Gender-Lens Investing: Unlocking Capital for Women, Climate, and Equity

​Event Description
Across sectors, from agriculture to health to climate, the evidence is clear: investing in women and girls drives outsized impact. Yet gender remains under-integrated in how capital is structured, deployed, and scaled, particularly in climate and sustainability finance.

This discussion explores how to move from intention to implementation in gender-lens investing. What does it take to design investment strategies that genuinely center women, especially in sectors like climate, biodiversity, and primary care? How can capital better reach those who have historically been funded last and least, including young women and gender-diverse leaders?

We will examine how blended finance, catalytic capital, and innovative funding models can support women-led enterprises and community-based solutions, from coffee producer networks to health systems. The session will also explore the intersection of gender and climate justice, and how investment decisions can shape more equitable and resilient futures.

Bringing together investors, entrepreneurs, and practitioners, this conversation will focus on how to translate gender-lens investing into real-world outcomes across sectors and geographies.

Speakers

• ​Alvaro Espitia is CEO of ALAL Advisors, leveraging innovative finance and data to drive impact across global markets.

• ​Jessica Pavlos is Head of Development at the Margaret Pyke Trust, advancing integrated climate, conservation, and reproductive health programs.

• ​Julia Langenegger is Senior Associate at Clarmondial AG, structuring blended finance solutions for sustainable agriculture and climate resilience.

• ​Laura Adiwasito is Director of Social Innovation at Fòs Feminista, advancing SRHR through enterprise and blended finance.

• ​Sahar Jamal is CEO of Maziwa Breastfeeding.

• ​Sawa Nakagawa is Executive Director of AlphaMundi Foundation, advancing impact investing in climate and gender across emerging markets.

​Discussion Questions
What does it take to operationalize gender-lens investing in practice, not just in principle?
How can climate and sustainability finance better integrate gender and equity considerations?
What barriers prevent capital from reaching women-led and gender-diverse enterprises, and how can they be addressed?
How can different forms of capital, from catalytic to blended, be structured to support more inclusive impact?