When capital meets conscience

A panel discussion on gender and climate-smart investing in Indonesia – an investment approach that aims to generate financial returns while advancing gender equality and addressing climate change – was held at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.

The event was part of the Australian Development Investments Investment Committee Retreat, which took place in Jakarta in early June.

Pak Noor Syaifudin from the Indonesian Ministry of Finance said the integration of gender and climate-smart strategies into investment considerations was essential for Indonesia’s sustainability.

“We recognize that these are not just environmental or social concerns but also significant economic opportunities,” he said in his welcome remarks.

Deputy Ambassador Gita Kamath said these were investment opportunities we simply cannot afford to ignore.

“That is why KINETIK is supporting Indonesian women entrepreneurs to benefit from opportunities in the green economy, in partnership with Sweef Capital and New Energy Nexus,” she said.

The panel was moderated by Queenties Regar, the Technical Assistance Manager at Sarona Asset Management and featured panellists Gita Sjahrir-Wright, Senior Advisor at TBS Energi and ADI Investment committee member, Helen Wong, Managing Partner at AC Ventures, John Colombo, Indonesia Country Manager at Clime Capital and Diyanto Imam, Country Director Indonesia at New Energy Nexus.

The keynote speech was delivered by the Founder and Managing Director of Sweef Capital, Jennifer Buckley – a pioneer in gender-lens investing in Asia.

Ms Buckley told the event her work financing healthcare delivery in Jakarta in 2010 had been instrumental in her transition from mainstream private equity to impact investing, where investments create positive gender and environmental impacts alongside financial returns.

She said the lack of funding to women’s health and the critical role played by women in delivering frontline care made her question whether there was a different model of directing institutional capital into healthcare systems which were more affordable, accessible and of higher quality across all countries in the region.

In 2021 Ms Buckley founded Sweef Capital, which directs capital toward companies that are women‑led, promote gender equality in leadership and the workforce and/or serve women and girls.

“Fast forward, we have the Swift capital team today constantly considering how to make a difference to these healthcare challenges across Southeast Asia and beyond,” she said.

Ms Buckley thanked the Australian Government for its support of the KINETIK Sweef Entrepreneurs Program, which is assisting Indonesian businesses in the green economy that are led by women or improve the lives of women.

These businesses are leading innovations in areas such as sustainable packaging, circular economy solutions, clean water access and flood prevention.

“As someone who has spent years in the investment world, I’ve never been more energised by the growing recognition of the untapped opportunity relating to women’s entrepreneurship and what that means for addressing the great economic, environmental and social challenges of our time,” she said.

Ms Buckley encouraged those interested in gender-lens investing to explore tools such as Sweef Capital’s Gender ROI. Developed by investment professionals and available free on the Sweef website, it measures how well a company is doing when it comes to gender equality and how this contributes to the company’s success.

“Bring your teams together and ask the hard question, are we leaving value on the table by ignoring gender and climate? Then take the first step, whether it’s piloting a gender-lens fund using a baseline diagnostic or shifting a policy,” Ms Buckley said.

“The time is now. We are standing at a rare intersection where capital meets conscience, where purpose meets profit and where innovation meets inclusion.”