Durreen Shahnaz, founder and CEO of Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) and IIX Foundation, was interviewed by Dr. Alyssa Ayres, dean of the GW Elliott School of International Affairs, and Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business. Changemaker and impact investing pioneer Durreen Shahnaz, winner of the 2017 Oslo Business for Peace prize, shared with the GW community how capital markets tools can be harnessed for development goals and expand development finance capacity.

Featured Speaker: 

Durreen Shahnaz (Founder and CEO, Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) and IIX Foundation) is a global leader of social impact and pioneer in impact investing. She is also the founder of Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) and IIX Foundation. IIX is the home of the world’s first social stock exchange and one of the world’s largest crowdfunding platforms for impact investing. IIX is also a leader in impact assessment methodology and innovative financial structures such as the world’s first gender focused social bond, Women’s Livelihood Bond Series. The company connects the Back Streets of underserved communities to the Wall Streets of the world by changing financial systems and innovating solutions for women empowerment, climate action, and community resilience, thus driving forward the Sustainable Development Goals. IIX and IIX Foundation’s work has unlocked over US$250 million of private sector investment capital and impacted over 100 million direct household lives.

Shahnaz is the recipient of UN Women’s 2020 Asia-Pacific Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP) award, the 2019 Sustainability Superwoman award from CSR Works, 2017 Oslo Business for Peace Award, often referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize for Business’, the 2017 Global Steering Group for Impact Investment Impact Market Builder of the Year award, the 2016 Asia Society Asia Game Changer Award, in addition to the prestigious 2014 Joseph Wharton Social Impact Award given by the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania. Recently, Shahnaz was named in the Forbes 50 over 50 list as a notable leader in the financial industry.

Shahnaz holds a BA from Smith College as well as an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MA from the School for Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University.

Moderators:
Alyssa Ayres, Ph.D., Dean, The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs
Anuj Mehrotra, Ph.D., Dean, The George Washington University School of Business

The session took place in person at the GW Elliott School of International Affairs and online on the GW School of Business YouTube channel. See more details and the full George Talks Business series here.

Important Note: Please arrive a few minutes early. The interview will be live streamed, and we request that all guests are seated no later than 4:25 p.m. ET to ensure a quality experience for online viewers. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

This session was hosted in partnership with the Institute for International Economic Policy, International Development Studies and Master’s in International Economic Policy programs at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.