As 2024 comes to a close, we reflect on an extraordinary year of achievements, partnerships, and advancements in our mission to promote and solidify Impact Investing as a transformative tool for sustainable development in Greece and the region. We cannot thank enough all the people who contributed to this mission: our exceptional Board, donors, team, partners, and collaborators who have supported the joint effort to advance impact investing locally and regionally.
First Full Year as Greece’s National Advisory Board (NAB) for Impact Investing 🌍
This year marked our first full year as Greece’s officially recognized National Advisory Board under the auspices of GSG Impact. We actively promoted the Impact Agenda in Greece and actively supported and contributed to European and Regional Impact initiatives, establishing leadership in the global Impact Family.
The 2nd Hellenic Impact Investing Conference 📅
The #HIIC24 was a landmark event, positioning itself as the Premier Impact Forum for Greece and the region. With an exceptional agenda, it brought together local and international sustainability thought leaders, investors, policymakers, and entrepreneurs, setting a new benchmark for impact events in our country. We are grateful to all speakers, partners and sponsors for their support.
Ecosystem Mapping & the First Impact Report for Greece 📊
In 2024, we proudly completed a two-year project to map Greece’s Impact Ecosystem, ensuring its inclusion in the European Impact Mapping initiative. This project consolidated data on impact investors, startups and NGOs, creating a robust resource for stakeholders. The upcoming Impact Report, the first historical publication on impact investing in Greece, will feature aggregate statistics and interviews with thought leaders and decision-makers from Greek, European and global organizations.
Global Engagement and Advocacy 🌐
This year, invited by Enterprise Greece, the HIIN accompanied the Greek government’s diplomatic mission at the United Nations COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, presenting on key themes such as Reforestation, Energy Transition, and Blue Economy opportunities. We also participated and presented in major European sustainability and investment conferences, including Super Return Berlin, Our Ocean Conference in Athens, the Delphi Economic Forum, Building Bridges in Geneva, Phenix Impact Summit Europe in Amsterdam, WEF Davos, Barclays Verbier Summit, London Climate Action Week, TechTour and Hearth Summit in Athens, and Impact Europe’s Impact Week in Bilbao. In these engagements we showcased Greece’s impact ecosystem, opportunities and challenges on an international scale, highlighted the country’s potential, fostered new collaborations, and brought innovative ideas to the forefront.
Global & Local Partnerships 🤝
HIIN strengthened relationships with international organizations and donors, onboarding new partners and renewing support from donors. Our discussions and exchange with European organizations advanced our efforts to provide suggestions to EU programs to advance impact investing in the region. The HIIN also advanced its engagement with state funds and major commercial banks in Greece, as well as key impact partners such as Good Move Initiatives and Helidoni Group, as well as with foundations, think tanks, ecosystem builders and start-up organizations such as Seedraised, Relevant Ventures, Impact Hub Athens, Chatzigakis Foundation and Eteron.
Promoting Thought Leadership and Knowledge Sharing 🧠
The HIIN Board and team played a critical role in advancing thought leadership, providing guidance on strategy and partnership. One major highlight was a first of its kind educational impact gathering for Greek families and foundations that hosted the Rockefeller Brothers Fund from New York, sharing the family’s journey into transition into sustainability and impact.
Catalyzing Investments 💸
HIIN promoted the strategic advantages of the country for impact investing, especially in themes such as Energy Transition, Sustainable Food & Agriculture, Blue Economy and Social Innovation with education and events, allowing for international investors to revisit their geographic strategies and include Greece in their future plans. We launched the process of developing new impact fund initiatives, and launched the dialogue for investment readiness programs for innovative financial instruments with emerging teams. Additionally, we co-designed a three-stage impact accelerator for start-ups together with our partners.
Policy and Advocacy Initiatives 🏛️
Our policy and advocacy work advanced discussions on Greece’s key sustainability-linked policies, laying the foundation for the 2025 Agenda to provide advice to regulators and initiate targeted actions supporting the transition to impact-focused initiatives. We strengthened our dialogue with relevant ministries to align legislative and strategic frameworks with impact priorities.
Looking Ahead: 2025 Priorities 🚀
As we enter 2025, HIIN is committed to scaling its initiatives, expanding its network, and fostering impactful investments to address pressing global challenges. Our priorities for the coming year include supporting the creation of financial and investment products with an impact focus, introducing standardized impact measurement frameworks tailored to local needs and aligned with international guidelines, and advocating for key impact themes for Greece, such as the decarbonization of islands, biodiverse reforestation, energy transition, social entrepreneurship and the blue economy.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our Board, partners, members, and the broader impact community for their invaluable contributions. Together, we demonstrate that the power lies in collaboration and strong business ethics!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Impactful New Year!
The Board & the Team
of the Hellenic Impact Investing Network