Karen Wendt

Short Bio

Karen Wendt has more than 20 years of experience in investment banking with UniCredit and has been sitting in the board of the Equator Principles Financial Institutions Association (EPFI Association) for more than 7 years. She is a internationally recognized expert for de-risking assets, sustainable finance and positive impact investing. She has introduced and implemented multi-stakeholder dialogue as an innovation tool within UniCredit and the Equator Principles Financial Institutions Association, where she was responsible for outreach, stakeholder dialogue with Industry Associations, NGOs and Export Credit Agencies. She engaged likewise in conflict and dispute resolution mechanisms and mediation. She acted as change manager and developed frameworks for identification and mitigation of risks and impacts - financial and extra-financial for her institution as well as for the EPFI Association, where she was representing the Association in international committees activated by the Equator Principles like OECD, World Bank and UNEP. She has published a variety of articles about risk management frameworks, Integrated reporting and rating, organizational development, multi-stakeholder approaches and sustainable supply chains, responsible investment banking and positive impact investing. Karen is also lecturing at universities, Key Note Speaker and financial advisor. Her anthology “Responsible Investment Banking” (www.responsible-investmentbanking.com) has been published by Springer Science and Business Media. Her focus is on demonstrating that impact Investing based on a triple bottom line is feasible.