The case is clear. The momentum is here. Investors must prioritise health.
Almost 100 investors, academics and civil society leaders gathered in central London in November, for Health Dividend Live - ShareAction’s first-ever symposium dedicated entirely to putting population health at the centre of responsible investment.
This event marked a pivotal moment for the sector. Three years on from launching the Long-term Investors in People’s Health (LIPH) initiative - now backed by more than 50 signatories representing trillions in assets - and as the crescendo of the Health Dividend Autumn campaign, the symposium brought together many of the most influential voices shaping the future of markets, policy and public health. It also signalled the beginning of the next phase: turning momentum into action.
As Catherine Howarth, our CEO, told the room:
“The Health Dividend is about recognising that healthy workers, healthy consumers, healthy communities generate a more dynamic economy. Health is not a soft social concern - it is a hard economic variable.”
Watch the film - What happens when investors prioritise health?
A wake-up call for investors
Across the day, speakers showed how analysing investments through a health lens reveals both escalating risks and significant opportunities.
Dr Sandro Demaio of the World Health Organisation warned that products tied to ultra-processed foods or forever chemicals risk becoming stranded assets as regulation, litigation and consumer expectations accelerate.
At the same time, unmet health needs are creating major new markets. Investor Dr Afua Basoah of Fern Capital Group captured the scale of the opportunity:
“Women represent 50% of the global population. Women’s health isn’t niche - it’s the world’s most overlooked growth market.”
Worker health: the overlooked productivity engine
Workforce health featured heavily throughout the day. Bruce Daisley, founder of Eat Sleep Work Repeat and former VP EMEA at Twitter, reminded the audience:
“Poor health costs the UK economy over £100 billion a year - equivalent to one in five people not working. It’s not just tragic, it’s economically unsustainable.”
The takeaway was unmistakable: you cannot grow an economy on an unhealthy workforce.
Consumer health: a tipping point investors can’t ignore
Speakers also highlighted the urgent pressures facing consumer health, particularly within food systems. Ali Morpeth of the Planetary Health Alliance put it bluntly:
“One in five global early deaths are caused by diet-related ill health. Diet has overtaken smoking as the leading cause of preventable death. That is simply unsustainable.” For investors, the implications are clear."
Ultra-processed foods, harmful chemicals, alcohol harm, digital risks and impacts on children’s mental health now represent material strategic, legal and reputational risks.
Crucially, engagement works. Investor action has already pushed major supermarkets and manufacturers to adopt nutrition targets, increase transparency, and shift portfolios. Momentum is building - but so is the scale of the challenge.
Healthy communities: when externalities become liabilities
The symposium also explored the health of communities - air quality, microplastics, water contamination and antimicrobial resistance - all of which are long-term, systemic health threats with financial consequences. Companies contributing to these harms face mounting regulatory, financial and reputational risk.
The built environment emerged as another critical health determinant. Walkable, active neighbourhoods with high-quality housing consistently show higher retail spend, stronger local economies and improved wellbeing.
Climate and health: inseparable priorities for investors
Dr Sandro Demaio reminded the room that climate and health must be addressed together.
“There is no human health without a healthy planet. The ecosystems we rely on for food, clean air and clean water are the same systems threatened by climate change.”
He warned that a destabilising climate will continue to drive worsening health outcomes but also stressed the opportunity:
“By acting on climate, improving air quality and protecting ecosystems, we can improve human health - for all, not just a few.”
For investors, the implication is clear: climate action is health action, and stewardship must treat them as interconnected priorities.
The next climate moment
A clear theme ran through the day: health is where climate was 20 years ago. Once dismissed as peripheral, climate risk is now central to investment decision-making. Health is moving in the same direction - only faster.
This conviction anchors The Health Dividend, ShareAction’s unifying agenda for responsible investment. It builds on the momentum of our Long-term Investors in People’s Health (LIPH) initiative.
As Catherine Howarth reflected:
“We’re bringing the muscle and voice of the investment community to bear on a systemic issue that has been neglected. We’re calling on investors to make human health a much stronger focus of their responsible investment activity - of their analysis, and of their engagement with the companies in their portfolios.”
Health Dividend Live proved that the momentum is real. It’s now about turning momentum into action.
We are calling on investors to:
- Engage companies on worker, consumer and community health
- Use your voting power to demand transparency and credible ambition
- Shape policy that drives healthier markets
- Join LIPH and be part of the coalition redefining responsible investment
Join the Long-term Investors in People’s Health initiative today.
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