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In this edition of Beyond the Balance Sheet, we put the spotlight on Patti Chu, Co-founder and Managing Director of Mana Impact. Over nearly 25 years, Patti has woven together finance and development, serving at institutions like the World Bank, Citigroup, and the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network. Her cross-sector fluency enables her to translate vision into viable impact.
What sets Patti apart is the combination of conviction and discipline behind her commitments. She has driven Mana Impact to act as a one-stop bridge for family offices and investors pursuing nature-based solutions, especially in agriculture, circular economy, and ocean health. Before founding Mana, she worked on microfinance programs in China, advised on portfolio strategy for The Lego Foundation across Asia, and supported improvements in wind power operations for Siemens.
In conversation with Cheryl Tay, Director of Sales & Partnerships at Helicap Securities, Patti reflects on what it means to lead with purpose. From building resilient deals to designing impact metrics that last. Their dialogue uncovers lessons in patience, humility, and systems thinking, and underscores that true influence lies in creating platforms for others to grow.
When Patti Chu reflects on her journey, her words are as poised as they are powerful. “Even if it is a small contribution, a drop in the ocean, I want to work towards something greater and more meaningful than just generating economic returns,” she says. It is a sentiment that runs like a thread through her life, anchored in the belief that even the smallest act of giving can set off ripples of change, touching lives and safeguarding the planet.
As Co-founder and Managing Director of Mana Impact, Patti has shaped ventures in ocean health, food and agriculture, and nature-based solutions. Her work spans continents, yet its heartbeat is profoundly personal. “I think my grandmother probably has been a big influencer and role model for me,” she recalls. “She was one of the first female doctors, and she always had the community and giving back as a very strong element.” From that legacy of care, Patti inherited the conviction that privilege comes with responsibility.
Patti’s story begins in Argentina, woven with her Chinese heritage and enriched by a life lived across Latin America, the United States, Asia, and Europe. “I have been humbled to have the opportunity to work and live across different continents and countries,” she explains. “It has influenced the work I do today and given me the ability to work with many different kinds of stakeholders and cultures. A big part of my role is to be a bridge, to translate, and through that, to get things done more effectively.”
Her early career in New York’s banking industry was transformed by the September 11 attacks which left an inedible mark on her “I was in New York during 9/11. I think that shaped a lot of my choices in terms of understanding that life is short, and you have to have no regrets. That has been my motto,” she shares. The tragedy became a turning point, steering her beyond the pursuit of financial returns and towards a life of impact. “I realised I wanted to contribute, even if in a small way, to something greater.”
For Patti, impact investing became a natural intersection between her financial expertise and her desire to create lasting value. “I was pragmatic. I wanted to use the skills I had acquired, but I also wanted to invest in a more meaningful and responsible way,” she explains. “So impact investment was the natural sort of path.”
Her work has touched access to finance, education, biodiversity, and nature. Yet for Patti, these are not separate causes. “In reality, everything is so intertwined together. I am a product of education and very grateful for all the opportunities I have had, but what is really close to me is how we balance economic development with planetary health, and how we create a more equitable share with the rest of the communities.”
This outlook has shaped her approach, to see challenges not in fragments but as part of a larger whole. “As a human species we tend to look at things quite siloed. I like to approach things from a systems level, really understanding at a macro level who the stakeholders are and what the drivers are, in order to look at the gaps and areas of intervention. Otherwise, while the intention is good, there may be unintended negative consequences.”
It is this system's view in being practical yet deeply human, that defines Patti’s work. By holding together analysis and empathy, she reminds us that investment can be rigorous while still being rooted in care, responsibility, and hope for a more balanced future.
When asked about being a woman in finance and investing, Patti takes a thoughtful pause before offering her response. “It does seem like there are not that many women at the table. Having said that, in the impact investment space, relatively there are more women involved. I was raised to believe that women are just as good as men. As long as we deliver our work, we will be respected.”
Her belief in women’s potential is not just spoken, but lived. It is evident in the ventures she supports and in Mana Impact’s fellowship programme, which helps professionals transition into impact investing. “We need more participants in the ecosystem,” she shares. “As long as you have intentionality and the willingness to put in hard work, these things can be learned. A lot of the applicants are women. I try to support, and hopefully be a role model for inspiration and encouragement.”
This same spirit of intentionality flows into her personal life. Patti acknowledges the delicate balance she holds as a founder and as a mother. “Running my own business as a woman founder is challenging. I also want to be a good mom. I want to be there for my kids at swimming training or art camp. At the same time, I want to keep giving to the world. Juggling all of that is an art.”
Patti’s strength shines in her strength to balance, carrying the power to face a demanding world with courage while keeping the gentleness to nurture. She embodies the strength of a woman in its fullest form at once resilient and compassionate, revealing the essence of being both deeply human and the extraordinary strength of womanhood.
For Patti, collaboration begins with clarity of vision. “There is a lot of discussion about partnerships. In principle, everybody wants to collaborate. But with more people come more complexities, perspectives, and interests. The key is identifying that common purpose or goal. If there is not even that as a common denominator, it will be very hard to proceed.”
One of her most meaningful projects took place in Australia, where Mana Impact supported an Indigenous community in reclaiming ancestral land that had been degraded by years of farming. “Investors came together to purchase it quickly, then transferred the title back to the community. The community agreed to repay the loan through replanting trees and regenerating the land. For indigenous communities, land is not just property. It means identity, history, culture.”
The initiative brought together local communities, investors, corporates, and government in a rare alignment of will “It was a coalition of the willing,” she says with quiet pride. “For me, it was a big awareness of what collaboration can achieve.”
In that moment, the project revealed itself to be more than just finance, but a restoration of faith and dreams. A reminder that when people come together with courage and conviction, histories can be honoured and hope can be rekindled, healing the bonds between people and place.
Most recently, Patti journeyed nearly two days from Singapore to Colombia to speak at COP16. In her native Spanish, she delivered a message close to her heart, that climate discussions must look beyond carbon to embrace biodiversity and nature. “If we have good nature, we will inherently have carbon,” she told the audience. “But if we just focus on carbon, that does not mean we will have the biodiversity of the future.”
Her next chapter brings her full circle back to the world of credit where her career first began “We are putting together a working capital facility focused on businesses with a positive nature impact in Southeast Asia. I started my career in credit, then moved into private equity and venture capital. Now I am coming back with much more experience and learning. Hopefully, I will be a better person.”
What began as a career in finance has grown into something far greater, a journey gathering strength with every turn. Today, Patti finds herself on the wave of change, carrying with her the wisdom of experience and the courage of conviction. For her, finance is no longer just about capital flow but it has become a force to nurture nature, honour communities, and empower humanity.
Outside of work, Patti finds joy in the simplest of rituals, travelling to discover cultures, hiking through nature’s quiet paths, folding origami, or colouring to calm her mind. These gentle practices keep her centred as she balances the many roles she holds.
Her journey is a living testament to womanhood as both creation and contribution, a harmony between family and purpose rooted in the belief that giving is not a calling to bear, but a blessing to share. “Whatever we can, we should be giving back and making the world a better place,” she says.
It is this spirit of generosity that has carried her from Argentina to Singapore, from finance to impact, and from the personal to the planetary. A reminder that the smallest act, when given with love and courage, can spark ripples of change and light the way for a brighter future.
In a world often defined by ambition and scale, Patti reminds us that leadership begins with intention, the courage to act with purpose, the humility to listen, and the grace to give. Her journey is not only one of professional accomplishment but of quiet conviction, showing that true impact is born from empathy and endurance. Through every stage of her life, she continues to build bridges between capital and communities, progress and preservation, ambition and compassion. In doing so, she leaves behind a legacy that proves even a single drop, when guided by purpose, can ripple across oceans.
References: www.manaimpact.com/ | kr-asia.com/tuning-in-patti-chu-wants-positive-social-impact-in-asia | theorg.com/org/mana-impact/org-chart/patti-chu
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