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In this intimate conversation, Paul Polman, SDG ambassador and chair of IMAGINE, discusses the importance of leaders accelerating corporate responsibility efforts.[vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Paul%20Polman%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Chair%2C%20IMAGINE%20(The%20Netherlands)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233608%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fpaulpolman%2F%22%7D%5D” title=”Speaker” el_class=””][vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Colin%20Tate%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Chief%20executive%2C%20Conexus%20Financial%20(Australia)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Tate%20has%20been%20an%20investment%20industry%20media%20publisher%20and%20conference%20producer%20since%201996.%20In%20his%20media%20career%2C%20Tate%20has%20launched%20and%20overseen%20dozens%20of%20print%20and%5Cnelectronic%20publications.%20He%20is%20the%20chief%20executive%20and%20major%20shareholder%20of%20Conexus%20Financial%2C%20which%20was%20formed%20in%202005%2C%20and%20is%20headquartered%20in%20Sydney%2C%20Australia.%5CnThe%20company%20stages%20more%20than%2020%20conferences%20and%20events%20each%20year%20%E2%80%93%5Cnin%20cities%20which%20have%20included%20London%2C%20New%20York%2C%20San%20Francisco%2C%20Los%20Angeles%2C%20Amsterdam%2C%20Beijing%2C%20Sydney%20and%20Melbourne%20%E2%80%93%20and%20publishes%20three%20media%20brands%2C%5Cnincluding%20the%20global%20website%20and%20strategy%20newsletter%20for%20global%5Cninstitutional%20investors%20conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com.%20One%20of%20the%20company%E2%80%99s%20signature%20events%20is%20the%20bi-annual%20Fiduciary%20Investors%20Symposium.%20Conexus%20Financial%E2%80%99s%5Cnevents%20aim%20to%20place%20the%20responsibilities%20of%20investors%20in%20wider%20societal%2C%20and%20political%20contexts%2C%20as%20well%20as%20promote%20the%20long-term%20stability%20of%20markets%20and%20sustainable%5Cnretirement%20incomes.%20Tate%20served%20for%20seven%20years%20on%20the%20board%20of%20Australia%E2%80%99s%20most%20high%20profile%20homeless%20charity%2C%20The%20Wayside%20Chapel%3B%20and%20he%20has%20underwritten%20the%5Cnwelfare%20of%2060%2C000%20people%20in%2028%20villages%20throughout%20Uganda%20via%20The%20Hunger%20Project.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233547%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Famanda-white-101a7515%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dau%22%7D%5D” title=”Moderator” el_class=””][vc_empty_space height=”10px”]
Key takeaways
The SDGs will fail if we don’t create a more inclusive world.
Although we know what needs to be done we are not able collectively to behave at the scale and speed needed to fix known issues.
We only treasure what we measure. The progress in the area of measurement has been too slow.
Achieving the SDGs is hard work. The problem is that we do not have enough leaders in business and finance prepared to place self-interest to one side and focus on the greater good.
The successful company of the future will not focus on being ‘less bad’, it will focus on doing ‘more good’.
‘The world really is in trouble. There are no healthy people on an unhealthy planet.’
Humanity will pay the price if we do not address structural issues.
If issues of unemployment persist, social cohesion issues will escalate. We need to create better and more resilient jobs by investing in R&D and education.
If we all know what needs to be done why is our collective behaviour not reflecting this?
Business and politics alike suffer from short-term goals and assessments.
We need to put a price on scarce resources and social risk.
We cannot rely on governments to bring about the required system change.
The SDGs are the biggest business opportunity in the world.
Seek out your investors, don’t respond to them passively.
‘You don’t have to eat the elephant in one bite’ – have a ten year business model that addresses known social issues.
‘The companies that don’t place sustainability at the forefront of their strategy will be relegated to the graveyard of dinosaurs.’
One of the most important, upcoming challenges at CalSTRS is how the fund should evaluate Chinese investments from a human capital and environmental standpoint, says Chris Ailman, chief investment officer at the giant pension fund.
This episode explores the key pillars of a sustainable recovery including the three important long term trends that need to be addressed climate change, loss of biodiversity and inequality.
It explores the key role for the finance industry which includes building new models that are not only about maximising monetary profits but also transition theory, and the value of ecological and social capital.
Nigel Topping who was appointed by the UK Government as the High Level Climate Action Champion for United Nations climate talks, COP26 joins Fiona Reynolds, chief executive of the PRI, in conversation with Amanda White, editor of Top1000funds.com This episode focuses on climate change and how, amongst and despite, the short-term focus of this COVID-19 crisis, we can mobilise government, business and investors into action around this important issue of climate change.
COVID-19 has revealed some fundamental design flaws in our global economy, including the relentless pursuit of economic growth - not only at the expense of the environment but also at the expense of people. The investment industry has a role to play in fixing these design flaws. A systems framework for investing could be the answer.
For the economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis to be durable and resilient, a return to ‘business as usual’ and environmentally destructive investment patterns and activities must be avoided. To avoid this, economic recovery packages should be designed to “build back better”.
As we move from the rescue to the recovery phase of the COVID-19 response, policy-makers have an opportunity to invest in productive assets for the long-term.
Investors in Canada and Australia have joined the Dutch funds, APG and PGGM, in making their intention of an AI-driven SDG investment platform a reality - the Sustainable Development Investments Asset Owner Platform.
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