Impact Investing

Impact investing can take a variety of forms and many of the transactions are entirely bespoke and designed to address complex social and environmental issues while also providing a structure for a successful commercial return.

    Our Approach

    In Australia and internationally, impact investments provide means for investors to generate financial returns while also generating positive social outcomes. Impact investing now spans sectors including aged care, the arts, community development, health, employment, housing, biodiversity, water use, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and international development.

    As part of our broader firm commitment to being an outstanding Australian corporate citizen, Gilbert + Tobin uses its expertise in corporate transactions and finance to be a leading participant in Australia in the impact investing sector. We work with institutional investors, fund managers, private equity firms, banks and intermediaries, to build strong partnerships and meaningful outcomes in the impact sector.

    Highlighted deals include:

    • Advising Palisade on the establishment of Palisade Impact, a specialist impact investing platform
    • Advising social impact investment firm, Purpose Investment Partners on the acquisition of Catalyst Education from Anacacia Capital.
    • Advised early-stage Australian start-up Pathzero, on its $1 million seed investment. Pathzero is a pioneering emissions management platform that has been designed to enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) measure their carbon footprint, reduce their impact, and share their carbon neutrality with confidence.
    • Advised impact investor Treïs on its investment into sustainable Australian fashion business Glam Corner.
    • Advsing KKR on its investment in GreenCollar, a leading Australian environmental markets business. This is the first Australian investment by KKR’s US$1.3 billion Global Impact Fund.
    • Advised J.P. Morgan as the sole lead manager and underwriter of Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT's $100 million institutional placement.
    • Advised the Fred Hollows Foundation on its social enterprise project that will build eye hospitals in developing countries, with a view to achieving its vision of eliminating avoidable blindness globally.
    • Advised Goodstart Childcare Limited on its A$165 million acquisition of the ABC Learning Childcare business and arranging the debt financing for that acquisition including senior and mezzanine debt facilities and the issue of Social Capital notes.  This deal remains one of the highest profile, at scale impact investment transactions ever conducted in Australia.
    • Advised The Benevolent Society on the redemption of their 5 year Social Impact Bond.
    • Advised a number of private capital fund managers on fund establishment and direct equity impact investment.
    • Advised Tilt Renewables in connection with the financing of Dundonnell Wind Farm, which benefits from an offtake agreement from the Victorian government under the Victorian Government Renewable Energy Auction Scheme.
    • Advised Veolia Australia as the proposed operator for the Kwinana waste to energy facility in Western Australia, the first of its type in Australia.
    • Advised Koala in relation to multiple fundraising rounds. 
    • The establishment of Nexus Initiative, a not-for-profit advisory and originator business.