Foresights

Impact & Influence, an independent consultancy focused on the next generation of leaders and companies, launches today.

The company which has been founded by Rishi Bhattacharya, a former senior executive at Edelman and Instinctif Partners, also specialises in impact investing.

“We are focused on creating value for our clients – the next generation of CEOs who are coming through, maximizing their impact and influence through delivering innovative ways of communicating and engaging stakeholders, shareholders and society. We also believe there is an imperative to do this as leaders and companies are increasingly aware of their own positive impact,” said Rishi Bhattacharya, CEO and Founder of Impact & Influence.

“At first glimpse it may seem strange to be setting up a new venture at this time, but as companies go through a Covid-19 reset – including the communications industry – it is exactly the time to be doing this.”

He is joined by Nicola Forsyth who has more than 12 years’ experience creating corporate and consumer campaigns, offering strategic corporate counsel, media relations support, social purpose and sustainability communications consultancy.

She has had in-house roles with HSBC, TSB Bank, OVO Energy as well as being head of content for Green Traveller, a sustainable travel website.

She has also worked in agencies including Edelman, Teneo Blue Rubicon, Third City and Seven Consultancy.

Impact & Influence – which is following the virtual agency route - is also convenor of like-minded partners, blending and delivering world class advice and is launching with clients in the fintech and energy sectors. The company also has a mission to be societally and climate positive and is offset from the outset.

Impact & Influence’s CEO also has an advisory panel which includes Anne Groves, former Global Head of Public Relations at Magic Circle law firm Clifford Chance and a senior adviser and trainer, Chris Kelsall, the former COO for HSBC Global Banking in Europe who is now the Managing Director of NetZero Solutions, and Richard Sambrook, the former Director of Global News at the BBC and Director for the Centre for Journalism at Cardiff University.

At Instinctif Partners, Rishi was co-head of Corporate and Capital markets as well as initiating the firm’s impact investing offer. He also launched the SDG500, a ground-breaking $500m impact investment platform dedicated to financing the Sustainable Development Goals, for Bamboo Capital Partners in Davos earlier this year.

Rishi also spent nine years at Edelman, advising clients in the energy, tech and financial services sectors, including being head of Energy & Industrials in EMEA.

Before moving into communications consultancy, he was a broadcast political journalist during the Blair years.

He is also on the board of trustees of Chawton House, Hampshire, UK, which promotes the study of early women’s literature and is linked to the author Jane Austen.