Name: EP 108: ISS ESG’s New Indexes Raise the Bar on Diversity & Governance
Start: 2021-01-11T14:00:00Z
End: 2021-01-11T14:00:20.000Z
Location: BrightTALK
Rating: 0

Investors and advisors can learn everything they need to know about sustainable finance as Paul Ellis interviews leaders in the field.

In 1989, Ron Dembo founded Algorithmics Inc., which he grew from a start-up to the largest supplier of enterprise financial risk systems, serving 80% of the world’s largest banks and insurers. Fast forward to 2020, with just three employees, Dembo embarked on and even bolder mission, launching Riskthinking.AI–a groundbreaking simulation engine capable of modeling the world’s largest financial institutions, the most complex corporations, and even entire countries, all to assess the impact of climate change on their futures. On today’s program, Dembo talks to us about developing a platform that is scientifically rigorous, mathematically sound, scalable, computationally efficient and evolving alongside advancements in data science.

EP 274: Riskthinking.AI: Using Digital Twin Technology To Project Climate Finance Risk

Insurance carriers are the second largest money management group and one of the most impactful regulatory industries on earth. How is Premiums for the Planet, a membership-based collective action movement, motivating this industry to incorporate more sustainable investment strategies? Join Founder and CEO Brad Stevenson as we discuss how the collective’s companies are challenging the investment practices of their insurance carriers to support the climate adaptation efforts of the collective.

EP 267: How Climate Conscious Companies are Challenging the Insurance Industry

The need for convergence and harmonization of ESG frameworks and metrics across industries and regions has become critical in today’s market landscape. Investors and asset managers need quality data that they can compare across companies, industries, and indexes. The critical need for convergence and harmonization of ESG frameworks and metrics globally is the topic of today’s program. Laura Callaghan, Associate Director of ESG Services at Novata, is going to take us behind the scenes into the Service team’s important role in moving Novata beyond the sustainable investment industry perception that this is just a technology platform. We will explore the ESG convergence initiatives and frameworks that are key for market transparency, and what barriers exist in achieving this convergence.

EP 258: ESG Metrics Convergence Is Critical to Market Transparency

Tim Gocher’s adventures in Nepal started 20 years ago when he left his job in London’s financial markets. Gocher is founder and CEO of Dolma Fund Management, the first international private equity firm to focus on empowering Nepal’s startups. Under Tim’s strategic leadership, Dolma has successfully raised over $100Million in two funds and created over 15,000 jobs in Nepal and other developing countries. Tim has pioneered renewable energy investment throughout Asia. He is also founder and chairman of Dolma Foundation, a charity focused on fostering education-related changes in Nepal.

EP 273: The Story of Nepal’s First Private Equity Firm

My guest on today’s program is Marie Clara BUELLINGEN, Head of Sustainable Finance Americas for Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking, one of the largest foreign banking organizations in North America. She is charged with solving the challenges of making public and private capital work together to scale clean energy solutions in the required timelines. The Societe Generale sustainable finance team develops ESG strategies and programs that meet with key stakeholder expectations and best practices such as TCFD, SASB, GRI, UNPRI and the CDP. We talk about approaches to clean energy technology solutions that she has seen work across multiple sectors of the global economy.

EP 272: How Public & Private Capital Join Forces to Scale Clean Energy Solutions

It’s Climate Week 2024 in New York, and all eyes are on the decarbonization and climate transition trend, with climate mitigation investing often taking center stage. But as the physical effects of climate change on people and the global economy continue to escalate, it’s increasingly obvious that  investments in climate adaptation and resilience are also critical. And insurance, particularly the insurability of assets across different regions is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting avenues for meeting this need. Three investment experts from Schroders join us on today’s program to discuss what’s happening, including climate and crop insurance industries, insurance linked securities, and private market opportunities. Irene Lauro, an Economist at Schroders, focuses on climate issues; Christophe Etienne, is a Senior Natural Catastrophe Specialist on the Insurance Linked Securities team at Schroders Capital; and Martin E. Diaz Plata is Head of Private Equity Investments at Blue Orchard, an Impact investment manager owned by Schroders that runs the only private equity strategy in the world solely dedicated to climate insurance.

EP 271: Schroders' Insurance Linked Securities & PE Investment Strategies Spur Climate Adaptation and Resilience

The sustainable finance markets in Latin America are developing rapidly, and Sandra Carrillo Hoyos has led more than 50 projects funded by multilateral banks and focused on renewable energy, construction, water management, cement, mining, and forestry. Carrillo Hoyos is an ESG & Sustainable Finance Consulting Partner with ERM, which has been working in the global sustainability markets for decades, and on today’s program she talks with us about the opportunities for scaling the sustainable finance markets in Latin American Countries and connecting climate mitigation ambitions with the employment and social gaps in these economies.

EP 270: The Future of Sustainable Finance Markets in Latin America

The insurance industry, one of the largest money management and investment sectors of the global economy, allocates trillions of dollars across the capital markets every year. Axis, a global specialty insurer and reinsurer, underwrites insurable risks across multiple economic sectors. Joe Dutton, Energy Innovation Lead at Axis, talks with us about their recently launched Lloyd’s syndicate that is underwriting the risks and opportunities of the energy transition.

EP 269: Axis Accelerates Energy Transition Underwriting with New Lloyd’s Syndicate

In today’s episode we’re going to learn how Shariah investment compliance aligns with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles, and the unique benefits this integration offers to investors and startups. My guest is Rina Neoh, Managing Partner at Ficus Capital and Secretary General for the ESG Association of Malaysia. Established in 2018, Ficus Capital is the world’s first ESG-Islamic Venture Capital management company. The firm offers investors in-house Shariah financial structuring and an ESG Islamic framework integrated with the investment and monitoring process of its portfolios.

EP 268: Pioneering Ethical Investments with a Shariah-Compliant & ESG Strategy

In 2023 Terra Alpha Investments financed 82% less carbon emissions, 88% less water usage and 35% less waste generation through the firm’s investment portfolio. Tim Dunn is Founder and CIO of this firm that invests in forward thinking companies that are profitably leading the transition toward a sustainable global economy. Terra Alpha engages directly with portfolio companies through proxy voting, thematic campaigns and company-specific interaction. Last year the firm also included its Diversity, Equity and Income data disclosure expectations of companies in their initial engagement letter and had 92 active engagements with portfolio companies. Terra Alpha’s ultimate goal is enabling a sustainable planet for society, which the firm does through portfolio construction, corporate engagement and thought leadership.

EP 266: Why Terra Alpha Actively Engages with Every Portfolio Company

Private equity, blended finance, new regulations like the SFDR, lack of infrastructure, government instability: these are just some of the challenges investors face in financing and executing impact projects in emerging markets. My guest today, Paul Hailey, Head of Impact and ESG at responsAbility Investments AG, walks us through how the company’s projects in South America and North Africa are achieving competitive returns while making significant impacts on climate mitigation, healthcare, education, manufacturing, financial inclusion and quality jobs for the younger generation. Since its inception in 2003, responsAbility has deployed over USD 15 billion in impact investments and currently manages USD 5.0 billion in assets.

EP 265: SFDR in an Emerging Market Context – the Impact of EU Regulations

As companies and investors continue to navigate the 3D-reset themes of decarbonization, deglobalization and demographic change, Schroders believes that it is important to consider the practical investment implications of these broad trends. In 2024, Schroders sees investors transitioning from simply thinking of ESG risk management and integration to an increasing focus on sustainable opportunities and themes to harness for value creation. 
To shed more light on this rich and exciting investment area, we have three portfolio managers with us today. Chris Damm is an Assistant PM on the US Multi-Sector Fixed Income Team at Schroders; Valerie Harrington is a Fund Manager at BlueOrchard, an Impact Investment manager owned by Schroders  and Uzo Ekwue is a Fund Manager on the Global Thematic and UK Equity teams at Schroders.

EP 264: How Three Schroders Portfolios Target the "S" in ESG Strategies

James Kench is Head of Insurance at Kita, the company that insures carbon. He is a global finance, (re)insurance & climate risk executive with a career spanning Europe, Asia & the Americas. Carbon insurance provided by Kita unlocks financing and de-risks projects in the carbon markets, a source of investment opportunity and potential liability when not insured. Carbon insurance contracts issued by Kita are backed by leading re-insurance companies like Lloyd’s of London. They swap the uncertainty of future losses with the certainty of insurance premiums to insure transfer of contracts, unsustainable business models and the cost of doing business. Carbon insurance can cover risk assessment, management and risk taking and James joins me today to discuss how Kita improves financing and lowers the cost of capital in the carbon markets.

EP 263: How Insuring Carbon Lowers the Cost of Capital

Bair Financial Planning has been offering investment and lifestyle financial advisory services to clients for 20 years! Initially focused on the LGBTQ community in San Diego, CA, Marci Bair broadened the scope of her firm's life planning and asset management advice when Victor Orozco joined the firm a decade ago. They now have clientele across multiple family generations and offers sustainable and ESG investment strategies as well as more traditional portfolio diversificaiton, and sometimes both to generations within the same family. We discussed the ever-changing list of acronyms and definitions in the asset management industry, all of which are finally about the same objectives of long term financial security that matches and compliments the lifestyle choices of their clients. Marci and Victor are actively growing their firm and adapting the services provided to their clients to meet today's financial needs and tomorrow's aspirational goals.

EP 262: Top Advisors Give Strategies for LGBTQ & Multiple Generation Clients

Courtney Thomas is a passionate advocate for social and economic justice. In her role as Senior Policy Analyst at HOPE Policy Institute, Courtney  coordinates and leads public policy efforts to advance economic opportunities for working families in the Deep South. She uses research, outreach and advocacy to advance fair and equitable public policies that center on the experiences of black, brown and indigenous communities of color. Her research interests include fair lending, fair housing and transportation equity policies, where federal and state decisions can impact the allocation of resources and facilitate an environment to ensure that all people prosper.

EP 261: Leading Public Policy Advocacy for Social & Economic Justice

Craig Coulter has 12 years of experience with EY delivering strategy and advisory services to clients large and small with a focus on the environment and sustainability. In Episode 259 of The Sustainable Finance Podcast (SFP) he and I discuss his passion for building businesses, organizations and teams that incorporate sustainability to make it business as usual. Craig is currently responsible for Sustainability Services and Strategies in the advanced manufacturing and mobility sectors, paying special attention to decarbonization in manufacturing, sustainability in supply chains and procurement compliance. Craig excels at combining technical know-how with go-to-market strategic vision, so don't miss his perspective in this SFP episode.

EP 260: A Passion to Incorporate Sustainability into Business As Usual

Lutz describes the new US Diversity Index, the first of its kind for US companies and directors that includes ethnicity along with gender. We also discuss the launch of the Governance QualityScore (GQS) Index family, designed to help investors to identify large and mid-cap companies with strong board structure and shareholder rights as well as those aligned with UN Global Compact principles. In addition we talk about ISS ESG’s role working with institutional investors to explore climate-related risks through a suite of possible solutions.

Open the Attachments tab to read Lutz's recent article at ISS ESG: Conversations on Climate

EP 108: ISS ESG’s New Indexes Raise the Bar on Diversity & Governance

UN Global Compact

Indexes

UNSDGs

Gender Parity

Climate Risk

Governance

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EP 108: ISS ESG’s New Indexes Raise the Bar on Diversity & Governance

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