We are proud to be part of the growing Deetken Impact team, and are excited to introduce this diverse and talented group of investment professionals. We regularly feature our colleagues in these interview-style profiles so you can get to know them better!
Alexa Blain co-founded Deetken Impact in 2013 and leads operations, finance, investor relations and business development initiatives. She began her career in investment banking in Toronto, working in infrastructure finance before joining the public markets team of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, followed by three years with African Alliance in Johannesburg. Alexa currently sits on the Board of Directors of UBC Investment Management which manages $7 billion of funds for the University of British Columbia, and was previously a Director of the Central City Foundation, a $36 million foundation supporting Vancouver’s inner city.
Recognized as one of Vancouver’s Top Forty Under 40 by Business in Vancouver magazine, Alexa is a welcomed speaker on impact investing and champion of improving access to impact investing alternatives for Canadian investors. She is a CFA Charterholder, a Chartered Business Valuator, and holds an MA in Financial Economics from the University of Toronto.
You have lived and worked all over the world. Tell us about your early experiences in those markets, and how that shaped your journey and led to the formation of Deetken Impact.
I was fortunate to work and spend time in many places early in my career, from the Xinjiang region in China where I taught English, to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) where I helped to launch a new microinsurance product. At the time, I was thinking hard about my career and what I wanted to achieve in my life. And when I met other young women around the world, I found that they wanted a lot of the same things that I did: to have financial independence, to provide a safe and healthy life for their families, to realize the full potential of their energy, creativity and intellect. But they faced so many more barriers to achieving those goals than I did. I felt the fundamental unfairness of it, and the incredible potential of women that is held back by social and economic inequality.
It’s an enormous challenge, and not one that could ever be solved by one individual or one business or one way of investing. But I knew that I wanted to be part of the solution, and I feel that that’s what we are doing at Deetken Impact.
In the 10+ years since founding, what Deetken Impact milestone are you most proud of, and why?
I’m very proud of the team we’ve built at Deetken Impact, because it doesn’t feel like that long ago that we were a few people with an idea on the side of our desk. I’m truly fortunate to now work with a talented and driven team of professionals who bring passion and integrity to the challenges we face each day. I’ve read that more than two-thirds of new Canadian businesses last less than 10 years, so to now be into our second decade, going strong, and being able to attract the team we have at Deetken Impact feels like a meaningful milestone.
What is on Deetken Impact’s horizon that you are most excited about?
We have been working hard on a new fund, the Inclusive Climate Action Fund (ICAF), which will pursue both climate action and gender equality in Latin America as impact objectives, and do so at large scale. Supported by an investment from the Government of Canada, ICAF provides a way for investors to invest in exceptional businesses that are confronting climate change with sustainable, market-based solutions, and that brings together our expertise and track record in climate finance and inclusive investing. We’re tremendously excited to be working with aligned investors who share our vision of mobilizing the capital needed to build a sustainable and resilient region.
Alexa Blain speaking at the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF) 2024.
While you have been a pioneer and a driving force of Deetken Impact achieving gender parity at every level, women are still a minority in the industry at large. What opportunities and challenges have you encountered as a woman fund manager, and what do you believe must be done to close the gender gap in this sector?
Starting an asset management firm or launching a fund is a lot like starting any business. It takes tremendous commitment and perseverance. When we think about founders, we often think about someone with an Ivy League network who quits their 9-to-5, works 100 hour weeks, and is obsessed with their business to the exclusion of all else. For many women, who have or are planning to have children or have other family responsibilities, that kind of lifestyle is simply not an option. Many women are highly capable entrepreneurs, although we may do things differently from the start up stereotype. For me, the most important thing was finding the right business partners. You want to work with excellent investors, obviously, but just as important is trust, integrity and strong alignment in terms of your values and long term goals for the business. There might be times when you will need to prioritize caring for a newborn or an ailing parent, and you need to know that your partners have your back and your business is in safe hands.
We need more women-led fund managers, because I absolutely believe that it creates a virtuous circle in terms of funding women-led or women-focused businesses and recruiting talented young women to our industry.
What advice would you give to women interested in working in impact investing?
Impact investing has come a long way in the last decade, and as the industry has grown, so do the career opportunities. To work in this field requires the same skill set as mainstream asset management, plus specialized skills in impact management and measurement. In addition to direct investing roles (identifying, assessing and closing new investments), there is growing opportunity in portfolio management, operations, legal and compliance roles. When we started Deetken Impact we knew that investing well would always be our most important capability. But there are a lot of other functions that a successful impact manager needs to have in place to drive meaningful impact outcomes, manage risk, support a highly effective team and ensure a smooth investor experience.
Alexa enjoys mountaineering; pictured here at Uhuru Peak – the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, as well as the crater of Erta Ale in Ethiopia.
What is one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
I love mountains. I love looking at them, hiking them, and cycling up them. Whenever I am in a new place, I find myself drawn to the highest point of land. When I was living in Africa, I climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, as well as Erta Ale in Ethiopia. Erta Ale is home to the world’s only permanent lake of lava. I swung my legs over the edge of the crater and just watched the lava swirl. In Peru I climbed Choquequirao, the site of an ancient Incan city built 3,000 meters above sea level. My husband proposed to me at the peak of Montecito in California, after a poorly planned (by me) and extraordinarily hot and dusty climb without sufficient water. And I have scrambled up dozens of unremarkable hills and mountains all over the world, just to see what’s at the top.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Work and family keep me pretty busy! On the weekends you’ll find me on the sidelines of my daughter’s soccer matches (Go Ponies!), doing tai chi very badly with my mom at the community center, or acting as sous chef for my husband’s ambitious dinner recipes. I love to get out on my road bike to take in the incredible natural beauty of Vancouver and our local mountains. I am a huge consumer of Spanish-language podcasts and enjoy learning about the history and politics of Latin America.
What is your favourite city/country you have visited, and which is at the top of your bucket list to visit?
I adore Mexico City and am a wannabe chilanga. We spent a month there in 2023, with my husband working remotely and my daughter joining a local school. We loved the food, the walkable neighbourhoods, the friendly people and the fascinating history and architecture. Argentina is at the top of my bucket list…especially Patagonia.
You can learn more about Alexa by following her on LinkedIn!
Get to know more about the Deetken Impact Team by checking out the other features in our Meet the Team series!
