Philippe Zaouati, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Mirova, has been named Personality of the year in this year's IMPACT Investment Awards, as judges recognised the firm's "leading role" in the sustainable finance community.
Zaouati has led the charge of the Paris-based investor since its founding in 2012. Mirova now manages over €33 billion ($38.4 billion) in listed and unlisted assets.
This year, Mirova announced a second close for its energy transition infrastructure strategy with €1.2 billion in capital commitments.
"[This is] a positive signal of investor confidence in the transition, even in a challenging market," Zaouati said.
The judges for the IMPACT Investment Awards also celebrated Mirova's efforts in progressing industry-wide standards they saw as "critical" to the future of the market.
In the past year, Mirova has launched its Climate Contribution Framework, providing comparative insight into corporate efforts towards decarbonisation and climate solutions approaches, and its Avoided Emissions Framework, an interactive tool to calculate and standardise Scope 4 greenhouse gas emissions.
His work also spans engaging with diverse stakeholders, Mirova's awards submission said, with a focus on fostering partnerships and creating community. Mirova has been a leader for blended finance vehicles, which require the marrying of public and private sources of capital to de-risk and attract capital for sectors and geographies perceived to have a higher risk profile.
Mirova is currently fundraising for its natural capital blended finance vehicle, a second fund within its Sustainable Land Use Strategy, as well as its Gigaton fund – investing in 'high-impact' climate mitigation, adaptation, social development, economic infrastructure and gender equality across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Zaouati also prioritises social impact within Mirova's investment strategies, and he has served as president of the Mirova Foundation arm since 2021. The endowment fund has been awarded Endowment/foundation of the year. at this year's IMPACT Investment Awards.
His focus on social responsibility sees Mirova promote projects aimed at gender equality, supporting local communities, and fostering inclusive economic growth.
"His vision for a sustainable economy is not just aspirational; it is actionable, grounded in a commitment to making a tangible difference in the world," his colleagues said in the awards submission.
Looking ahead, the CEO warns that "staying on track" will be the biggest challenge within the sustainable finance space, as geopolitical uncertainty distractions get louder.
"Political tensions, shifting alliances, economic uncertainty, and the acceleration of AI are all reshaping the landscape," he explained. "For sustainable finance, the real difficulty will be to adapt without losing our sense of direction: to keep innovating and anticipating, while remaining true to our mission."
For Mirova's upcoming focus, Zaouati is keen to remain focused on "building trust" with its investors, calling it a "strategic asset, and not a soft value".
"We will continue to build on the foundations laid over the past decade, especially in extra-financial data infrastructure, which is now central to how capital is allocated," he explained.
"We will keep strengthening our dual focus on the energy and digital transitions, convinced that the convergence of these forces will drive the next wave of value creation in sustainable finance. Finally, we will double down on cooperation, whether through global platforms or European alliances, because progress depends on dialogue, shared standards, and collective ambition."