Jory Cohen, HBA '10, shifted his career trajectory after reading a book about the potential positive environmental and social impacts of market forces. Jory works at Inspirit Foundation as the Director of Finance and Impact Investment, where he manages the entire asset portfolio of the foundation and helps align capital with the organization’s mission of inclusion and pluralism.
The book Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty by Muhammad Yunus exposed Jory Cohen to the world of market-based impact. After reading the book and discovering the world of microfinance, social enterprise, and impact investing, Jory knew his career had to shift to leverage market forces for good.
During Jory's time in the HBA program, he was an active member of a community of like-minded individuals interested in making a positive impact. At the time, there were no recruitment pathways to sustainability roles, leaving students to their own accord. Jory hoped to leave Ivey with all the necessary business competencies, which he would then apply to his impact-centered approach.
Personal & Professional Impact
Jory eats, sleeps, and breathes sustainability and impact, which is reflected in his personal investments. Jory started a blog, Impact Invest with Me, where he explains the steps that transformed his portfolio from traditional to impact-focused. Jory hopes this complicated but valuable journey can help others understand that it is possible for anyone to invest for impact.
Professionally, Jory works at Inspirit Foundation as the Director of Finance and Impact Investment. Inspirit is a public entity that works to advance pluralism and inclusion through both granting and investing.
Inspirit was championing impact investing long before it came into the spotlight. In 2016, they made the bold commitment to have a 100% impact portfolio. There is a common misconception that investing in impact means sacrificing financial gain. However, Inspirit has proven otherwise with its portfolio performance surpassing benchmarks and expectations. Jory continues to advance the company's innovation by considering how impact can be a tool outside of its portfolio.
Balancing Growth with Authenticity
When looking to the future of social impact, Jory sees the space growing exponentially. He notes that this has both benefits and consequences. With this growth, there is a risk of greenwashing—there are many funds falsely labelled as environmental, social and governance (ESG) or related to impact. Deeper research is necessary to ensure companies are held accountable. To overcome this risk, Jory explains that impact funds must be approached with intention and care.
"This growth within the sector enables social impact to become mainstream. It makes me hopeful for the future but also weary of inauthentic pursuits. It is helpful to use the sector expertise acquired and bring it to the public, so that anyone can be equipped to make informed business decisions."
Although Jory entered the social impact space immediately after graduation, he encourages students to pave their own path whether this is pursuing social impact outright or getting traditional corporate experience first. Jory believes there is “no right way to make impact”.
To connect with fellow alumni, join Ivey's LinkedIn Sustainability Community.
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