Vikram Gandhi is a Professor at Harvard Business School, where he co-pioneered their Sustainable Investing Course, “Investing: Risk, Return & Impact.” The course won the 2021 Teaching Recognition Award for Excellence in Sustainable Finance Education from the Financial Times. He is also a Visiting Faculty member at Tsinghua University.
Vikram Gandhi is a Founding Partner at Asha Ventures, an Indian-focused impact investment fund, and a Senior Advisor to The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. He is the Chairman of the Board of the Growth for Good Acquisition Corporation, a Climate Tech SPAC, which recently merged with ZeroNox, a leader in commercial and industrial vehicle electrification.
Prior to his teaching and investing endeavors, Vikram Gandhi was a Global Investment Banking executive for 25 years with Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse. He graduated from the University of Mumbai and Harvard Business School as a Baker Scholar. He is also a Chartered Accountant.
Check out the Climate Finance Podcast website for more information.
Topics discussed:
Vikram’s career transition from being a Global Investment Banking Executive to teaching at Harvard Business School and initiating Climate Venture Investment firms.
The process of an alumnus coming back to Harvard Business School as a faculty member and collaborating with Shawn Cole and George Seraphim to create an award-winning course.
Growth Drivers of Sustainable and Impact Investing.
Teaching Case Studies at Harvard Business School:
Investment Banks
Goldman Sachs: Making an Imprint in Impact Investing
Morgan Stanley: Building Long-Term Sustainability
Private Equity
The Rise Fund: TPG Bets Big on Impact
Public Markets
Generation Investment Management
Public Equities Impact Investing at BlackRock
State Street—The Development and Growth of SHE
Engagement and Activism
Engine No.1: An Impact Investing Firm Engages with ExxonMobil
JANA Partners: Impact through Activism?
CalSTRS Takes on Gun Violence
Corporate Finance
TotalEnergies CVC Investment in Hyzon Motors
The Ford Motor Company Green Bond
Vikram´s Investment and Entrepreneurial Engagements
Asha Impact Ventures
Growth for Good Acquisition Corp - Sustainability SPAC
Impact Investing Potential in India (Bullish India)
Personal Advice to Investors, Young Professionals, and Students interested in Climate and Sustainable Finance and Investing.
Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice. The interview took place on 1st June 2023.