TiE Boston Announces 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
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BOSTON—TiE Boston, the region’s largest organization supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem and connecting entrepreneurs, executives, and venture capitalists, announced Boston Common Asset Management President and Founder Geeta Aiyer will receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
This award honors someone who pushes the limits of what is possible. Ms. Aiyer’s contributions to improving market efficiency and corporate behavior have been significant. Boston Common Asset Management was founded by Ms. Aiyer in 2003. This independent, women-led ESG-Integrated global equity manager has $4.3 billion of assets.
“This year, we are pleased to honor sustainable investing entrepreneur and Boston Common Asset Management Founder Geeta Aiyer with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Geeta is best known for building sustainability into the Capital Markets,” said TiE Boston President Yash Shah. “Besides her incredible contributions over the years, Geeta has been a huge supporter of TiE Boston and the New England entrepreneurial community.”
TiE Boston’s annual gala will be held on Dec. 2, 2022 at Sheraton Boston.
“As a long-time resident of Boston and founder of three companies, I have long admired the leadership role of TiE Boston in building the entrepreneurial ecosystem in our community,” said Ms. Aiyer. “It is a very special privilege to be honored with their Lifetime Achievement award this year.”
Mr. Shah stated that TiE Boston was founded to promote entrepreneurship. The organization is thrilled to honor Ms. Aiyer.
“We do this by running structured programs as well as organizing many networking events that allow for emerging entrepreneurs to connect with established entrepreneurs, corporate executives and industry experts who can provide invaluable mentoring and funding critical to support their journey. TiE Boston’s Annual Gala is one such event where we celebrate outstanding achievements and report on our performance for the year,” added Mr. Shah.
Ms. Aiyer brings together over 30 years of finance experience with a passion and commitment to social and environmental justice. Boston Common, under her leadership, has established a solid investment record and significantly improved the practices and policies of its portfolio companies through proactive, impactful shareowner engagement. Ms. Aiyer is an important leader in ESG investing. She was an innovator in ESG investing.
Upon learning that Ms. Aiyer would be recognized at this year’s TiE Boston Annual Gala, Boston Common CEO Ally McDonald commented, “I can think of no one else more deserving of this honor than Geeta. My career highlight has been working with her for the past three-years. She has built a tremendous organization in Boston Common and a singular legacy for herself.”
Ms. Aiyer was also honored by Investment News as an innovator and at the CERES conference Building Sustainability into Capital Markets. For her diversity advocacy, she was named as one of Boston Business Journal’s Power 50 Movement Makers in 2021. In 2022, she received an honorary degree from Regis College (Weston, MA) and GreenBiz named her as one of 25 “badass women shaping climate action”. Ms. Aiyer, who was also the President of Walden Asset Management, worked for US Trust Company (Boston), Cambridge Associates and before founding Boston Common.
She is a member of the Board and Investment Committee at the National Resources Defense Council, Inc. and the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility. She is cofounder and chair of DAWN Worldwide (an NGO that addresses gender-based abuse). She was previously a member of the boards at YW Boston and the Sierra Club Foundation. She served as the first US asset manager on the UN PRI Board between 2015 and 2017.