Suzanne’s Legacy

Heading for Change seeks to continue Suzanne Biegel’s legacy, leveraging her unique network, insights, and generosity of social and economic capital to equip the next generation of gender- and climate-smart investors.

A Pioneer in the Field

Suzanne Biegel speaking at a podium at the Gender Smart Investing Summit

A pioneer and respected thought leader in the gender-smart investing field, Suzanne Biegel dedicated her life and career to making finance more inclusive, impactful, and effective.

As co-founder of GenderSmart (now 2X Global), Suzanne played an instrumental role in connecting gender-smart investors across the capital spectrum into a cohesive field, as well as producing vital thought leadership and case studies on the intersection of gender and climate, JEDI, and the care economy. 

Through her consultancy Catalyst At Large, she worked with BII, UBS, IDB Invest, Wharton Social Impact Initiative (now Wharton ESG initiative), the US DFC, Tara Health Foundation, Linked Foundation, Intentional Endowments Network, and many others, influencing hundreds of funds and institutional investors, and billions of dollars of capital to move in a way that is more "gender-smart.”

Both climate and gender were at the heart of Suzanne’s portfolio. Through GenderSmart’s gender and climate investment working group in particular, she spearheaded groundbreaking work and research on how these two lenses could be combined to achieve greater impact on both climate mitigation and adaptation and gender equality. 

In the summer of 2021, Suzanne was diagnosed with stage four metastatic lung cancer. As she considered the legacy she wanted to leave, Suzanne and her spouse Dani Maskit made the decision to establish a donor-advised fund to make investments and grants that would advance both climate and biodiversity solutions and gender equity. Heading for Change is the fruit of that vision, nurtured carefully by Suzanne until her passing in September 2023.

Suzanne Biegel speaking about Climate and Gender

Heading for Change puts together all the insights gained through Suzanne’s investment career into practice on a larger scale.

Our legacy portfolio is dedicated to catalytic investments that will help build the investment vehicles, businesses, and institutions the world needs to battle the climate crisis and build a more just and gender equitable world. 

Suzanne’s magic was bringing not just financial capital to investments, but building the ecosystem around investors and entrepreneurs to catalyze the right combination of contacts, connections, and resources necessary to support innovation and enable pioneering ideas to succeed. This is why the Donor-Partner community is central to Heading for Change’s mission, as is a fully open source and transparent investment journey, as we build a demonstration portfolio that others can learn from.

Suzanne’s Impact

  • "Suzanne stimulated, nurtured and supported a global force of allies. Among these allies, she sparked relationships that have led to meaningful partnerships, tangible collaboration, and lasting friendships. Advancing the arc of catalytic community building is an art; and Suzanne was a master artist."

    Laurie Spengler

  • "The existence of Heading for Change is not just a continuation of Suzanne’s pioneering work in gender finance; not just an extension of that work into seeing the interconnectedness of gender and climate issues; but is itself a testimony to the passion and strength that marked Suzanne’s life. When faced with the likelihood of the impending end of her life Suzanne unflinchingly took on the urgency of taking Heading for Change from a concept into a running entity; and saw accomplished in an exceedingly small number of months the launching of a project which would normally have taken well over a year (or more) to bring to fruition."

    Dani Maskit

  • "Suzanne’s independent mind challenged everyone who wanted to play it safe. She made the impossible become real and doable by developing ambitious visions and powerful coalitions. I was always impressed by Suzanne’s ability to poke constructive holes in areas that were more show than action. Her analytical mind and ability to persuade and to make the world more equal were unique."

    Henriette Kolb

  • "In 2010 Suzanne’s wisdom first launched then guided me on my path, to put my money to work for good, and to make me proud. I love you and your words; they inspired and resonated for so many."

    Lisa Renstrom

  • "Heading for Change is an embodiment of what is needed in the market at this time. Their commitment to transparency is inspiring, practical, and unusual for the world of finance. With their tools and resources, they are helping investors respond to the urgency that this moment demands with clarity and commitment."

    Jennifer Pryce

  • "Suzanne’s expertise, leadership and passion for gender equality were instrumental in advancing the organisation’s mission. Suzanne inspired investors worldwide to action – moving more money, at scale, with a gender lens."

    2X Global Board

During her time as co-founder of GenderSmart, Suzanne shared her insights on the intersections of capital, values, and social impact in two compelling conversations filmed by Be Inspired Films at the GenderSmart Global Summit in 2022.

In the video on the right, Suzanne sits down with Jim Casselberry, CIO of 4S Bay Partners LLC, for a Q&A on how to invest in diverse fund managers — and why aligning with advisors who truly understand your values is critical to driving meaningful change.

In the second video, which you can view here, she speaks with musical legend Angelique Kidjo about her tireless work advancing opportunities for women and girls in Benin and across Africa, highlighting the power of combining advocacy, culture, and leadership to transform communities.

Of a Shared and Common Wealth

by Luisamaria Ruiz Carlile, a friend of Suzanne’s and fellow gender lens investor.

The right Lens
Clears vision so Capital
Bends
Towards Justice.
Extends
For Equity, and
Tends
The Diverse and Included.
As we Race
To erase
Injustice.
Leaving no trace
Of Inequity (a disgrace).
Seeking a place
To show case
Inclusion and Grace
For the Human Race
Awakening to see
That it's you and it's me
Prophets of a New Profit
Calling on the alchemy
Of Capital infused with Purpose.
Catalyzing Returns on Equity and
Fairness.
Conjuring Assets from allocations of
Justice.
Restoring the Planet to Health.
Until at last, we are Holders

Of a Shared and Common Wealth.