Why it was time to leave: Q&A with Ingrid van Dijken
Ingrid van Dijken stepped down recently from her role as chief operations officer & head of investor services at Impact Investing Group. We find out from Ingrid why it was time to leave a job she loved 'every minute of'. She also tells us why she is convinced that it is the powerful demand imposed by people that is driving the growth in the Impact Investing space, and about a simple and joyful childhood where safety, tolerance and equal opportunity were the norm.
Ingrid van Dijken stepped down recently from her role as chief operations officer & head of investor services at Impact Investing Group. We find out from Ingrid why it was time to leave a job she loved 'every minute of'. She also tells us why she is convinced that it is the powerful demand imposed by people that is driving the growth in the Impact Investing space, and about a simple and joyful childhood where safety, tolerance and equal opportunity were the norm.
Why was the time right for you to leave your position at IIG?
I joined when the company was less than a year old and drove the transformation from a start-up to a professional funds manager representing more than 400 investors today. It is an incredibly rewarding journey to grow to a medium size company in the space of almost five years. It is also highly intense, fast paced with a lot of pressure, especially in the tightly regulated industry of finance dealing with investors' assets. It brings a great sense of responsibility on many fronts. I loved every minute of it in my role as COO & Head of Investor Services, but it did become my life. Unfortunately, I don't have children, which means that it is easier for work to take on more space in your life. At some point, I realised how it had actually taken over my private life, and how I didn't get to do enough of other things that are meaningful and that I like doing. I feel very proud of everything we have achieved together over the years, especially the impact, and thought it was the right time to take a break after all these years and calmly think of what I am going to do next.
"I loved every minute of it in my role as COO & Head of Investor Services, but it did become my life."
What were your biggest achievements?
It is a challenge from many perspectives to help grow a company from four staff in early 2014 making commercial real estate investments valued between $5-$30 million at the time, to a team of 30 staff managing investments in three asset classes. By June 2018, IIG had made transactions of more than $1 billion across commercial real estate, venture capital and large scale renewable energy infrastructure. To have persevered through highs and low, to overcome obstacles and to have contributed to this incredible team effort gives a good feeling. I would say though that I got the greatest sense of achievement from seeing our community of investors grow over the years, to see staff members develop & learn and to create, through our investments, true impact.
What will you miss most about the role?
I am so grateful for the trust that investors have shown us over the years. I love our community of investors and so cherish the relationship with them. I enjoy working with investors and feel a great sense of responsibility for managing their assets as if they were my own. That has driven me for all these years and I will miss it. I will miss the people I have worked with at IIG, they have helped us to deliver the results we have achieved. We call it the IIG family, and that is certainly how it feels. Working so closely together for so many years creates deep bonds. These relationships with both investors and colleagues will continue beyond IIG.
"Credit Suisse has impact investments, NAB has been very active, even the CEO of Blackrock is saying that he wants them to be an impact investing company."
What changes have you seen in the Impact Investing space over the last 5 years?
When I joined IIG in early 2014, impact investing was an unknown for the vast majority of the people I spoke to. When I was marketing opportunities at that time, or explaining to people where I worked, I would have to fill in a lot of background and explain what this 'impact investing' was. Now, close to five years later the concept has gained a lot in awareness. Credit Suisse has impact investments, NAB has been very active, even the CEO of Blackrock is saying that he wants them to be an impact investing company. That is a big shift in a relatively short time. I am convinced this very fast movement is because it is a demand-driven shift. Not a supply-side push. This is demand imposed by people, so it is very powerful.
Where did you grow up and what was it like?
I am Dutch, born and raised in the Netherlands. I was fortunate to grow up in a loving and caring family, the youngest of three children. We lived in a beautiful little village close to Amsterdam, a peaceful place, surrounded by nature but close to cities. My mother still lives there. Life was good, simple and joyful. Holland is a safe country, open and tolerant. There is also an equality in opportunity, equality in access to things like education for example. You can easily take many of these qualities for granted when you grow up. I got to appreciate this all so much more whilst living abroad. I left Holland at the age of 24 to do a Master's degree in Switzerland and subsequently started my career in private banking in Geneva. I gained very valuable experience over these many years, most of these years were spent in a privately-owned bank in Geneva. In 2009 I moved from Switzerland to Australia to start a role at the NAB.
"I am on the board of Escala, which I greatly enjoy, so more board positions might be one option."
What is next for you?
As I explained before, it was very interesting and exciting to grow a start-up into a mature company. But it also came at a cost in a way, in the sense that my life became too single sided working at that speed continuously. I consciously left IIG without another opportunity lined up, which will give me the time to reflect. It is also a bit scary at the same time I have to admit! I am on the board of Escala, which I greatly enjoy, so more board positions might be one option. I also want to reflect if I can use my skills in other areas as well as not for profits. I am open-minded and want to consider all options. I just got married for the second time and I feel so very grateful for this and our life together. So, for now I just want to enjoy married life with my husband Alberto, renovate our house in East Melbourne and spend more time with my family in Europe.
