#GAILLaunch
Speakers
With thanks to the speakers at the esela Virtual Conference 2021
It is through their exchange of ideas, experiences and divergent perspectives that we will explore how legal systems and practice can enable the growth of more inclusive and sustainable forms of capitalism.
SARAH GORDON
CEO OF THE IMPACT INVESTING INSTITUTE
Sarah Gordon took over as chief executive of the Impact Investing Institute in September 2019. Previously, she spent 18 years at the Financial Times, where she ran the paper's corporate coverage during the financial crisis, and was most recently business editor. Before journalism, she worked in fund management in the UK and the US, and at the UN Conference for Trade and Development in Geneva. She was a panel member of the recent independent inquiry into the future of civil society, led by Julia Unwin CBE, and was formerly a trustee of CSV, one of the UK’s largest volunteering charities. She is a non-executive director of Social Finance and a visiting professor at Kings College London.
SARAH GORDON
CEO OF THE IMPACT INVESTING INSTITUTE
Sarah Gordon took over as chief executive of the Impact Investing Institute in September 2019. Previously, she spent 18 years at the Financial Times, where she ran the paper's corporate coverage during the financial crisis, and was most recently business editor. Before journalism, she worked in fund management in the UK and the US, and at the UN Conference for Trade and Development in Geneva. She was a panel member of the recent independent inquiry into the future of civil society, led by Julia Unwin CBE, and was formerly a trustee of CSV, one of the UK’s largest volunteering charities. She is a non-executive director of Social Finance and a visiting professor at Kings College London.
SIMON DAVIS
PRESIDENT OF THE LAW SOCIETY OF ENGLAND AND WALES
Simon Davis became President of the Law Society of England and Wales in July 2019.
Simon studied Law at Oxford and qualified as a solicitor in 1984. He has been a commercial litigation partner at the London office of Clifford Chance since 1994, having joined the firm in 1982 Simon was the firm’s recruitment partner between 1995 and 2000, and spent two years as President of the London Solicitors’ Litigation Association. Since 2008, Simon has also been a member of the Court of Appeal Mediation Panel.
In 2014, Simon was appointed to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the provision of potentially sensitive information to The Telegraph by the Financial Conduct Authority. (“the Davis Review”).
ALEX EDMANS
PROFESSOR OF FINANCE AT LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL
Alex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School and Academic Director of the Centre for Corporate Governance. Alex has a BA from Oxford and a PhD from MIT, and was previously a tenured professor at Wharton and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley.
Alex has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, testified in the UK Parliament, and given the TED talk “What to Trust in a Post-Truth World” and the TEDx talk “The Social Responsibility of Business”. He is also Mercers School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College, currently giving a lecture series on “Business Skills for the 21st Century.” His book, “Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit”, was published in March 2020. He has appeared on Bloomberg, BBC, CNBC, CNN, ITV, Sky News and Sky Sports, and written for the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, and Wall Street Journal.
ALEX EDMANS
PROFESSOR OF FINANCE AT LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL
Alex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School and Academic Director of the Centre for Corporate Governance. Alex has a BA from Oxford and a PhD from MIT, and was previously a tenured professor at Wharton and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley.
Alex has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, testified in the UK Parliament, and given the TED talk “What to Trust in a Post-Truth World” and the TEDx talk “The Social Responsibility of Business”. He is also Mercers School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College, currently giving a lecture series on “Business Skills for the 21st Century.” His book, “Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit”, was published in March 2020. He has appeared on Bloomberg, BBC, CNBC, CNN, ITV, Sky News and Sky Sports, and written for the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, and Wall Street Journal.