802: Jennifer Louie on Catalytic Capital: Accelerating Circular Economy Solutions

IN THE EPISODE

In this episode of The Impact Report, Jennifer Louie, Managing Director at Closed Loop Partners, discusses her work in catalytic capital and circular economy investing with current bard MBA student Hector Aguirre. She explains their approach to investing in resource recovery and circular input business models, emphasizing measurable impact and financial additionality. Jennifer shares insights on their due diligence process, the challenges of competing with virgin materials, and the role of policy in accelerating circular economy adoption. She also discusses balancing impact and financial returns in catalytic investments and offers advice for those entering the field of sustainable finance and circular economy.

Bard’s Graduate Programs in Sustainability cultivate leaders who break through existing systems, innovating solutions to critical social, environmental and economic challenges. 2023 marked the 20th anniversary of the first graduating class from M.S. in Environmental Policy degree at Bard CEP and the 10th graduating class from the Bard MBA in Sustainability program. The 2024 graduating MS EP, MS CSP, MEd and MBA classes brought the Bard GPS alumni community to over 500!

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Jennifer Louie:

Jennifer Louie is a managing director at Closed Loop Partners (CLP). She is responsible for the firm’s private credit and catalytic investment strategy, which makes impact-first debt and equity investments in companies and projects across North America that improve the circularity of packaging materials.

Prior to joining CLP, Jennifer spent the last ten years managing emerging market debt portfolios across both the public and private markets. It was through Jennifer’s experience of living and working in emerging markets that she developed an interest in the role of catalytic capital and impact investing.

Hector Aguirre:

Hector Aguirre is a final year Bard MBA student, whose focus area is impact investing. He has over three years in the ESG data space, a background in entrepreneurship, and previous experience in the chemical industry. Hector plans to leverage his degree to drive positive impact through innovative financing mechanisms.

Renay Loper: 

Renay is a Clinical Faculty in Organizational Leadership for the Bard MBA in Sustainability, where she focuses on JEDI Transformation in the workplace. Previously, she was the Vice President of Program Innovation at PYXERA Global where she served on the Executive Leadership Team, led five country offices, drove the development of new business and programs, co-led the organization's work on inclusive circular cities, and advised corporate clients on their social impact strategies. Renay also led the organization’s ARC (Antiracist Collective) initiatives, which included internal and external efforts toward dismantling unjust systems. To this end, Renay created Rhetoric to Action, a series of conversations to bridge sectors toward collective action around social and racial justice.

Prior to PYXERA Global, Renay led the grassroots exchange and education grant portfolio at the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, and has served in a variety of leadership roles in higher education, nonprofit, and business prior to that. Renay is an avid speaker and facilitator, has authored and edited numerous publications, including a resource journal, Student Affairs Professionals Cultivating Campus Climates Inclusive of International Students (Jossey Bass). Renay serves on the board of directors of nonprofits including Community Change, Harpswell Foundation, and Girl Rising.