Compliance is a way of “tackling all three issues of diversity, equity and inclusion”, No Impunity co-founder, Aurélia Le Frapper has argued.
She explained this effectiveness saying: “You comply as a company to deliver diversity quotas, you comply to deliver inclusivity within your team and in your operation, and you comply by making sure that you create value in an equitable manner.”
This emphasis on compliance comes from one specific part of the DEI equation that Le Frapper identified as being somewhat undervalued.
“The terms diversity and inclusion are both really important but the term equity has been a bit under focused,” she explained.
“Now companies are starting to focus more on having a diverse team, making more diverse investments, and being a bit more inclusive in how they create value.”
She added that something very important to her is the question of equity linked compliance.
In explanation, Le Frapper stated that companies should be asking how they could bring value to the organisation and how they could make sure that all of their ecosystem is “moving in the right way”.
This involves not exploiting people, keeping an eye on the supply chain and making sure that all operations are focused on equity, inclusion, and diversity, thus addressing all aspects of DEI.
Future issues
Le Frapper discussed issues within the industry, identifying companies' investments in stocks that are not sustainable.
“Financial services, if they invest in a stock in a company, need to make sure that the recipient of the investments is clean,” she said.
This is due to allegations of greenwashing, which Le Frapper claimed are increasing.
She added that making sure the recipient of investments is “clean” means they have a strong governance structure, they are not harming the environment, and they’re now harming any communities.
She emphasised the importance of this, explaining that companies can avoid being liable in front of the law.
However, Le Frapper added: “We’re talking here about financial losses, not just in the sense of lawsuits but also social reputation.
“So, for me, that is the biggest issue for financial services in the long term, how can companies make sure that their investments are not doing this.”
Younger talent
On the topic of how companies could attract and retain young talent, Le Frapper said: “What is really important is making sure that you are sustainable as a company.”
She evidenced this by referring to personal interactions with people she knows: “Within my ecosystem, my group of friends, or even just younger people in general, what I see is they really want to do something good.
“They want to have a social environmental impact, that’s really important to them, and they ask ‘how can I be part of the company but also a family that respects my values and the values of the world’.”
She therefore stated that younger people are looking for a company that respects the individual, respects marginalised communities and that respects the environment and climate issues.
Career journey
Le Frapper started her career in financial services by working for an investment manager in Berlin.
“This is where really I got an understanding of impact investing and how they were using innovative digital tools to enhance operations,” she said.
From there, Le Frapper pivoted into tech, saying that she wanted to understand “the how” behind these advancements, and ended up working as an analyst for Amazon and for a tech consulting company.
Le Frapper then decided to start her entrepreneurial journey, founding No Impunity, a company involved in platform streamlining, investment and impact litigation.
She added that the company takes financial servicing through the lens of impact investing.
Impact investing
Le Frapper described impact investing as “crucial” because “it is so fast”.
She identified three aspects of impact investing that she believed makes it so essential, with the first part being using assets to create the most financial value in terms of profit.
The second part of impact investing comes from the long term nature of the investment, both in a financial sense and in a environmental sense
“You’re creating this value in the long term,” she explained.
The final point concerned impact investing potential to be used as a tool for systematic change.
“It is not only used as a tool for profit but it’s also used as a tool to address any equity issues,” she said.
Le Frapper concluded by stating: “Why not actually use your money on a more long term perspective?”
tom.dunstan@ft.com
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