SECOND STRATEGIC PARTNERS’ MEETING FEBRUARY, 9 FROM 8:15 AM – 12:30 PM - ENRIQUE V. IGLESIAS CONFERENCE CENTER
“ACHIEVING RESULTS” As the second of the IDB-hosted Strategic Partners Meetings takes place at the beginning of a new year and at the turn of a new decade, we propose a forwardlooking agenda on the theme of the results that market-based BOP strategies can deliver. Mixing strategic stock-taking with practical discussion on current issues, as always we hope the dialogue will be lively and will generate some concrete take-away actions and ideas that add value to all participants as well as to IDB.
How big a role can BOP strategies play in the ‘product mix’ of development banks, corporations and other diversified organizations in achieving their overall mission objectives?
How are such organizations developing BOP capabilities and what are the challenges of start-up, internal mainstreaming and external partnership?
How can BOP strategies be linked to other priority themes such as climate change mitigation/adaptation, disaster recovery or energy security?
How effective is the interplay between organizations that specialize solely in BOP, and those for whom BOP is just one strand of activity?
Taking stock: BOP as a means to an end? Development banks, corporations, investors, governments and other large organizations operating in Latin America and the Caribbean have inter-related but fundamentally different core mission objectives, ranging from poverty alleviation to shareholder value creation. However, many of them are now adopting market-based BOP strategies to achieve those objectives. For them, market-based BOP strategies are a relatively new addition to a much larger, longer-established and more mainstream portfolio of activities used by such organizations to help achieve their overall goals in the region. This is in contrast to organizations that specialize in BOP as their core objective and central activity. In this context, BOP initiatives are one of several ‘means to an end’. They may complement other activities and programs, or may compete with them internally for management attention and resources based on profile and value-for-money (especially in an economic climate of crisis recovery). This presents some key questions, which are also topical in the run up to the annual meeting of the IDB this spring:
We hope to explore these questions, draw some useful conclusions and provoke some new ideas in the first main session of the day, which will be introduced and moderated by Michael Fairbanks, co-founder of the S.E.VEN Fund, editor of the highly acclaimed book In the River They Swim: Essays from Around the World on Enterprise Solutions to Poverty, and advisor to world leaders ranging from the President of Rwanda to IDB’s own President. Measuring impact: is LAC properly positioned for socially-driven investment? Measuring the impact of market-based BOP strategies is notoriously difficult, but work on this challenge is becoming increasingly important for attracting and retaining support from the growing ranks of social investors. Experience suggests that BOP market participants in Latin America and the Caribbean are not as engaged in impact measurement efforts as their counterparts in other emerging market regions.
Why is this? Given the global range of choices available to social investors (and government donors), does this trend put the region at a competitive disadvantage? What actions can be taken to strengthen BOP impact measurement efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean? We look forward to addressing this topic in our second agenda item, beginning with an introductory presentation from the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), the notfor-profit organization dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of impact investing. A space for innovation? We all know that achieving results through BOP strategies involves a long-term investment: refining, demonstrating, replicating and - hopefully – achieving scale with the various BOP products and models that are in current practice. Looking at the need to achieve deeper results over the decade ahead, it’s also important to support the innovation of new products, distribution platforms and strategies, and perhaps to even contemplate the possibility of radical ‘break-out’ models. What is the status of BOP innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean (and how does this compare to other regions)? What are the most interesting new organizations and initiatives that could be influential over the next halfdecade? How much risk appetite should we have for experimentation, and can we best shape and support new innovation efforts in the region? Michael Chu, Managing Director and cofounder of the Ignia Fund and Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Business School will lead a discussion on Innovation for our third main agenda item. We will also hear from Jordan Kassalow, Chairman and co-founder of VisionSpring, which empowers “Vision Entrepreneurs” to distribute affordable eyeglasses in majority markets.
Achieving BOP results through effective communications BOP enterprise solutions require communication with diverse audience, from customers to internal decision-makers. Communication is essential for reaching new markets, unlocking brand profile benefits, and being accountable to stakeholders. Yet how many of us in the BOP field would describe ourselves as communication experts? We are delighted, therefore, that our lunchtime keynote speaker will be the well-known Brazilian communications entrepreneur Nizan Guanaes, chairman of Grupo ABC de Comunicação, president of advertising agency Africa and a dedicated supporter of social causes. His presentation promises to be a unique and entertaining perspective on successful advertizing and brand strategy in the BOP context.
As of January 21, 2010, representatives of the following organizations have confirmed their participation: GAIN • WBCSD • W K Kellogg Foundation • CEMEX • JP Morgan • Michigan University • Empresas Publicas de Medellin • Grupo ABC • IFC • Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs • PepsiCo • Fundación FEMSA • Microsoft • Harvard Business School • IGNIA • VisionSpring • GIIN • Promotora Social Mexico The meeting will also be attended by the President of the IDB, Luiz Alberto Moreno and members of his senior management team. To register for the meeting, please contact Maria Marta Laurito at mariamartal@iadb.org
AGENDA
8:30 am – 9:00 am
Registration and Coffee
9:00 am – 9:15 am
Welcome remarks by Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the InterAmerican Development
9:15 am – 9:30 am
Roundtable introductions
9:30 am – 10:00 am
Presentation by Michael Fairbanks: BOP as a means to an end?
10:00 am – 10:30 am
Open discussion
10:30 am – 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am – 11:00 am
Presentation by the Global Impact Investing Network: Measuring impact: is LAC properly positioned for socially-driven investment?
11:00 am – 11:15 am
Open discussion: From a practitioner’s view: What is missing in measuring impact? How can impact investing become a movement in Latin America and the Caribbean?
11:15 am – 12:15 pm
A Space for Innovation Michael Chu, Managing Partner of IGNIA Fund, and Dr. Jordan Kassalow, Chairman and co-founder of Vision Spring, will lead a discussion on the status of BOP innovation in Latin America
12:15 pm – 12:30 pm
Next Steps
12:30 pm –2:00 pm
Lunch in Las Americas (7th Floor). Key note speaker: Nizan Guanaes, Head of Grupo ABC on “Achieving BOP Results Through Effective Communications”