Episode 4 | Colin le Duc, Founding Partner of Generation Investment Management

In this episode, Rory Mounsey-Heysham speaks with Colin le Duc, Co-Founder and Partner at Generation Investment Management,  the sustainability-focused investment firm created alongside former US Vice President Al Gore and David Blood of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Generation was founded on a bold premise: that sustainability and long-term financial performance reinforce each other rather than compete. Two decades later, the firm manages more than $40 billion and has become one of the most respected voices in mission-driven investing.

Colin shares Generation’s origin story, the serendipitous alignment that brought its founders together, and how the firm set out to integrate sustainability into every stage of investing. He reflects on building both public and private market strategies, the moments of luck and timing that accelerated their success, and what it means to stay mission-driven while scaling a global investment platform.

The pair also discuss the advantages mission-driven companies have, why founders with genuine purpose outperform, and how political headwinds shape (and fail to derail) climate and sustainability investing. Colin explains why resilient, long-term fundamentals still guide Generation’s approach and why this is an unusually compelling time to invest in sustainable solutions.

Key Takeaways

• How Generation Investment Management was founded on integrating sustainability into capital markets
• Why timing, luck, and early market conditions accelerated their first decade
• How mission and investment performance reinforce each other, not compete
• Why sustainability became a source of alpha long before the market recognised it
• How being mission-driven helps attract the best entrepreneurs, teams, and shareholders
• Why short-term political shifts don’t change long-term sustainable investing fundamentals
• How climate and sustainability cycles create opportunities for specialist investors
• Why Generation focuses on returning capital, not just raising it

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What is Benevolent Disruptors?

"Benevolent Disruptors” is a podcast series, co-hosted by the Managing Partners of BNVT Capital, Rory Mounsey-Heysham and Chris Corbishley. In this series we interview leading founders, investors, allocators, and regulators on the role of business and technology in society.

As individuals, business and governments grapple with the implications of a rapidly evolving technological landscape, Benevolent Disruptors provides a more optimistic view on how technology changes lives. We learn from the inspirational stories of those building big businesses tackling our most pressing challenges.