United StatesAs specialist investors in the transition to a sustainable economy, making our voices heard with policymakers has been an important part of Impax’s work for decades. We believe it is crucial for investors to participate more closely in public policy design in order to accelerate this transition, including by reducing emissions and protecting natural resources.
Our team is regularly consulted on the design and implementation of public policy. We strive to influence policy outcomes that support the growth of markets in solutions to environmental and social challenges. Through such advocacy, we can both maximise the effectiveness of policies and identify future investment opportunities.
Read about our recent global policy advocacy activities and the impact of our work in the Stewardship and Advocacy Report 2024.
Read about our recent global policy advocacy activities and the impact of our work in the Stewardship and Advocacy Report 2024.
Our global advocacy strategy is currently focused on four key themes. Click to read an example of our activity for each of these areas.
- Financing the transition to net-zero emissions
- Greening the financial system
- Human capital such as diversity, equity and Covid-19
- Biodiversity
Through our policy and advocacy activities we collaborate closely with a broad network, including the scientific community, industry bodies and not-for-profit organisations. Here is a selection of our current memberships.
Bringing about public policy change often seems to take a long, slow arc to completion, but with ice sheets collapsing, resources diminishing and inequality widening, there is new urgency to deliver the major changes needed to transition to a more sustainable economy. There is also growing recognition of the crucial role the financial sector can play in accelerating that transition.
We look forward to making a positive contribution to the important work ahead.
Chris Dodwell
Chris co-heads the Impax Sustainability Centre and is the Global Head of Policy & Advocacy at Impax Asset Management, a specialist investor focused on opportunities arising from the transition to a sustainable economy.
The Policy & Advocacy team is responsible for advising Impax’s investment teams on the impacts of public policy and leads the firm’s work to support the development of new policies to accelerate a net-zero, nature-positive transition.
Chris joined Impax in 2019. Prior to joining Impax, Chris worked on climate policy for the UK Government for more than a decade, where he led the UK implementation of the European carbon trading system and the UK delegation to the international climate negotiations. Later, as Director of Climate Change at Ricardo Energy and Environment, Chris supported more than 15 countries in developing and implementing their national climate pledges under the Paris Agreement.
Chris is an active member of the policy committees and advisory councils of industry associations including UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF), Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) and the Investment Association. He is co-chair of the Transition Plan Taskforce’s asset manager working group and a Climate Change Commission for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
Chris has a BA Hons in Classics from the University of Cambridge and an LLM in Environmental Law from University College London.
Recent Insights
Staying the course in a changing climate for investors
In our 2025 Climate Report, we explain how we integrate climate-related risks and opportunities into our investment strategies, engagement activities and throughout our business
Stewardship and Advocacy Report 2025
In our eighth annual report, we showcase how we leveraged our breadth of stewardship and advocacy tools for positive outcomes in 2024.
Additional Insights
Stewardship and Advocacy Report 2024
In our seventh annual report, we showcase our stewardship and advocacy activities in 2023 and summarise the outcomes arising from our focused efforts.
Where Impax participates in collaborative engagement activities with other shareholders, it does so on an independent basis and in accordance with its own policies. The purpose of such collaborative engagements is to facilitate an independent and free exchange of ideas and views among shareholders that relate to seeking improvement of the long-term performance of investee companies and/or changes in investee company practices, without the purpose of acquiring, holding or disposing of securities to effect or influence a change of control in investee companies or as a participant in any transaction having such purpose or effect.
While Impax may consult with other market participants on certain engagement efforts, Impax unilaterally determines whether and to what extent to engage with other stakeholders and all of Impax’s investment decisions are independent and based on its own, unilateral strategy for maximising return on investment.