Initiated by the Initiative for Responsible Investment (IRI) at the Harvard Kennedy School and run by the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) at the University of Zurich this training program equips next generation members of ultra-high-net-worth families with the technical and soft skills needed to align their investments with their values, creating positive change with their capital.

The training runs on an annual basis and brings together a small group of impact-driven next-gen investors to learn from sustainable and impact investing specialists, global practitioners, and thought leaders. The training is facilitated in a trusted next-gen-only environment, which enables open sharing from Next Gens, alumni and experts. The university platform ensures that the program content is free from conflicts of interest, with knowledge dissemination and capacity building being its two key objectives.

Since its inception in 2015, the program has trained more than 200 alumni. The training cohorts consist of participants from the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Middle and South America, who receive a deep dive into how to invest with meaning and impact.

According to our alumni:

1. 97% indicated that they would not have started their impact journey without the program or that the program played an important role in getting them started (The survey was carried out in 2022 and included 32 participants representing cohorts from 2015 - 2020.)
2. 72% indicated that they have increased the number of sustainable- or impact-focused companies/opportunities that their family approved for investment (The survey was carried out in 2022 and included 64 participants representing cohorts from 2015 - 2022.)

OVERVIEW OF THE TRAINING

The program is designed to help next-gen family members understand impact investing, meet peers from around the world, and start to develop an investment and engagement strategy. The program has been tailor-made to bring together a select group of Next Gens who wish to explore impact investing for their own and their family’s portfolios. 

A key goal of the program is to build and foster strong cohorts of wealth holders driven to move toward impact within their family context. 

ABOUT THE TRAINING PARTICIPANTS

Participants are members of ultra-high-net-worth families from around the world. Cohorts are limited to a maximum of 30 participants.

CURRICULUM

The program spans seven months and includes in-person and online activities. There are two in-person modules of three to four days each, as well as individual and group assignments in-between modules including online talks and webinars. The two in-person sessions take place at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA.

The curriculum is flexible enough to allow professionals who are working full-time to take the program. 

PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROGRAM

The program was initiated by the Initiative for Responsible Investment (IRI) at Harvard Kennedy School and is convened by the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) at the University of Zurich. The curriculum is purposefully curated and led by a group of global experts and program alumni. 

IMPORTANT DATES

The 9^th cohort ('23 - '24) will be convened as follows:

    - Module 1: October 3^rd-6^th, 2023, at MIT Sloan School of Management
    - Module 2: April 10^th-12^th, 2024, at the University of Zurich

The program completion is followed by the annual Alumni Weekend, April 19^th-21^st, 2024, which gives the latest cohort the chance to meet alumni from the prior cohorts and spend a weekend together in Zurich.

INFORMATION AND SIGN-UP

To receive the brochure, find out if this program is for you, and sign up, please reach out to Shannon Wolff at shannon.wolff@bf.uzh.ch