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Knowledge@Wharton: Investing with Impact: Becoming a 'Responsible Steward'
Mar
22
2022

Knowledge@Wharton: Investing with Impact: Becoming a 'Responsible Steward'

Liesel Pritzker Simmons led a very different life before co-founding Blue Haven Initiative, a single family office dedicated to putting wealth to work for competitive financial returns and positive social and environmental change. Born into one of the wealthiest families in America, the public knew her as a child actress who starred in the 1995 movie A Little Princess and played the president’s daughter opposite Harrison Ford in Air Force One. In 2002, she and her brother sued their father and cousins, accusing them of misappropriating trust funds set up for the two of them. The siblings settled for about $500 million each.

Despite her wealth and the trappings of her upbringing, Pritzker Simmons was always more interested in what money could do for other people and the planet. She wanted to use her inheritance to help others in ways that could create further change. Her journey led her to impact investing.

She recently joined Katherine Klein, vice dean for the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, for an episode of the Dollars and Change podcast to talk about her work and the company.

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