RESUME

IMOGEN ROSE-SMITH

WRITER, ENTREPRENEUR, CONSULTANT, IMPACT, SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT

Knowledgeable impact and sustainable investment expert committed to the pursuit of turning impact investment theory into action at scale. Excellent investigative researcher with strong analytic skills, knowledge of private and public market investing. Award winning writer with over 15 years of experience as a financial journalist. Experience working with ultra-high-net-worth individuals, alternative investment managers, institutional asset owners, policy makers, and academics. An entrepreneurial problem solver, creative thinker and collaborator.​

 CONTACT

ADDRESS:
Brooklyn, NY

PHONE:
per request

EMAIL:
imogenrosesmith@gmail.com

WEBSITE:
imogenrosesmith.com

 SKILLS

Writing
Research
Social media
Financial modeling Networking
Due diligence
Event planning
Communications
Business development Investor relations
Product development
Public speaking
Stakeholder engagement
Systems thinking

 EDUCATION

August 1998-June 2000
MASTER OF ARTS:
American Studies
Columbia University
New York, NY

September 1994-June 1998
BACHELOR OF ARTS:
American Studies
University of East Anglia
Norwich, UK
FIRST CLASS DEGREE
Study Abroad University of California, Berkeley, 1996 – 1997

 VOLUNTEER WORK

HIGH WATER WOMEN IMPACT INVESTMENT
Committee Co-Chair
Women’s Group focused on impact investment. Organizes annual symposium in NY.

A LEG TO STAND ON (ALTSO)
Trustee
Providing care to disabled children in developing countries.

ORIENT ASSOCIATION
Board Member
The civic association for the community of Orient, NY.

GIRLS WHO INVEST (GWI)
Founding Advisory Board Member
(2016 – 2020)
Focused on increasing the number of women in asset management.

 WORK HISTORY

August 2018 – Present

Co-Founder | COMBINATE CAPITAL, New York, NY

A deep technology focused investment and advisory firm with the mission of delivering superior risk adjusted investment returns. We believe that innovative and diverse leadership is the key to lowering risk, producing economic out performance, and delivering outcomes that are good for society.

  • Identify investment opportunities in middle to late-stage tough tech start-up companies that have the potential for significant social and/or environmental impact and extraordinary financial returns.
  • Provide leadership training for investors, executives and entrepreneurs.
  • Developed proprietary leadership training and impact measurement tools.
  • Establish partnerships with start-up accelerators, institutional asset owners, venture capital funds, leading academic institutions and others.
  • Developed investment fund and to market strategy.

 

September 2019 – Present

Co-Founder | AHUPUA’A INVESTMENT PROJECT, Maui, Hawaii

The Ahupua’a Investment Project seeks to make Hawaii into a center for impact and sustainable investment.

  • Help attract socially and environmentally responsible capital into the community and identify areas of need, educate and empower local community members, and find points of leverage to push back against predatory and cohesive investment behavior.
  • Encourage investment with Hawaiian Ahupua’a values. A means of establishing a sustainable, community centered, investment approach that can be scaled and replicated elsewhere.
  • Organized the first Ahupua’a Investment Summit at the University of Hawaii Maui College on January 31st and February 1st, 2020.

 

September 2019 – Present

Chief Strategist | GRAVITY EXISTS, NY, New York

A family office and investment company that acts as both principal and advisor in public and private markets. Our focus is on innovative response to long-term risk.

  • Drive content and strategy around ESG and impact investment themes.
  • Oversee institutional asset management marketing and audience development.
  • Generate deal flow and identify investment opportunities.

 

September 2019 – Present

Consultant | FREELANCE, New York, NY

  • Advise asset managers, asset owners, and others on impact and sustainable investment. Provide strategic consulting services to businesses, start-ups, and entrepreneurs.

 

September 2019 – Present

Contributing Editor | IMPACT ALPHA, New York, NY

The leading industry publication for impact investment.

  • A regular contributor to Impact Alpha’s popular Returns on Investment podcast.
  • Help guide and direct Impact Alpha’s institutional asset management coverage.
  • Contribute strategic insights to business development. Provide editorial content and ideas.

 

August 2017 – August 2019

Investment Fellow, Sustainability | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA REGENTS, Oakland, CA

Advisor to the Office of the Chief Investment Officer (OCIO), helping to oversee the sustainable investment program for a $120 billion institutional asset owner.

  • Advised the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) on all sustainable investment matters; provide speech writing; and author thought leadership papers and briefing memos on critical issues.
  • Developed a proprietary, cross asset-class sustainable investment framework including ESG research and integration approach.
  • Worked with investment teams and portfolio managers on ESG integration. Worked with the OCIO’s investment managers, both public and private, on ESG integration across asset classes, including investment evaluations from an ESG perspective to the investment committee.
  • Managed ESG stakeholder relationships, including the UC’s work with industry groups.
  • Co-lead on state-wide shareholder engagement campaigns and participated in national and global engagement efforts.

 

August 2011 – July 2017

Senior Writer | INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR MAGAZINE, New York, NY

  • An award-winning journalist, specializing in in-depth, long-form articles focused on institutional asset management and alternative investing.
  • Published features on complex, challenging topics.
  • Profiled institutional asset managers, including many of the world’s largest public pension plans and endowments.
  • Wrote daily analysis and reported breaking news on topics relevant to institutional investors, including public policy and macro-economic events.
  • Developed an impact and sustainable investment beat.
  • Ran an annual hedge fund awards event featuring over 100 honorees.

 

January 2017 – July 2017

Impact Advisor | ARC FIDUCIARY, New York, NY

  • Served in advisory capacity to a start-up institutional impact investment asset manager focused on sustainable investing.
  • Provided business strategy and business development support; investor relations and communications counsel.

 

December 2012 – July 2014

Consultant | ROBERT F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR JUSTICE & HUMAN RIGHTS, New York, NY

  • As part of a three-person team helped plan, organize and coordinate the RFK Compass conference program, an initiative focused on bringing together major fiduciaries and key stakeholders to discuss sustainable investing and long-term asset ownership.
  • Helped develop, staff and manage a VIP audience and speaking roster of luminaries from government, asset management, not-for-profits and media.

 

December 2005 – August 2011

Staff Writer | ALPHA MAGAZINE, INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR, New York, NY

  • Lead writer for Institutional Investor’s hedge fund publication.