strategies, CalSTRS
At our upcoming Symposium on April 8th in a session entitled, “Leveraging Scale for System-level Progress”, we will explore the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) field leading journey in system-level investing. Speakers will discuss key initiatives, including the Sustainable Investment & Stewardship Strategies Program, the Low-Carbon Transition Workplan, and active corporate engagement efforts.
The session will highlight how CalSTRS leverages its scale and influence to drive system-level change, align investments with long-term sustainability, and advocate for stronger market transparency and governance.
Surdna Foundation Leading the Shift to Sustainable and Equitable Progress
- Moderator: Fran Seegull – President, U.S. Impact Investing Alliance; and Executive Director, Tipping Point Fund on Impact Investing
- Panelists: Don Chen – President, Surdna Foundation, Adam Connaker – Director of Impact Investing, Surdna Foundation, and Chavon Sutton – Managing Director, Sustainable and Impact Investing, Cambridge Associates
Adapting to a changing world, the Surdna Foundation is at the forefront of a critical shift in investment strategies, aligning its century-long mission with policies that address systemic environmental and social challenges.
This conversation will explore how Surdna’s transformative approach integrates impact-driven policies with financial prudence to confront systemic barriers while fostering thriving communities. Attendees will gain insights into Surdna’s leadership in driving systemic change and building partnerships to create a more equitable and sustainable future.
Expert View: Fiduciary Duty with Tiffany Reeves, Faegre Drinker
Much of the world’s investment capital is managed by fiduciaries—individuals responsible for making investment decisions on behalf of others while focusing on the best interests of the beneficiaries. These fiduciaries must adhere to strict ethical and legal standards, limiting their ability to invest based solely on personal preferences. The same principles apply to system-level investing.
In this session, Tiffany Reeves, Partner at Faegre Drinker, will explore the fiduciary duties that govern system-level investors and their decision-making responsibilities.
Rockefeller Brothers Fund Mission-Aligned Investing for Systems Change
- Moderator: Melissa Eng – IMM Specialist, TIIP
- Panelists: Stephen Heintz – President and CEO, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Justin Rockefeller – Trustee, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Geraldine Watson – Executive Vice President, Finance, Operations, and Pocantico, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Amita Schultes, Ph.D. – Partner, Cerity Partners
At our upcoming Symposium on April 8th in a session entitled, Mission-Aligned Investing for Systems Change, we will hear from leaders of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s 10-year journey to align its $1.4 billion endowment with its mission of contributing to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world.
Symposium attendees will hear about how the RBF leverages investment policies and active ownership, together with grantmaking, to influence systems and its role in fostering collaboration within the philanthropic and financial sectors.
Global Perspective: Japan
We are honored to welcome Takeshi Kimura, Special Adviser to the Board at Nippon Life Insurance and Board Director at the PRI, for a fireside chat on system-level risk and long-term value creation.
As a longstanding advocate of system-level investing, Kimura-san will share:
- How Nippon Life views system-level risk and integrates it into investment decision-making,
- The company’s identity as a “future maker”, shaping its policies, programs, and investment approach, and
- Perspectives on how responsible investors should navigate today’s inflationary environment through a systems-thinking lens.
In addition, we previously featured Kimura-san’s co-authored blog post with Nathan Fabian, PRI’s Chief Sustainable Systems Officer, titled “Why System-Level Thinking is Required of Responsible Investors in an Inflationary Environment” in our October 2024 newsletter.
Spotlight: CIO Outlook
- Moderator: Moderator: Amy Resnick – Executive Editor, CIO and Plan Sponsor
- Panelists: Jim Casselberry – Co-founder & CEO, Known; Senior Advisor and former Chief Investment Officer, 4S Bay Partners, LLC,: Investment Committee Member, Julian Grace Foundation, Jon Lukomnik – Managing Partner, Sinclair Capital; Co-author, Moving Beyond Modern Portfolio Theory: Investing That Matters
The influence of Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) is hard to overstate. MPT set the stage for everything from mutual funds and ETFs to index funds; in effect any type of pre-packaged, diversified product. It has become codified into regulation and law. It is taught in academia as the default dominant theory of how to invest. Simply put, it is how money is managed today. However, MPT has significant blind spots that scream out to be fixed. Where MPT assumes that the price level of the markets is exogenous and therefore creates a self-referential investing discipline focused on relative returns (did you “beat the benchmark?”), system-level investing focuses on absolute (total) return. This panel will tease how investors are building on MPT to adopt system-level investing: the opportunities, challenges, and breakthroughs needed.
Closing Keynote: Steve Lydenberg, Partner, Strategic Vision for Domini Impact Investments LLC, Founder and Chairman of The Investment Integration Project (TIIP)
For nearly 50 years, Steven Lydenberg has been a leader in sustainable investing. As Partner, Strategic Vision for Domini Impact Investments LLC, Founder and Chairman of The Investment Integration Project (TIIP), and Founding Director of the Initiative for Responsible Investment, he has helped shape the field’s evolution.
In this thought-provoking keynote, Lydenberg will explore the pivotal moment facing the sustainable investment movement today and suggest directions it can best take to position itself for the future.
Register here.
Celebrating TIIP’s 10th Anniversary!
Over the course of the day, the TIIP team, Steve, Bill, Monique, Jessica and Melissa will unveil new resources, launch version 2.0 of the SAIL enterprise management platform (an advanced tool offering step-by-step guidance for investors at all stages, from building system-level beliefs to implementing robust investment practices), our revamped consulting service offerings and retooled system-level investing cohort training program.
In-person attendees will also receive an exclusive sneak preview of a series of total portfolio reviews of system-level investing that TIIP has underway. Whether you’re driving sustainable strategies, tackling systemic risks, or reimagining the future of investing, the 4th Annual Symposium on System-Level Investing is the essential gathering for those creating meaningful change and shaping the next evolution of finance.
We look forward to hosting you at the Symposium on April 8th!
Want to learn more about Symposium sponsorship opportunities? Email Monique Aiken at [email protected] to explore.
TIIPs Revamped Consulting Services
In 2015, TIIP’s Steve Lydenberg and William Burckart coined the term system-level investing. Since then, TIIP has been a driving force behind this transformative approach—publishing pioneering research and supporting some of the world’s leading investors in integrating system-level strategies.
Why System-Level Investing?
System-level investing moves beyond traditional, sustainable and impact investing. It recognizes large-scale risks and opportunities, expands conventional investment strategies, and applies advanced techniques to foster resilient, adaptable, and healthy environmental, social, and financial systems.
Today, this approach is shaping institutional investment strategies globally. It is integral to the UN PRI’s “Pathway B,” distinguishing itself from traditional ESG integration (Pathway A) and impact strategies that may or may not consider systemic effects (Pathway C). (Source: UNPRI.org, “What is system-level investing?”, October 3, 2024.)
How TIIP Can Help
TIIP is uniquely positioned to support investors in adopting system-level investing. We provide tailored guidance across three key areas:
1. Total Portfolio Activation: We help investors assess readiness and build a strong foundation for system-level investing through:
- Applying the TIIP’s Score Methodology: Our approach leverages our proprietary method for evaluating preparedness and progress over time—identifying challenges, opportunities, and a process for deepening the integration of system-level investing.
- Designing Customized Training: Our bespoke training programs for Boards, Trustees, and leadership teams deepen their understanding of system-level investing and the implications for their work.
- Supporting Governance & Oversight: Our tailored guidance helps investors establish and manage governance structures for system-level investing, including a System-Level Investing Committee (SLIC) to oversee implementation.
2. Total Portfolio Implementation: We provide practical tools and support for integrating system-level strategies into investment policies and practices, including:
- SAIL (Systems Aware Investing Launchpad): A subscription to our enterprise management platform, SAIL, offers step-by-step guidance based on the six-part process from 21st Century Investing: Redirecting Financial Strategies to Drive Systems Change, the book that introduced the discipline of system-level investing.
- Investment Integration: Personalized assistance in embedding system-level investing into:
- RFPs, Statements of Investment Beliefs, and asset allocation.
- Shareholder engagement, targeted investment programs, and manager selection/monitoring.
- Advanced approaches related to opportunity generation, investment enhancement, and field building.
- Customized Solutions: Tailored engagements constructed for foundations, pension funds, family offices, and investment consultants, considering their unique priorities, capabilities, and governance structures.
3. Total Portfolio Reviews: We help investors assess and refine their strategies through:
- Comprehensive Portfolio Analysis: Assessments use our proprietary system-level investing measurement framework.
- Asset Manager Evaluations: Assessments evaluate alignment with system-level investing principles and progress.
- Benchmarking & Visibility: Optional inclusion in TIIP’s Benchmark Database—a premier, subscriber-only resource profiling leading investors in system-level investing.
Join the Leaders in System-Level Investing
Our expertise has helped inform and support the strategies of pioneering institutions, including CalSTRS, Domini Impact Investments, the Surdna Foundation, University Pension Plan (UPP), Wespath Benefits and Investments, and more.
Are you ready to evolve your investing approach? Let’s take your policies, programs, and practices to the system level. Reach out to [email protected] to explore.
Follow us on LinkedIn to keep up with the latest TIIP news and find out how to join the system-level investing movement. Have questions about system-level investing? Email us at [email protected].
