E164 Ian Simm: Nature Is The Next Big Trade

Can investing help solve environmental challenges — while still delivering strong returns?In this episode of the Oxygen Conservation Podcast, Rich Stockdale speaks with Ian Simm, Founder and CEO of Impax Asset Management.For more than two decades, Ian has been investing in companies that enable the transition to a more sustainable economy — from renewable energy and water infrastructure to smart materials and pollution control.Today, Impax manages around £25 billion on behalf of institutional investors including pension funds and sovereign wealth funds.But Ian’s journey into environmental investing didn’t start in finance.It began with adventure — travelling across China as a teenager and later crossing the Sahara on a tandem bicycle — experiences that shaped his view of the environment and the role business can play in protecting it.Rich and Ian explore how capital markets can accelerate environmental solutions, why renewable energy and water infrastructure remain some of the biggest opportunities ahead, and where climate and resource risks are still mispriced by global markets.This episode is about markets, leadership, and the long-term transition to a more sustainable global economy.