Accueil \ Previous editions \ 2009 - Meeting on sustainable finance \ Conferences content \ 20 - The company’s money: invest rather than speculate?

20 - The company’s money: invest rather than speculate?

Best Practices to finance the creation, development and running of companies.

Financial questions arise throughout the life of a company. Creation, development, cash flow, transfer: whether in the day-today running or in exceptional circumstances, money is omnipresent. Companies may find themselves faced with money problems which they often find difficult to resolve. Banks, the stock exchange, investment funds and venture capital companies are among the main partners for enterprises. Stock markets, created to enable companies to offer their shares on the market in order to mobilise the funds necessary for their development, have seen their original vocation disrupted by abusive financial speculation. Moreover, some investors are looking for quick gains, others seek long-term positions.
While the range of solutions offered to them is wide – even if not always accessible – some practices are, from companies’ point of view, better than others. The question is to identify them, to understand them properly and to know whether they can set the example.

Léopold BEAULIEU - President - Fondaction (Canada)

A former unionist, Léopold BEAULIEU has been CEO of FONDACTION since it was founded in 1996. It is an investment fund present in about a hundred companies in Quebec.
This fund has been created on the initiative of CSN (Confederation of National Trade Unions) and is funded by pension schemes. It has set its goals upon creating and maintaining jobs in Quebec. FONDACTION promotes ‘companies that feel concerned about the environment and a more sustainable development’ through its investment policy.

Download his PowerPoint presentation: Powerpoint Leopold BEAULIEU

Dominique MOORKENS - CEO - Alcopa (Belgium)

Download his PowerPoint presentation: Powerpoint Dominique MOORKENS

Rodney SCHWARTZ - Foundator – Catalyst Fund Management & Research et CEO – ClearlySO (UK)

Rodney’s background is equity research, investment banking and venture capital. Rodney is CEO of ClearlySo (www.clearlyso.com) the world’s first marketplace for social business & enterprise, commerce and investment. In addition, ClearlySo hosts an annual conference for social businesses, sponsors the “ClearlySo in” series on businesses from around the world and maintains the widely-read Social Business Blog. Rodney founded Catalyst in 1997, a venture capital & advisory firm (www.catfund.com) which helps social businesses succeed. Rodney currently lectures at Oxford and is on the Board of AXA Investment Managers, the Ethical Property Company and The Green Thing (Chairman) and is former Chairman of Justgiving and Shelter.

Download his PowerPoint presentation: Powerpoint Rodney SCHWARTZ

Moderator: