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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” 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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.
What policies for greening
the crisis response
and economic recovery?
Lessons learned from past
green stimulus measures
and implications for the
COVID-19 crisis
The Harvard endowment is about half way through its transition to external investment management and will work with its service providers to implement the university’s new directive, to position the portfolio in line with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The COVID-19 crisis is likely to have dramatic consequences for progress on climate change. Imminent fiscal recovery packages could entrench or partly displace the current fossil-fuel-intensive economic system.
Asset allocation plays such a fundamental role to determining long-term returns that ignoring these sustainability issues – where the impacts affect economies, businesses and society over decades – just does not make sense.
How can investors be a catalyst for change and have an active voice in a sustainable recovery? This episode explores the role of investors and how they can collaborate for effective collective action. It includes the work of one of the leaders in sustainable investing and the biggest pension fund in Europe, APG. It invites investors to have an active voice in a sustainable recovery.
There is a lack of understanding in investment decision-making about how big the climate crisis is which could lead to investments and risks being mis-directed, according to Professor Cameron Hepburn, Professor of Environmental Economics at Oxford University.
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