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This session looked at case studies of investors who have integrated sustainability practices into their investment decision making and portfolio construction, their outlook for the next five to 10 years, and what they think ESG 2.0 will look like in their portfolios.[vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Lucy%20Thomas%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Head%20of%20investment%20stewardship%2C%20TCorp%20(Australia)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Lucy%20Thomas%20leads%20NSW%20Treasury%20Corporation%E2%80%99s%20stewardship%20activities.%20In%20her%20role%20she%20has%20joint%20accountability%20with%20the%20investment%20leadership%20team%20for%20the%20design%20and%20implementation%20of%20a%20new%20total%20portfolio%20approach%20to%20investment%20and%20stewardship%20philosophy%20and%20process.%20TCorp%20is%20committed%20to%20be%20an%20effective%20steward%20of%20the%20%2490%20billion%20of%20assets%20entrusted%20to%20TCorp%20on%20behalf%20of%20the%20people%20of%20NSW.%5CnShe%20is%20responsible%20for%20establishing%20and%20managing%20best-practice%20stewardship%20at%20TCorp%20and%20uses%20a%20five%20pillar%20framework%20to%20embed%20stewardship%20across%20the%20organisation.%20These%20pillars%20include%20ESG%20integration%2C%20proxy%20voting%2C%20engagement%2C%20collaboration%20and%20disclosure.%20She%20ensures%20consistency%20of%20approach%20and%20transparency%20to%20stakeholders%20including%20government%2C%20clients%2C%20TCorp%20board%20and%20global%20industry%20peers.%20%5CnShe%20was%20previously%20global%20head%20of%20sustainable%20investment%20at%20Willis%20Towers%20Watson.%20Her%20career%20spans%20diverse%20global%20investment%20roles%20with%20over%2015%20years%E2%80%99%20industry%20experience.%20Her%20background%20includes%20equity%20research%20at%20Morgan%20Stanley%20in%20London%3B%20a%20boutique%20real%20estate%20manager%20in%20Europe%3B%20and%20a%20Sydney%20based%20market%20neutral%20hedge%20fund.%5CnShe%20is%20a%20CFA%20charterholder%20and%20holds%20a%20BA%20(Hons)%20in%20management%20science%20from%20Dublin%20University%20(Trinity%20College).%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233580%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Flucy-thomas-b194b855%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dau%22%7D%2C%7B%22name%22%3A%22Andrew%20Siwo%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Director%20of%20sustainable%20investments%20and%20climate%20solutions%2C%20New%20York%20State%20Common%20Retirement%20Fund%20(United%20States)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Andrew%20Siwo%20is%20the%20director%20of%20sustainable%20investments%20and%20climate%20solutions%20(SICS)%20at%20the%20New%20York%20State%20Common%20Retirement%20Fund%20and%20reports%20to%20the%20chief%20investment%20officer.%20He%20is%20charged%20with%20providing%20leadership%20and%20oversight%20on%20sustainable%20investment%20efforts%20across%20the%20Fund%E2%80%99s%20%24220%20billion%20portfolio%20and%20is%20the%20portfolio%20manager%20for%20the%20fund%E2%80%99s%20%2420%20billion%20commitment%20to%20SICS.%20Previously%2C%20Siwo%20was%20an%20investment%20director%20and%20served%20as%20the%20head%20of%20mission-related%20investments%20(MRIs)%20at%20Colonial%20Consulting%2C%20an%20investment%20consultancy%20to%20over%20150%20leading%20foundations%20and%20endowments%20with%20an%20aggregate%20of%20%2440%20billion%20in%20assets.%5CnAt%20Colonial%20Consulting%2C%20Siwo%20led%20the%20creation%20of%20client%20portfolios%20targeting%20MRIs%2C%20developed%20the%20firm%E2%80%99s%20MRI%20(SRI%2C%20ESG%2C%20impact)%20framework%20as%20well%20led%20sourcing%2C%20investment%20research%2C%20and%20due%20diligence%20across%20asset%20classes%20for%20related%20investment%20strategies.%5CnPrior%20to%20joining%20Colonial%20Consulting%2C%20Siwo%20was%20a%20manager%20at%20the%20Global%20Impact%20Investing%20Networking%20(GIIN).%20In%20his%20capacity%20there%2C%20he%20was%20responsible%20for%20the%20operation%2C%20sourcing%2C%20and%20development%20of%20ImpactBase%2C%20the%20largest%20platform%20of%20impact%20investment%20funds%20globally%2C%20which%20he%20grew%20by%20%2410%20billion%20and%20validated%20over%20100%20impact%20funds.%20He%20also%20educated%20and%20fostered%20institutional%20investors%20seeking%20exposure%20to%20socially%2Fenvironmentally%20responsible%20investment%20portfolios.%5CnPrior%20to%20joining%20the%20GIIN%2C%20Siwo%20spent%20five%20years%20in%20the%20investment%20banking%20division%20at%20JP%20Morgan-most%20recently%20in%20the%20Global%20Special%20Opportunities%20Group%2C%20a%20%243%20billion%20proprietary%20portfolio%20of%20principal%20investments%20in%20private%20equity%2C%20debt%2C%20mezzanine%2C%20infrastructure%2C%20and%20real%20estate.%20He%20also%20held%20roles%20on%20the%20rates%20desk%20executing%20fixed-income%20financing%20transactions%20as%20well%20as%20the%20Securitized%20Products%20Group%20valuing%20collateralized%20mortgage%20obligations.%5CnBefore%20JP%20Morgan%2C%20Siwo%20was%20a%20member%20of%20the%20Corporate%20Finance%20and%20Real%20Estate%20Strategy%20Group%20at%20Victoria’s%20Secret%20leading%20project%20finance%20initiatives.%20He%20began%20his%20career%20at%20E*Trade%20Financial%2C%20managing%20a%20team%20of%20investment%20representatives%20serving%20active%20traders%20and%20high%20net-worth%20investors.%20His%20investment%20articles%20have%20been%20printed%20in%20va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title=”Speaker” el_class=””][vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Amanda%20White%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Director%2C%20institutional%20content%2C%20Conexus%20Financial%20(Australia)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22White%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20content%20across%20all%20Conexus%20Financial%E2%80%99s%20institutional%20media%20and%20events.%20She%20is%20responsible%20for%20directing%20the%20bi-annual%20Fiduciary%20Investors%20Symposium%20which%20challenges%20global%20investors%20on%20investment%20best%20practice%20and%20aims%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%20retirement%20incomes.%20She%20is%20the%20editor%20of%20conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com%2C%20the%20online%20news%20and%20analysis%20site%20for%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20largest%20institutional%20investors.%20White%20has%20been%20an%20investment%20journalist%20for%20more%20than%2020%20years%20and%20has%20edited%20industry%20journals%20including%20Investment%20%26%20Technology%2C%20Investor%20Weekly%20and%20MasterFunds%20Quarterly.%20She%20was%20previously%20editorial%20director%20of%20InvestorInfo%20and%20has%20worked%20as%20a%20freelance%20journalist%20for%20the%20Australian%20Financial%20Review%2C%20CFO%2C%20Asset%20and%20Asia%20Asset%20Management.%20She%20has%20a%20Bachelor%20of%20Economics%20from%20Sydney%20University%20and%20a%20Master%20of%20Arts%20in%20Journalism%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Technology%2C%20Sydney.%20She%20was%20previously%20a%20columnist%20for%20the%20Canadian%20publication%2C%20Corporate%20Knights%2C%20which%20is%20distributed%20by%20the%20Globe%20and%20Mail%20and%20The%20Washington%20Post.%20White%20is%20currently%20a%20fellow%20in%20the%20Finance%20Leaders%20Fellowship%20at%20the%20Aspen%20Institute.%20The%20two-year%20program%20consists%20of%2022%20fellows%20and%20seeks%20to%20develop%20the%20next%20generation%20of%20responsible%2C%20community-spirited%20leaders%20in%20the%20global%20finance%20industry.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233531%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
Lucy
We think about allocating risk, not capital. We take a whole portfolio view.
We assess ESG risks and benefits. Can we mitigate risks or take advantage of benefits?
Before we invest, we think about whether we can add value by active engagement and stewardship over the long-term.
It is important for sustainability to be integral to every cog of the investment wheel.
We ask our asset manager managers to follow the CFA’s code of ethics and report on their compliance to it, which gives us an insight into the culture.
We should continue to ask ourselves what our portfolio impacts, not just what our portfolio returns.
Andrew
The fund focuses on 9 of the 17 SDGs.
For sustainable investing 2.0, asset managers will need to identify the source of alpha.
In future, there will be a close examination of claims made versus claims achieved.
There is currently problematic inconsistency in rating agency assessments in the ESG space.
Dewi
A few years back, we set a target to invest 10 per cent in climate actions.
We wish to invest at least US$8bn in climate initiatives by 2030.
We have an ESG tilt to our equities portfolio.
The lack of data and lack of comparability is an ongoing issue.
Investment in the S and G is expected to continue in the current global circumstances.
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.
Princeton University Professor of International Affairs, Stephen Kotkin explains why large global investors and multinationals can lead on sustainability but national governments fail.
Integrating the SDGs involves analysing investee companies' core business, the products and services they sell, and mapping that to the SDGs. Two investors, APG and Schroders, outline the indepth process.
In an intimate case study this session at the Sustainability conference profiles the relationship between Robeco and CocaCola and how investor engagement has helped prioritise sustainability issues and drive long-term growth through a focus on the circular economy.
International negotiations like the Paris Agreement no longer work. The world needs a new framework supporting a carbon tax with both carrots and sticks to encourage participation, says William Nordhaus, Sterling Professor of Economics, Yale University and 2018 Nobel Prize winner in Economics.
In a rare insight into the portfolio construction process at Bridgewater, the head of investment research, Karen Karniol-Tambour discusses how to shift from only looking at risk and return to adopting a three-dimensional model that incorporates impact.
The Ford Foundation outlines its ability to achieve impact and returns and announces plans to invest for impact in public markets in the next 18 months. Elsewhere, renown impact investor Pictet Asset Management explains how impact investment is becoming more mainstream.
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